Australian and UK Defense Ministers Sign the Geelong Agreement: Commitment to Defense Cooperation for the Next 50 Years under the AUKUS Submarine Project

The Australian government announced on Saturday that it has signed a new treaty with the United Kingdom, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the AUKUS (also known as the AUKUS agreement) nuclear submarine project for the next 50 years.

The AUKUS agreement was reached by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States in 2021, aiming to provide Australia with an attack nuclear submarine fleet from the next decade. The US Department of Defense under the Trump administration announced this year that it will formally review the agreement.

On Saturday, the defense ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement, stating, "On July 26, 2025, in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, Member of Parliament Marles, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence of Australia, and Member of Parliament Healey, the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, signed the bilateral 'Nuclear Powered Submarine Partnership and Cooperation Treaty' (known as the Geelong Agreement) during the Australia-United Kingdom Defence Ministers Meeting. The Geelong Agreement is a historic agreement, representing a commitment to bilateral defense cooperation between Australia and the United Kingdom under the framework of the first pillar of the AUKUS agreement for the next 50 years."

The statement continued, "The Geelong Agreement will promote comprehensive cooperation between the two sides in the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and disposal of the AUKUS-class attack submarines (SSN-AUKUS). The treaty will support the development of personnel, workforce, infrastructure, and regulatory systems required for Australia's AUKUS-class attack submarine program, and will also support port visits and rotation deployments of the Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Stirling base under the command of the Western Submarine Force. The treaty is built on the solid foundation of trilateral cooperation among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, advancing the common objectives of the AUKUS agreement partnership. It will promote the development of AUKUS-class attack submarines and resilient trilateral supply chains."

The statement said, "Together with the trilateral 'AUKUS Naval Nuclear Propulsion Agreement' (ANNPA), this treaty will enable Australia and the United Kingdom to provide cutting-edge underwater capabilities through the AUKUS-class attack submarine program, thus supporting stability and security in the Europe-Atlantic and Indian-Pacific regions for decades to come. It will drive defense as an engine for growth in our two countries, creating tens of thousands of jobs, establishing their own submarine industrial bases and supply chains, and providing new opportunities for industry partners."

The UK Ministry of Defence stated this week that this bilateral treaty will support the two countries' submarine projects, with expected exports from the UK reaching up to 2 billion pounds over the next 25 years. The AUKUS agreement is the largest defense project in Australian history, with Australia committing to invest 36.8 billion Australian dollars in the project over the next 30 years, including billions of dollars in investments in the US production base.

Australia has already paid the second installment of 800 million Australian dollars for the AUKUS agreement this month and has always believed that the agreement can proceed smoothly. On Friday, the foreign ministers and defense ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom held a "2+2" meeting in Sydney, coinciding with the largest military exercise in Australian history.

Up to 40,000 soldiers from 19 countries are participating in the "Silvertip 25" joint military exercise, which runs from July 13 to August 4. The Australian military says this is a joint operational exercise to maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The British side has significantly increased its participation in this exercise hosted by Australia and the United States, with 3,000 British soldiers taking part this year, and the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is also involved.

Source: rfi

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838734249278923/

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