THE SQUIZ
PM Anthony Albanese has made his way to San Diego in the US ahead of a highly anticipated meeting with President Joe Biden and UK PM Rishi Sunak to formalise the AUKUS security pact and finalise the details that will see Oz have its own fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The leaders haven’t named it when they talk about why they’ve made the agreement, but it’s aimed at countering a more ambitious/aggressive China.

DO WE KNOW YET WHAT SUBS WE’RE GETTING?
It’s not confirmed, but reports say we’ll buy 4-5 Virginia-class subs from the US to bridge the ‘capability gap’ in our defence toolkit. We’re also said to be doing a deal with the UK for a new generation sub that will be built in Oz. Reports this morning say the cost will likely exceed $200 billion over 30 years and create 20,000 direct/indirect jobs. As for why we’re going down this underwater road, it’s all about nuclear-powered submarines staying quieter for longer. Our current diesel-powered fleet is heading towards the end of its life, and a replacement was already sorted under a deal with the French. That was famously scuttled in 2021 by former PM Scott Morrison when it became possible for Oz to get its own nuclear-powered fleet with the help of the US and the UK. Next stop: the official announcement from the leaders about how it will go down.

REMIND ME WHY WE’RE GOING TO ALL THIS TROUBLE…
The US and UK are on board with Australia having these subs because we’re geographically closer to China, which the leaders agree has created a “complex” strategic environment in our Indo-Pacific region. As for China, there are no points for guessing that it’s not a fan of the developments… On Friday, a Foreign Affairs spokesman urged AUKUS nations to “abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum games, honour international obligations in good faith and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability.” It comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping was locked in for an unprecedented 3rd term by the National People’s Congress along with Li Qiang as premier/Xi’s 2IC. China also flexed its international superpower muscles on the weekend by brokering a peace deal between Saudia Arabia and Iran. Some experts say it’s further proof of the reordering of alliances that raises China “into a new league diplomatically”.