Latest news with #AUKMIN
The Diplomat
a day ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Australia, UK Sign Landmark Defense Deal
Last week, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles hosted their counterparts from the United Kingdom for the AUKMIN discussions. These now annual talks have become more critical to Australia as the AUKUS initiative has developed, and particularly due to the chaotic and unreliable nature of the agreement's third party, the United States. The central outcome of the visit was the signing of the bilateral Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration Treaty by Marles and the U.K.'s Secretary of State for Defense John Healey. It's informally known as the Geelong Treaty, given that it was signed in the Victorian city of Geelong, where Marles represents an electoral district. Keen to show off his electorate – and the two countries' camaraderie – Marles also took Healey for a beer at a local brewery. The Geelong Treaty commits Australia and the U.K. to the next 50 years of defense cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I. This involves the design, build, operation, and maintenance of new fleets of nuclear-powered submarines for both the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. The subs are scheduled to enter into service in the 2030s for the U.K. and the 2040s for Australia. The treaty will support the development of the personnel, infrastructure, and regulatory systems that Australia needs to be capable of running a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines – all of which it currently lacks. The two countries also agreed to port visits and a rotational presence of the U.K.'s current Astute-class submarines in Australia. In highlighting the importance of the agreement, Marles stated, 'In military terms, what it will deliver is the biggest leap in Australia's military capability, really, since the formation of the navy back in 1913.' The signing of the treaty came as the largest British navy presence in 30 years arrived in Darwin – including its flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales. The vessels are in Australia for the 11th iteration of the Talisman Sabre exercise, currently being conducted across northern Australia and Papua New Guinea with 30,000 personnel from 19 countries participating. Australia's defense strategy is often depicted as simply a reliance on Washington, and a hope that the U.S. will maintain a commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. Yet, there is a broader strategy of seeking to encourage other states with resources and shared worldviews into the region. Most of Australia's 'like-minded countries' exist within Europe, and the region is suffering from its own serious security threats at present, complicating Australia's strategy. However, the U.K. has signaled with its large contingent to Talisman Sabre – over 3,000 personnel – that London sees maintaining stability in the region as critical for their own interests as well. As the world's economic center of gravity has shifted to the Indo-Pacific, it is clear that while Russia's belligerence is a European threat, any attempt by China to alter the status quo across the Taiwan Strait would be globally catastrophic. But it is not just the Taiwan Strait that both countries are concerned about. The joint statement from the AUSMIN discussions highlighted that: 'Ministers reiterated their strong opposition to coercive or destabilizing activities by China's Coast Guard, naval vessels and maritime militia in the South China Sea, including sideswiping, water cannoning and close maneuvers that have resulted in injuries, endangered lives and created risks of miscalculation and escalation. Ministers agreed to continue cooperating to support freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, including through participation in joint activities.' Approximately 12 percent of the U.K.'s annual trade passes through the South China Sea, making its stability a vital national interest. It is the economic interests of European countries within the region that provide greater assurance to Australia. While they may not have the raw power of the United States, deterrence is a psychological game as much as one of power, and the greater the number of states demonstrating their commitment to regional stability, the more Beijing will need to think twice about its actions. The other game at play is how countries like Australia and the U.K. can keep the U.S. on the same page, particularly in light of the current U.S. Defense Department review of AUKUS. The friendly and cooperative spirit of the AUSMIN discussions was also a signal to Washington about what proper allyship looks like. The signal may have been too subtle for those currently in the White House, or they may simply not care, yet managing and influencing Washington in new ways is now an essential part of how countries like Australia and the U.K. conduct their security and diplomatic relations.
West Australian
4 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
‘Brown-noser': Crass statue appears outside Richard Marles electoral office in Geelong
A crass piece of political art has accused Richard Marles of being 'Australia's biggest brown-noser' as the defence minister signed a 50-year treaty alongside his UK counterpart. The installation, outside Mr Marles electoral office in Geelong, depicted a large nose with an apparent fecal smear. Affixed to a light post by chain, the work is attributed to The New Radicals and names Mr Marles. The protest art comes as Mr Marles signed a new five-decade treaty with the United Kingdom to cement the AUKUS submarine pact in his home city. Dubbed 'The Geelong Treaty', the defence minister said the agreement would enable co-operation on the SSN-Aukus submarine. 'In doing this, AUKUS will see 20,000 jobs in Australia. It will see, in building submarines in this country, the biggest industrial endeavour in our nation's history, bigger even than the Snowy Hydro scheme,' Mr Marles said. 'In military terms, what it will deliver is the biggest leap in Australia's military capability, really, since the formation of the navy back in 1913.' The new treaty was announced following the annual AUKMIN talks in Sydney on Friday. Alongside his counterpart, UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey, the two men celebrated the treaty with a beer at a Geelong brewery. Spotted in Geelong's CBD on Saturday afternoon, the piece has vanished by 5pm.
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Crass statue pops up as UK defence pact signed
A crass piece of political art has accused Richard Marles of being 'Australia's biggest brown-noser' as the defence minister signed a 50-year treaty alongside his UK counterpart. The installation, outside Mr Marles electoral office in Geelong, depicted a large nose with an apparent fecal smear. Affixed to a light post by chain, the work is attributed to The New Radicals and names Mr Marles. A piece of protest art was left in the Geelong CBD labelling Richard Marles "Australia's biggest brown-noser" on the day of the signing of the Geelong treaty. Picture X / @maximum_chips Credit: Supplied The art was cleaned up promptly and gone by 5pm. Supplied Credit: Supplied The protest art comes as Mr Marles signed a new five-decade treaty with the United Kingdom to cement the AUKUS submarine pact in his home city. Dubbed 'The Geelong Treaty', the defence minister said the agreement would enable co-operation on the SSN-Aukus submarine. 'In doing this, AUKUS will see 20,000 jobs in Australia. It will see, in building submarines in this country, the biggest industrial endeavour in our nation's history, bigger even than the Snowy Hydro scheme,' Mr Marles said. 'In military terms, what it will deliver is the biggest leap in Australia's military capability, really, since the formation of the navy back in 1913.' Deputy PM Richard Marles and UK Defence Secretary John Healey sign the Geelong Treaty. NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui Credit: News Corp Australia The two men later enjoyed a Saturday beer. NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui Credit: News Corp Australia The new treaty was announced following the annual AUKMIN talks in Sydney on Friday. Alongside his counterpart, UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey, the two men celebrated the treaty with a beer at a Geelong brewery. Spotted in Geelong's CBD on Saturday afternoon, the piece has vanished by 5pm.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Australia, Britain sign 50-year AUKUS submarine partnership treaty
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey speak to media at Admiralty House during the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney, Australia July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kirsty Needham/File Photo SYDNEY - Australia's government said on Saturday it signed a treaty with Britain to bolster cooperation over the next 50 years on the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership. The AUKUS pact, agreed upon by Australia, Britain and the U.S. in 2021, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the next decade to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration announced a formal review of the pact this year. Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a statement that the bilateral treaty was signed with Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey on Saturday after a meeting in the city of Geelong, in Victoria state. "The Geelong Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of our SSN-AUKUS submarines," the statement said. The treaty was a "commitment for the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral defence cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I", it said, adding that it built on the "strong foundation" of trilateral AUKUS cooperation. Britain's ministry of defence said this week that the bilateral treaty would underpin the two allies' submarine programmes and was expected to be worth up to 20 billion pounds ($27.1 billion) for Britain in exports over the next 25 years. AUKUS is Australia's biggest-ever defence project, with Canberra committing to spend A$368 billion over three decades to the programme, which includes billions of dollars of investment in the U.S. production base. Australia, which this month paid A$800 million to the U.S. in the second instalment under AUKUS, has maintained it is confident the pact will proceed. The defence and foreign ministers of Australia and Britain held talks on Friday in Sydney on boosting cooperation, coinciding with Australia's largest war games. As many as 40,000 troops from 19 countries are taking part in the Talisman Sabre exercises held from July 13 to August 4, which Australia's military has said are a rehearsal for joint warfare to maintain Indo-Pacific stability. Britain has significantly increased its participation in the exercise co-hosted by Australia and the United States, with aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales taking part this year. REUTERS
Toronto Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Britain and Australia to sign 50-year nuclear submarine treaty
Carney condemns Israel for failing to prevent humanitarian crisis in Gaza Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, left, Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy, second left, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Britain's Secretary of State for Defence John Healey, right, hold a press conference at Admiralty House following the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney, Australia, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) RR flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
