US submarines that rotate through Western Australia under the AUKUS pact could be carrying nuclear weapons and Australia should welcome that, according to a key Republican who chairs the Friends of Australia caucus in the US Congress, The Sydney Morning Herald report.
Michael McCaul, a former chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee and a China hawk, said having submarines armed with nuclear weapons was vital to deter Beijing from aggression towards Taiwan, which he regarded as a real and active threat.
“They’re nuclear subs that have the potential to carry nuclear weapons. China has them as well,” he said of the US Virginia-class vessels due to rotate through HMAS Stirling.
“If you really want deterrence from President Xi, you want to demonstrate that you have this mutually assured destruction. It’s a principle that worked against the Soviets really well. It’s kind of an unveiled threat to have a nuclear sub going around without any weapons.”
The Australian government maintains that AUKUS adheres to the Treaty of Rarotonga, under which Australia commits not to acquire or station nuclear weapons. The submarines Australia is to buy and make under AUKUS will be nuclear-powered but conventionally armed.
However, it is not clear whether the American submarines would be “stationed” in Australia, given they are technically rotating through Australia for at least five years, potentially much longer.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said that the federal government was fully committed to the Treaty of Rarotonga.
“That is a treaty that we abide by, and America understands that.
“Every decision that we take in respect of the force posture of any foreign country in Australia, including America, is in accordance with strict sovereignty rules that we have in place, which provide for full knowledge and concurrence, that means that we are always aware of exactly what activities are being undertaken by foreign defence forces on Australian soil,” he said in a statement to this masthead.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said in July that Australia would not allow nuclear-armed subs to be “stationed” in Perth.
“I can guarantee you that everything that we do will be consistent with the Treaty of Rarotonga, which is a commitment for us not to have stationed nuclear-armed vessels in Australia,” he said at the time.
McCaul said Australians should welcome nuclear-armed submarines because of their deterrent effect but would not discuss the potential impact on nuclear non-proliferation.
“This gets into whether or not our subs are carrying the weapons right now,” he said. “I can’t answer that. It’s probably classified.”
McCaul made the comments to this masthead in Washington after returning from an official visit to Australia as part of a congressional delegation. While there, he met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Conroy, among others.
AUKUS, the $368 billion-plus defence pact with the US and United Kingdom, was announced five years ago this week, and has since been re-committed to by the governments of all three countries.
It marks the first time Australia will develop a nuclear industry – first to maintain and acquire US-made nuclear-powered submarines, then to build a new class of vessel with the UK.
That requires negotiating safeguards with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – something that was highlighted in a new report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Monday.
The full report is here.
