AUKUS and the Indo-Pacific maritime security in a changing climate
This article was first published in the Australian Naval Review, 2022, Issue 1, in June 2022.
By Dr Saiful Karim*
Introduction
In September 2021, Australia announced a trilateral security partnership with its longstanding Western allies, the United States and the United Kingdom. As the first initiative of this partnership, Australia decided to acquire nuclear-powered submarines from the UK and the US.[1] This initiative prompted a critical reaction from France because it involved the cancellation of the previous arrangement for acquiring conventional submarines from France. More importantly, this declaration was received with reservation by some countries of the Indo-Pacific region because of the involvement of nuclear propulsion.[2]
