Australia, Britain sign 50-year AUKUS submarine partnership treaty
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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
10 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Nasa says it will lose about 20% of its workforce
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Nasa will lose about 3,900 employees as US President Donald Trump aims to trim the federal workforce. WASHINGTON - The US space agency Nasa will lose about 3,900 employees under Mr Donald Trump's sweeping effort to trim the federal workforce – at the same time as the president prioritises plans for crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. In an emailed statement, Nasa said around 3,000 employees took part in the second round of its deferred resignation programme, which closed late on July 25. Combined with the 870 who joined the first round and regular staff departures, the agency's civil servant workforce is set to drop from more than 18,000 before Mr Trump took office in January to roughly 14,000 – a more than 20 per cent decrease. Those leaving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on the deferred resignation programme will be placed on administrative leave until an agreed departure date. An agency spokesperson said the figures could shift slightly in the coming weeks. 'Safety remains a top priority for our agency as we balance the need to become a more streamlined and more efficient organisation and work to ensure we remain fully capable of pursuing a Golden Era of exploration and innovation, including to the Moon and Mars,' the agency said. Earlier this year, the Trump administration's proposed Nasa budget put a return to the Moon and a journey to Mars front and centre, slashing science and climate programmes. The White House says it wants to focus on 'beating China back to the Moon and putting the first human on Mars'. China is aiming for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030, while the US programme, called Artemis, has faced repeated delays.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Pope Leo discusses war in Ukraine with Russian Orthodox Church official
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Pope Leo interacts with Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk, at the Vatican July 26, 2025. Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo discussed the war in Ukraine on Saturday with Metropolitan Anthony, a senior cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church, in a possible effort to ease ties between the churches strained by Russia's invasion. Leo saw Anthony, chairman of the department of external church relations, and five other high-profile clerics during an audience in the morning, the Vatican said. "During the conversation, numerous issues were raised concerning the state of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, as well as the ongoing conflicts in the world, including in Ukraine and the Middle East," the Russian Orthodox Church said in a statement. Since assuming the papacy in May, Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in global conflicts and this month told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the Vatican was willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Russian officials, however, have said they do not view the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because it is surrounded by NATO member Italy which has supported Ukraine. The head of Russia's Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has been an enthusiastic backer of the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian church statement said that Kirill's congratulations were conveyed to Leo for his election as pope. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar "Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude to his holiness patriarch Kirill for his good wishes and noted the importance of developing relations with the Russian Orthodox Church," it added. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump says speaking with Cambodia, Thailand leaders about ceasefire
Find out what's new on ST website and app. US President Donald Trump (far right) playing golf at his Trump Turnberry course in Scotland on July 26. TURNBERRY, United Kingdom - US President Donald Trump said on July 26 he was talking with the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand in a bid to end their border conflict that has left at least 33 people dead. 'Just spoke to the Prime Minister of Cambodia relative to stopping the War with Thailand,' Mr Trump, who is on a visit to Scotland, said in a post on his Truth Social network. 'I have just spoken to the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, and it was a very good conversation,' he said soon after in a new post. 'Thailand, like Cambodia, wants to have an immediate Ceasefire, and PEACE,' he added. 'I am now going to relay that message back to the Prime Minister of Cambodia. After speaking to both Parties, Ceasefire, Peace, and Prosperity seems to be a natural. We will soon see!' Tensions flared over long-contested ancient temple sites before fighting spread along the countries' rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. Clashes, now in their third day, broke out on July 26 in the countries' coastal regions where they meet on the Gulf of Thailand, around 250km south-west of the main front lines. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar 'I am trying to simplify a complex situation! Many people are being killed in this War, but it very much reminds me of the Conflict between Pakistan and India, which was brought to a successful halt,' Mr Trump said. Mr Trump also indicated he would not move forward on trade deals with either nation until fighting has stopped. AFP
