Sydney, 12 August 2024 (TDI): Australia said on Monday that it had signed an agreement to allow the exchange of nuclear secrets and material with the US and Britain, a key step toward equipping its navy with nuclear-powered submarines.
The treaty binds the three nations to security arrangements for the transfer of sensitive UK and American nuclear material and knowhow as part of the 2021 AUKUS security deal.
Australia’s Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said that this deal is an important step toward acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.
It would set the highest non-proliferation standards, he said, emphasizing that the country did not seek nuclear weapons.
The latest agreement— inked in Washington last week and tabled in the Australian parliament on Monday — includes a provision for Australia to indemnify its partners against any liability for nuclear risks from material provided to the country.
Nuclear material for the submarines’ propulsion would be sent from the US or UK in “complete, welded power units,” it says.
But Australia would be responsible for the disposal and storage of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste from the power units that are provided under the agreement.
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Submarines are an essential part of the naval capability of Australia, providing a strategic advantage in terms of surveillance and protection of our maritime approaches, the transfer agreement says.
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi warned in a trip to Australia in April that AUKUS raised serious nuclear proliferation risks, claiming it ran counter to a South Pacific accord banning nuclear weapons in the region.
