Biden to host Australian, British leaders on AUKUS defence pact

US President Joe Biden will host the leaders of Australia and Britain in San Diego next week to chart a way forward for provision of nuclear-powered submarines and other high-tech weaponry to Australia, sources familiar with the plans said.

The spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he would will visit the United States on Monday (Mar 13) to meet Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for talks on the AUKUS defence agreement.

Sources familiar with the planning said that trilateral summit would take place in San Diego on Monday to unveil new details of the 2021 AUKUS pact conceived as part of efforts to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Albanese said before leaving on a visit to India on Wednesday that he would visit the United States to meet Biden, but would not be drawn on plans for a summit with Biden and Sunak.

“I look forward to the continuing engagement that I have with the US administration,” Albanese told reporters before his departure for India, without giving a date for his US trip.

Australia’s ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos said last week that details of the submarine deal would be announced in mid-March.

San Diego is home to the US Pacific fleet and a source familiar with the planning told Reuters the trilateral summit could involve a visit to a submarine.

While the United States and Britain have agreed to provide Australia with the technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines, the three allies have yet to say exactly how the capability will be transferred to Australia, which does not have a nuclear-propulsion industry.

AUKUS will be Australia’s biggest defence project and offers the prospect of jobs in all three countries, but it remains unclear whether it will involve a US or a British-designed submarine, or a combination of both, or when the vessels will become operational.

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Australian defence industry speculation has centred on Australia opting for a British design, while Sinodinos said there would be a “genuine trilateral solution”.

Despite an 18-month consultation period since AUKUS was first announced, questions remain over strict US curbs on technology sharing in areas such as artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons. British and Australian officials said last week that work was still needed to break down bureaucratic barriers to technology sharing.

Ratner said these needed to be revised “and we’re in the process of doing so.”

Some experts believe the AUKUS announcement could include plans to station US and British nuclear submarines in Australia to train Australian crews, and fill a capability gap until the new Australia submarines are in service, which is not expected until about 2040. REUTERS