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1 [1] (May 19, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govefua0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Inforrming the legislative debate since 1914 May 19, 2022 AUKUS and Indo-Pacific Security AUKUS Overview Launched in September 2021, the Australia, United Kingdom (UK), United States (AUKUS) security pact is described by analysts as the most significant security arrangement among the three countries in a generation. Observers say the three allies launched AUKUS as a strategic response to China's growing military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region (see Figure 1). President Biden stated that AUKUS will update and enhance our shared ability to take on the threats of the 21st century and noted that the three nations stood shoulder-to-shoulder and fought together in two world wars, Korea, and the Persian Gulf. Although international attention initially focused on the proposed transfer of nuclear propulsion technology to Australia, observers say the pact's plan to develop advanced technologies and other military capabilities over the longer term may prove to be equally significant (see CRS In Focus IF11999, A UKUS Nuclear Cooperation). The agreement may also prompt closer cooperation on other security threats. In April 2022, for example, AUKUS leaders committed to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics, counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities in response to China's tests of its own hypersonic missiles, which Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley described as very concerning. AUKUS and U.S. Security Ties The AUKUS agreement strengthens the United States' defense and intelligence ties with Australia and the UK while augmenting a number of existing multilateral security arrangements. By strengthening key U.S. alliances in the region through the AUKUS agreement and other multilateral initiatives, the Biden Administration may be seeking to address questions from regional partners about America's commitment and staying power in the Indo- Pacific. The United States and Australia are treaty allies under the 1951 Australia, New Zealand, United States alliance (see Figure 2) and the United States and the UK are members of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance. The United States, Australia, and the UK also are, along with Canada and New Zealand, part of the 1946 Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group. The United States joined with Australia, Japan, and India initially in 2007 and again in 2017 to form the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). Australia and the UK are, along with Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore, part of the 1971 Five Power Defence Arrangements. Figure 1. Man of the Indo-Pacific mAIL ~ VET.PH ILPPINES N AB SRI LANKA BRUNE SINGAPORE -p PAPUA N W NDONES5A GUINEA NEW ZEALAND Source: CRS. Boundaries from U.S. Department of State. Australia and AUKUS AUKUS focuses mostly on developing military capabilities and opens the way for Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines. Australia initially plans to build approximately eight such submarines in Adelaide and to establish a new submarine base on its east coast. Currently, six countries operate nuclear-powered submarines; the UK, and now Australia, are the only nations with which the United States shares nuclear propulsion technology. Nuclear-powered submarines do not have the same limitations as conventional submarines and can stay submerged for many months. These steps appear to be part of a broader Australian effort to bolster its national security capabilities. The Australian government is increasingly concerned by China's actions, including its imposition of trade restrictions in response to Australian calls for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, efforts to influence Australian politics, and expanding presence in the South Pacific. Canberra, in response, embarked on the biggest expansion of its defense capabilities since the Vietnam War, increasing military spending by 7.4% for FY2022- FY2023 to reach 2.11% of gross domestic product (GDP) and planning to boost the size of its military by approximately one-third. Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned that an arc of autocracy is challenging the world order and compared the present geopolitical situation to the strategic uncertainty of the 1930s. Defense Minister Peter Dutton stated that Australia must prepare for war. A 2021 poll found 75% of Australian voters felt China posed a S