Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) have signed a 50-year commitment to the AUKUS defence treaty despite the United States’ ongoing review of the pact. Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and UK Defence Secretary John Healey signed the bilateral Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration Treaty (the Geelong Treaty) at their meeting in Geelong, Victoria yesterday.
Marles and Healey said in a joint statement that the Geelong Treaty is a historic agreement, the commitment for the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral defence cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I. The Geelong Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of their SSN-AUKUS submarines, according to the statement.
The signing of the treaty came as the United States wavered on its role in the AUKUS alliance. The US Department of Defence has announced a review of the trilateral security partnership to determine whether the agreement aligns with the America First agenda.
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