A number of technology, including artificial intelligence, drones, and deep space radar, will be utilized by Australia and its partners in the Aukus region in order to combat China’s aggression in the Pacific.
In order to make the announcement regarding the second “pillar” of the Aukus deal, the Minister of Defense, Richard Marles, met with his counterparts from the United States and the United Kingdom, Lloyd J. Austin and Grant Shapps, in the state of California on Saturday.
After Australian military divers were hurt by sonar pulses that were believed to have been released by a Chinese warship in the international waters off the coast of Japan, the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, accused a Chinese naval ship of engaging in behavior that was “dangerous, unsafe, and unprofessional” last month.
In spite of the fact that Australia’s trade relationship with China is beginning to improve, there is still persistent anxiety regarding China’s influence in the region.
On Saturday, Marles stated that the occurrence was “unsafe and unprofessional” and that it had been brought to the attention of China immediately.
The statement that he made was, “We have made public our concerns about the behavior.”
“It brings to light the necessity of this arrangement, as well as the necessity of speed within this arrangement, and I believe that you are able to see that speed within this arrangement.”
Despite the fact that the primary focus of the Aukus accord has been on Australia’s anticipated acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, the second pillar of the agreement is designed to emphasize innovative technologies.
According to ministers, artificial intelligence technology will be used on systems, including the P-8A Poseidon aircraft, in order to process information from sonobuoys. Sonobuoys are devices that collect and transmit data from underwater environments. The goal of this technology is to increase “our anti-submarine warfare capabilities.”
The use of artificial intelligence algorithms as well as machine learning will also be implemented in order to “improve intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as force protection and precision targeting.”
According to them, both existing submarines and those that will be built in the future will be utilized to launch and recover underwater vehicles from torpedo tubes. Additionally, quantum technology will be utilized to enhance positioning, navigation, and timing in order to enhance stealth and enable troops to continue operations even in the event that GPS is disrupted.
In addition, the partners in the Aukus project have stated that they will be able to identify new dangers in space by utilizing a continuous deep space radar that will track objects in deep space.
It was announced by the three individuals that they will carry out “a series of integrated trilateral experiments and exercises” in order to evaluate and improve the functioning of unmanned maritime systems. Furthermore, they will collaborate on the processing and sharing of marine data, work to enhance cybersecurity, and initiate an annual competition that will concentrate on electronic warfare technologies.
They underlined their “shared resolve to bolster security and stability and ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains a region free from coercion and aggression” in the joint statement that they issued.
Concerns that the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House could pose a threat to Aukus were also disregarded by Marles, who stated that the agreement has support “across the political spectrum.”
A recent survey indicated that almost forty percent of Australians believe that the government need to abandon the Aukus pact in the event that Trump is elected.
Austin stated that Aukus would “promote peace and security throughout the Indo-Pacific,” a region that Shapps suggested had grown “much more dangerous.”
Shapps stated that there has never been a bigger need for more invention and to be more pioneering than there is right now. “[With] Russia waging war in Ukraine, with Hamas wreaking havoc in the Middle East, and China undermining the freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, we have never had a greater need for more innovation.”
There have been six officers from the Royal Australian Navy who have graduated from the United States Nuclear Power School, according to the joint statement. Additionally, three individuals are scheduled to graduate from the United Kingdom Nuclear Power School in the month of January.
The United States Navy’s Pearl Harbor Navy and the United Kingdom’s Barrow-in-Furness shipyards have both begun employing industry professionals in order to help them gain the skills necessary to construct and maintain nuclear-powered submarines.
In addition, the partners of Aukus reaffirmed their commitment to non-proliferation of the nuclear weapons and expressed their satisfaction with Australia’s decision to establish an independent nuclear safety authority.
