The Orcas Agreement, agreed in 2021 by Australia, the UK and the US, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the next decade to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. US President Donald Trump has issued a formal review of this year’s agreement.
Defense Minister Richard Marless said in a statement that he was signed Saturday with British Secretary of Defense John Healy after a meeting in Geelong, Victoria.
“The Geelong Treaty enables comprehensive cooperation in the design, construction, operation, maintenance and disposal of SSN-Aukus submarines,” the statement said.
The treaty is “a commitment for the next 50 years of British and Australia’s bilateral defence cooperation under Pillar I of Auguss,” he added, building on a “strong foundation” of trilateral bull cooperation.
The UK Department of Defense said this week that the bilateral treaty is expected to support the submarine programmes of the two allies and be worth up to £20 billion ($27.1 billion) in exports over the next 25 years.
Orcas is Australia’s largest defence project, and Canberra promises to spend $368 billion on the program over 30 years. This includes billions of dollars in investments in US production bases.
Australia has paid the US $800 million this month in its second round under Orcas, but it claims it is confident the agreement will go ahead.
Australia and the UK’s Defense Ministers promoted cooperation in Sydney on Friday, holding talks in unison with Australia’s biggest war game.
MA/PR