AUKUS Security Alliance

Recently, The U.S. the U.K. and Australia announced a new trilateral security partnership, AUKUS.

About the AUKUS Pact

• The historic grouping will advance strategic interests, uphold the international rules-based order, along with generating hundreds of high-skilled jobs.
• Under the first major initiative of AUKUS, Australia would build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the US and the UK, a capability aimed at promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Highlights of AUKUS Alliance        

• Indo-Pacific Focus: The AUKUS security team will focus on developing strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Although the US has openly denied that the collection is targeted at China, its Indo-pacific status makes it an ally against China's independent actions in the South China Sea.
• The three countries alongside Canada and New Zealand already share a deep understanding of the Five Eyes partnership.
• Transferring Nuclear Vessels to Australia: As part of this program, Australia will acquire submarine-powered submarines with assistance from the UK and US.
• The move is significant because the US has only shared marine chemical technology before, and it began in 1958 with Great Britain.
• Nuclear power submarines are quieter than their standard counterparts but also more capable of being installed for longer periods of time and need to appear more frequently.
• Apart from India’s stated goal of acquiring more nuclear-powered submarines, it will lead to an increase in changes in Quad’s undersea power and anti-submarine warfare.
• Quad is a collection of India, USA, Australia and Japan.
• Australia now has to join the top six-nation group - India, US, UK, France, Russia and China - using nuclear-powered submarines. It would also be the end of the world to have such submarines without having a nuclear power plant.
• Multilateral Partnerships: AUKUS will also include new building and integration meetings between the three countries, as well as partnerships in emerging technologies (using AI, quantum technology and underwater capabilities).

Why did China express its concern about the AUKUS Security Alliance?

China is delayed more by AUKUS than Quad and other Indo-Pacific arrangements for the following reasons,

• First, AUKUS aims to protect the strategic interests of the partner in the region across the two seas and 38 countries.
• Second, it is a message to China that the US will one day do the same to other countries in the region. Sharing military and critical skills such as cyber, artificial intelligence, and computum computing. It is a cause for concern in China, as these are the key areas in which China currently governs.
• Third, AUKUS is a security group, unlike QUAD, which is a communication group.
• Fourth, the Declaration marks a new decline in Australia-China relations. China is Australia's largest trading partner, with about US $ 200 billion trading in two ways. But the relationship has been strained over the past few years.

For these reasons alone, China called the new AUKUS alliance "extremely damaging to the peace and stability of the region".

What does the AUKUS Security Alliance mean in India?

• According to Indian Observers, the partnership is very beneficial to India. As India has been at the forefront of uniting the unity of the Indo-Pacific countries. Benefits include,
• Develop Indian partners in the region: QUAD means nothing but the skills development required by all its members, especially Australia and Japan. This will give Indian partners more confidence and confidence in their defensive skills.
• AUKUS and the future US military base on Australian soil will support India's efforts to protect the Indo-Pacific.
• Provide much needed time in India to build naval capabilities: In addition, AUKUS will buy some valuable time for India to strengthen its rural military capabilities.
• Develop India's ambitions for international relations: Partnerships will allow India to demand more of its foreign policy and defence strategy.

Conclusion

India now has very little to worry about before maritime and AUKUS in the game. This new alliance could allow the three countries to strengthen their focus on the more difficult part of the world. The triangular side of AUKUS will be a major message to China, and it will come close to balancing China in the Indo-Pacific region.