03.13.23

Sullivan Welcomes AUKUS Nuclear Sub Agreement, Calls for Further Congressional Briefings

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today welcomed an agreement between the leaders of AUKUS—the trilateral security pact between the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom—to provide Australia with three American Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines, and to deploy U.S. and British submarines in rotations through Western Australia in the coming years. Sen. Sullivan also called on the Biden administration to brief congressional leaders and SASC members with more details on the agreement. Over the longer-term, the AUKUS allies will work to help Australia develop the capacity to build its own nuclear-powered submarines. 

The agreement is aimed at countering the aggressive moves of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) throughout the Indo-Pacific, including the regime’s continued campaigns to intimidate Taiwan, threatening a full-scale military invasion, and unlawfully militarize the South China Sea.

“I’ve been a strong supporter since the launch of the AUKUS partnership given the opportunity to deepen our trilateral defense and security ties and confront this new era of authoritarian aggression led by Chinese dictator Xi Jinping,” said Sen. Sullivan. “While I support today’s effort to equip our Australian allies with the most advanced nuclear-powered submarines on the planet, the Biden administration needs to bring this agreement before the Senate Armed Services Committee for full and detailed briefings and oversight hearings. Maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, countering the CCP’s malign efforts in the region, and strengthening the AUKUS partnership depends on close coordination between the executive and legislative branches of our government.”

Senator Sullivan also serves as chairman of the International Republican Institute and co-chair of the Friends of Australia Congressional Caucus.

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