Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America
recently held meetings of the AUKUS Joint Steering Groups, which
were established as part of the governance structure of the AUKUS
partnership in September 2021.
The delegations discussed the intensive work under way and the
progress that has been made since the announcement of AUKUS.
Both meetings were held at the Pentagon, with additional sessions
at the White House where the delegations met with National
Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
The Joint Steering Group for Australia’s Nuclear-Powered
Submarine Program met on July 25-28, continuing its
progress on defining the optimal pathway to provide Australia
with conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines at the
earliest possible date while ensuring the highest standards
of nuclear stewardship, including the responsible planning,
operation, application and management of nuclear material,
technology and facilities.
The participants took stock of ongoing progress to
deliver on our leaders’ commitment to set the highest possible
non-proliferation standards, including through continued close
consultation with the International Atomic Energy
Agency. They
welcomed the publication of the working paper on
‘Cooperation under the AUKUS partnership’ for the Review
Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons. The paper details our
proposal to provide complete power units to Australia,
Australia’s commitment that it will not conduct enrichment,
reprocessing or fuel fabrication in connection with its
nuclear-powered submarine program, and our engagement with the
IAEA to find a suitable verification approach. They noted
the introductory remarks of the IAEA Director General to the June
Board of Governors in which he expressed “satisfaction
with the engagement and transparency shown by the three countries
thus far” and noted that he plans to present a report on AUKUS to
the September Board.
The Joint Steering Group for Advanced Capabilities met
on July 28-29, reviewing progress across critical
defense capabilities. The participants decided to bolster
combined military capabilities, including by accelerating
near-term capabilities in hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, as
well as cyber. They also recommitted to
deepening cooperation on information-sharing and other
previously agreed working groups. As work progresses on these and
other critical defense capabilities, we will seek opportunities
to engage allies and close partners.
