The AUKUS agreement has been revised, confirming that Australia will take nuclear waste from the U.S. and the UK in exchange for assistance in obtaining nuclear submarines.
This amendment also expands cooperation among the AUKUS allies to include physical aspects of submarine development, beyond merely sharing information.
The updated agreement was signed off following an Australia-United States Ministerial Consultation (AUSMIN) meeting in the U.S.
On Aug. 7, U.S. President Joe Biden released a letter to Congress detailing the update to the agreement between Australia, the U.S., the UK, and Northern Ireland.
Originally announced in 2021, the AUKUS agreement is a trilateral security partnership aimed at bolstering deterrence and defence capabilities in the Indo-Pacific through the sharing of naval nuclear propulsion technology.
The recent amendments, announced in the wake of a meeting between key alliance leaders, expand the agreement to include the transfer of naval nuclear propulsion plants for conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, along with associated components, spare parts, and equipment.
“The agreement also enables the sale of special nuclear material contained in complete, welded power units, and other material as needed for such naval nuclear propulsion plants,” Biden said in his letter detailing the amendments.
“Equipment transferred in accordance with the agreement could include equipment needed for the research, development, or design of naval nuclear propulsion plants, including their manufacture, operation, maintenance, regulation, and disposal, and could also include training, services, and program support associated with such equipment.”
The agreement ensures the protection of U.S. information by preventing sensitive information from being disclosed outside the alliance without U.S. approval.
The original AUKUS document, signed in March 2023, allowed only for the exchange of information about nuclear propulsion.
A core part of the agreement, which runs until the end of 2025, rests on the U.S. and the UK’s assistance in helping Australia secure nuclear submarines.
Nuclear submarines are considered valuable defence assets due to their long operational life without refueling, high speed, extended range, and ability to remain underwater for prolonged periods.
Australia is set to receive three Virginia-class vessels from the U.S. before Australian-made vessels start operating. The $368 billion (US$243 billion) plan aims to have eight nuclear submarines in operation by the 2050s.
Australia will also possess the nuclear reactors required to operate the vessels.
Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles spoke about the updates to the foundational document.
“(It) provides the legal underpinning of what we agreed with the US and UK under the banner of AUKUS,” he said on ABC Radio.
“It also affirms that in walking down this path, we will meet our international obligations in terms of non-proliferation.”
Marles clarified that Australia would not take on nuclear waste from any other nation and would not be able to dispose of other nuclear material until the 2050s.
“There’s no circumstance in which we would be taking waste from any other country,” he said.
“We will be responsible for our own nuclear waste, and that will involve the disposal of the spent nuclear reactors, and we’re going through a process in respect of that.”
