The Jakarta Post
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsNuclear sub projects to create thousands of jobs in Australia
PM must prove unprecedented defense outlay worthwhile.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Set as preferred source
A
ustralia is briefing neighboring Asian countries on its plan to build nuclear submarines ahead of an announcement about it in the United States, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as local media reported the program could generate 20,000 jobs.
US President Joe Biden, Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met in San Diego on Monday local time to announce a plan for Australia to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines next decade.
Australia was informing its regional neighbors about the plan, known as AUKUS, Albanese said on Sunday in San Diego, after meeting with Sunak.
"I've been talking with other leaders in the region, as well, explaining our position. And it's been well-received and understood why we're doing this," Albanese told reporters.
China has objected to the transfer of nuclear propulsion technology to Australia. AUKUS is seeking to counter China's military buildup and its pressure on Taiwan.
The 2021 announcement that the US and the United Kingdom would share nuclear submarine technology with Australia came as a surprise to many Southeast Asian governments, said Perth USAsia Centre chief executive Gordon Flake.
"The government is right to reach out: a lot of the initial misunderstanding around the deal in Southeast Asia was they didn't understand the nuance between a nuclear-powered submarine and a nuclear-armed submarine. Those concerns have long since been dissipated," he said.
