{"id":49438,"date":"2025-07-28T18:51:49","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T13:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=49438"},"modified":"2025-07-28T18:52:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T13:22:01","slug":"australia-uk-aukus-50-year-geelong-treaty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/28-07-2025\/australia-uk-aukus-50-year-geelong-treaty","title":{"rendered":"Australia- UK Sign 50-Year Geelong Treaty Under AUKUS\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ International Relations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Australia and the UK signed the bilateral Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration Treaty (<strong>the Geelong Treaty<\/strong>) in Geelong, Australia, solidifying their commitment to the AUKUS defense pact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Geelong Treaty<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Geelong Treaty is a historic agreement that commits the UK and Australia to <strong>50 years<\/strong> of bilateral defense cooperation under <strong>AUKUS Pillar I.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of their <strong>SSN-AUKUS submarines.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The signing of the treaty came as the United States wavered on its role in the AUKUS alliance.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It has announced a review of the trilateral security partnership to determine whether the agreement aligns with the <strong>America First agenda.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is AUKUS?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AUKUS is a<strong> trilateral defence and security partnership <\/strong>between <strong>Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was established in<strong> 2021 <\/strong>to bolster their allied deterrence and defense capabilities in the <strong>Indo-Pacific.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The trilateral partnership has two pillars.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pillar I<\/strong> revolves around the acquisition and development of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy;\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pillar 2<\/strong> focuses on cooperation in eight advanced military capability areas: artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, innovation, information sharing, and cyber, undersea, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic and electronic warfare domains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why was AUKUS formed?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Increasing Presence of China: <\/strong>The Indo-Pacific region has witnessed increasing geopolitical tensions, including territorial disputes, military build-up, and assertive behavior by China.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The participating countries share concerns about maintaining peace, stability, and freedom of navigation in the region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technological Cooperation:<\/strong> AUKUS aims to enhance technological cooperation, particularly in the field of defense and security.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alliance Strengthening: <\/strong>AUKUS represents a deepening of security ties between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Response to Regional Dynamics: <\/strong>The formation of AUKUS is seen as a response to shifting regional dynamics and evolving security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It reflects a broader trend of countries in the region seeking to forge closer security partnerships and alliances to address common concerns and counterbalance China&#8217;s influence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Opportunities of the treaty<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Australia: <\/strong>It will become one of the few countries in the world to have nuclear-powered submarines. This strengthens its navy and gives it more defence independence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>UK: <\/strong>It boosts the UK\u2019s<strong> defence manufacturing sector<\/strong>, especially in areas like submarine production. It also strengthens the UK&#8217;s presence in the Indo-Pacific.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technology and Security:<\/strong> Through AUKUS Pillar II, the three countries will also work together on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum technologies, Cyber security, Underwater robotics and Hypersonic weapons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s View on AUKUS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is not part of AUKUS and has maintained a neutral and non-aligned position regarding its formation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India sees opportunities in AUKUS for regional stability but remains wary of nuclear proliferation risks and China\u2019s reaction, especially in the Indian Ocean.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India continues to engage bilaterally with AUKUS members (US, UK, Australia) through defence dialogues, technology partnerships, and Quad summits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While India shares the core objective of ensuring peace, stability, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, it remains <strong>wary of the precedent set by the transfer of nuclear propulsion technology<\/strong> to a non-nuclear weapons state under the <strong>Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>US Production Capability:<\/strong> The US currently builds ~1.13 Virginia-class submarines per year, but needs ~2.33 to fulfill AUKUS and US demands. Delays could leave Australia without submarines in the earliest years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>US Policy Uncertainty:<\/strong> The ongoing US review of AUKUS, aligns with political shifts under an &#8220;America First&#8221; agenda, creating strategic ambiguity for both Pillar I and II.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Non-Proliferation Scrutiny: <\/strong>Concerns are raised over precedent-setting transfer of nuclear propulsion technology to a non-nuclear weapon state, even under IAEA safeguards and NPT compliance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Industrial Complexity: <\/strong>Building a reliable submarine industrial base demands continuous workforce, expertise, and infrastructure development over decades. Supply chain gaps or political shifts could disrupt progress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Geelong Treaty strengthens Australia\u2013UK defence ties under AUKUS, ensuring long-term cooperation on nuclear submarines and advanced technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For India, it offers both strategic opportunities and nuclear governance concerns, requiring careful monitoring to safeguard its interests in the Indo-Pacific.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsonair.gov.in\/australia-uk-sign-50-year-geelong-treaty-under-aukus-amid-us-review-of-alliance\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>AIR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Australia and the UK signed the bilateral Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration Treaty (the Geelong Treaty) in Geelong, Australia, solidifying their commitment to the AUKUS defense pact.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About Geelong Treaty<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Geelong Treaty is a historic agreement that commits the UK and Australia to 50 years of bilateral defense cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of their SSN-AUKUS submarines.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The signing of the treaty came as the United States wavered on its role in the AUKUS alliance.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It has announced a review of the trilateral security partnership to determine whether the agreement aligns with the America First agenda.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/28-07-2025\/australia-uk-aukus-50-year-geelong-treaty\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49438"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49465,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49438\/revisions\/49465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}