BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you very much for joining us for this landmark meeting of AUKUS defense ministers, the first ever outside the United States, as we pass the three-year anniversary of this AUKUS partnership. And I'm delighted to welcome Secretary Austin and Deputy Prime Minister Marles. And in some ways, very fitting to do so at this venue, the old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, where six decades ago naval officers did their first nuclear training on a real reactor that was installed in the basement here, after, of course, our US allies first agreed to share the details of their nuclear technology.
And 60 years on, that same spirit of sharing skills, technology and trade between the UK and the US, and now Australia is the foundation for AUKUS and driving us to go from strength to strength. And this close relationship between the US, Britain and Australia has long been a force for stability, security and democracy in the world.
From both world wars to the war on terror, our three nations have stood shoulder to shoulder through the generations. And today in a world of growing uncertainty, this partnership has never been more important. It's an importance that is not just military, it's also economic. And through our meetings today, we've been planning to drive this AUKUS partnership still further, boosting our collective prosperity and security in three ways.
First, our investment in this partnership helps our industries to prosper and it breaks down barriers to trade. Second, the skills and expertise that we share boosts jobs and boosts growth across our nations. And third, the investment in our future technologies helps drive innovation and will help develop new warfighting capabilities.
Here in the UK, to date, nearly 10 billion pounds of investment has been allocated to UK nuclear infrastructure and nuclear industry since the AUKUS partnership was established. And more recently as a new government, we have confirmed radical trade reforms to break down barriers to trade and to technology sharing exclusively between our three nations, worth nearly 500 million pounds a year in the cost of red tape we are able to remove. And in today's trilateral meeting between the three nations, we also agreed to add lethal UK made Stingray torpedoes to the P-8 submarine hunting aircraft across all three nations, helping to counter the deep diving and conventional submarines.
And of course, then continuing the same commitment to sharing skills and intelligence, which goes back those 60 years to the original nuclear engineers. The UK has today agreed to train hundreds more Australian to operate, maintain and regulate modern nuclear-powered submarines after the first course of 250 Australians was completed this month.
And as part of that work, I can announce that Deputy Prime Minister Marles and I have agreed that negotiations will soon be underway for a new bilateral treaty to bind our AUKUS collaboration into law. So this not only reflects our commitment to a secure Indo-Pacific region where international rules are respected, it also sends a very strong message that our defense alliance is one that will endure for many decades to come.
So I and our new UK government will work to maximize the benefits of AUKUS to our three nations, advancing technologies, developing military capabilities, securing economic gains and growing good jobs. But above all, we will work to maximize the potential for this ever-closer alliance to contribute to wider global security and stability.
Finally, of course, we have held these discussions under a cloud of growing global insecurity. So in our trilateral and in our bilateral meetings, we have reinforced the need to stand together against Russian aggression towards peace in the Middle East and steadfast behind Ukraine for as long as it takes.
In serious times, you need serious partners, and so, Richard, Lloyd, we in the UK stand shoulder to shoulder with you and with you we will drive the AUKUS partnership from strength to strength. Thank you.
AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER RICHARD MARLES: Well, thank you, John. Thank you, Lloyd. It is an honor to be here at this, the third AUKUS defense ministers meeting. As John just said, we meet at a time of significant moment around the world, where the rules-based order is under pressure, under threat. And our three countries share strategic alignment.
We share values. We stand in support of the maintenance of the rules-based order, be that in Eastern Europe, be that in the Indo-Pacific and we are very grateful to have old, close, reliable partners such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Today's meeting has occurred just after the third anniversary of the announcement of AUKUS. What three years ago was an idea, today we can, looking back, rightfully say that that idea has blossomed into operational plans and plans which are being executed.
Last month we saw in Perth, the USS Hawaii, a Virginia class submarine undertaking a maintenance package of work, which is the first time that an American nuclear-powered submarine has had maintenance performed outside of the United States or an American base. It is the first time that an American nuclear-powered submarine has had maintenance work undertaken on it by non-US citizens.
All of this is happening under the banner of the AUKUS arrangement. The very first step in what we announced in March of last year was an increased tempo of visits of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. That is happening. The Submarine Rotational Force West which will take place from 2027 is on track and we are working very closely with both our partners, along with the Western Australian government to see that that is happening as well.
In South Australia, we have seen land swaps take place with the South Australian government, such that we now have the site on which a production line will be established to build the future nuclear-powered submarines in Australia, the AUKUS variant, a variant that we will operate in tandem with the United Kingdom.
We have seen at the end of last year and the beginning of this, legislative and regulatory changes take place across the US, the UK and Australia, which have created a license-free seamless defense industrial base between our three countries. Right there is one of the biggest reforms to defense trade in our three countries that we have seen in decades.
It will have a profound impact on the way in which we operate together. And as John has said, there is an economic dimension to this which will greatly enhance defense industry across our three countries, building jobs, skills and capability in the US, the UK and Australia. The agreements that we reached in March of last year were legally underpinned by a treaty that was signed by our three countries in August of this year and emanating from that as John has just said, today we are announcing that negotiations will commence between Australia and the United Kingdom for our own bilateral treaty in respect of those elements of AUKUS, which relate to the relationship between the UK and Australia.
And that particularly pertains to the development of the SSN AUKUS type submarine in the future, and we're really excited about the prospect of undertaking those negotiations. Today, we've also talked, though, about the challenges that we face, the challenges in respect of the human dimension, making sure that we are training enough submariners to operate these submarines in the future.
And we have Australian submariners at the nuclear power school in the United States, being trained here in the United Kingdom, operating on astute class submarines, operating on Virginia class submarines. We have Australian defense industry workers from ASC who are right now gaining skills working in Pearl Harbor and the numbers in each of those areas stand to increase.
Australia is funding 4,000 additional university places across our university system in all disciplines to make sure that we are building the skills that are needed to deliver this project. In respect of AUKUS pillar two, we've also seen really significant developments. When we met in California last year, we said that our three innovation systems would put out an innovation challenge in relation to electronic warfare and today, we are announcing the winners of that challenge, which in respect of Australia, are Enova Technologies.
In South Australia, Penton a company in the ACT and Advanced Design Technology, another company in the ACT. And we certainly congratulate each of those companies on their success in this innovation challenge. We've also worked on developing classified advanced algorithms for the use of AI in terms of processing the vast amounts of data, which are picked up by our sonar buoys, which collectively will greatly enhance our decision making advantage in the undersea domain.
And again, right there is work which we are doing now, which is happening now, which is increasing our military capabilities, which is putting advantage into the warfighter's hands. All of this is a demonstration that AUKUS is happening, and it is happening at a pace. And today, our conversations have been frank.
This is the third occasion on which I have been at a defense ministers meeting of AUKUS with Lloyd. It's the first with John and it is great to have John as part of this team. And there is very much a sense of team as we meet to discuss this project going forward. I think it's fair to say that the personal rapport and friendship which exists amongst the three of us up here is emblematic of the closeness of the relationship between our threeâ
Nations, which has now been embodied each and every day in a much deeper way through AUKUS.
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: Thanks, John. Let me start by thanking Deputy Prime Minister Marles and Secretary of State Healey. Richard, John, it's great to see you both. I think our strong relationship makes working on complex issues like this a bit easier. I'm delighted to be here in London for our third AUKUS Defense ministerial meeting.
We've had some very productive discussions today, but before I turn to them, I'd like to take just a few moments to discuss the crisis between Israel and Hezbollah. The situation in Lebanon and northern Israel is deeply troubling. Lebanese Hezbollah, an Iranian backed terrorist group, began firing rockets into Israel unprovoked on the day after the October 7th terrorist assault by Hamas, and Hezbollah has not stopped since.
And like any other state, Israel has a right to defend itself. And almost a year later, tens of thousands of Israeli and Lebanese civilians still cannot safely return home, and we now face the risk of an all-out war. Another full-scale war, which could be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon. So let me be clear.
Israel and Lebanon can choose a different path. Despite the sharp escalation in recent days, a diplomatic solution is still viable. A diplomatic solution, not a military solution, is the only way to ensure that displaced civilians on both sides of the border can finally go back home. So, I echo the call of President Biden and President Macron and other leaders yesterday for an immediate 21-day cease fire.
And that will provide time for the diplomacy needed to achieve a durable arrangement that will allow Israel and Lebanese civilians â Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes. This time can also be used to conclude and implement a deal to secure a cease fire in Gaza and to bring all of the hostages home.
All parties should seize this opportunity. It can bring much needed calm to Israelis, Lebanese, and Palestinians whose lives have been turned upside down since the Hamas assault on October 7th. And make no mistake, the United States remains postured to protect our forces and our personnel across the Middle East.
And no one should try to exploit this crisis or expand this conflict. So, we will continue to work tirelessly to avoid another tragic war and to find a diplomatic path forward. And with that, let me turn back to today's agenda. Together, we have reaffirmed the extraordinary strength of our AUKUS partnership and we showed our shared vision for an open, free, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Our three proud democracies share a deep and binding belief in the rules based international order and in a system that respects human rights upholds the rule of law and insists that disputes be resolved peacefully. We also understand that we are stronger together, and that's the lens that we all used again today.
Together, we reaffirm that AUKUS offers a unique opportunity for our three countries to enhance our military capabilities and to deepen our interoperability and to strengthen deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. Today, we reviewed our progress on pillar one toward providing Australia with a conventionally armed and nuclear-powered submarine capability while upholding the highest standards of nonproliferation.
And I want to thank the sailors from all three of our navies who are working tirelessly to ensure that we succeed. Over the past year, we increased the number of officers and sailors from the Royal Australian Navy attending US and British submarine nuclear reactor schools. And US and Australian sailors along with UK observers recently conducted maintenance together on a US submarine visiting Australia.
This was just a first step toward ensuring that Australia has a sovereign nuclear powered submarine capability. And we're also making progress â progress towards having a rotational presence of US submarines by as early as 2027. Both will help to enhance security and stability across the Indo-Pacific region.
The United States also remains committed to supporting Australia's efforts to recruit and train the skilled workforce needed to build, maintain, and sustain and operate a nuclear-powered submarine. And we applaud the signature of the recent trilateral agreement that will allow for the transfer of naval nuclear propulsion equipment and material among AUKUS partners and it enhances the close cooperation already underway to integrate our industrial bases.
And over the next year, our navies will seek more opportunities to integrate our industrial bases and we'll build more resilience across our supply chains. We also got a lot done on pillar two of AUKUS, which focuses on getting new advanced capabilities to our warfighters. We're working together to identify common requirements and to meet them with the most capable tech.
And that's critical to building an even more capable combined force. And over this past year, we conducted several significant demonstrations and experiments across the ground, undersea, and along the electromagnetic spectrum. And taken together, all this progress will increase decision advantage for our warfighters.
And we are excited to quickly feel these new â these advanced technologies across our forces. Our acquisition teams are driving Integration throughout our industrial bases and our innovation ecosystems. This will maximize our combined ability to develop, produce, and sustain these capabilities together.
You know, earlier this year, we held the first trilateral AUKUS Innovation Challenge. It's focused on electronic warfare, targeting, and protection. And leading companies from all three countries offered solutions to these complex challenges. Our Defense Innovation Unit selected Distributed Spectrum, a vendor based in New York City.
It is part â it is postured to provide critical capabilities which will strengthen AUKUS. And that reminds us of the importance of working with industry in all that it has to offer. Under AUKUS, we intend to do more of that. Our AUKUS innovation leads are developing a robust two-year agenda for further work with industry, and thanks to AUKUS our three militaries are operating together more closely and capably than ever before.
So, Richard and John, thanks for your leadership and thanks for your commitment to security in the Indo-Pacific. As you've both said, we've got a lot done today and I look forward to doing even more in the days ahead. Thank you very much.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Thank you, Lloyd. Thank you, Richard. Right. I'm going to ask three â six journalists now if they'd like to pose a question to us. And I'm going to start with Johnny Beale of the BBC.
Q: Thank you very much. Secretary, Austin's comments about Lebanon just there. You did say, deliberately, I think, Israel can choose a diplomatic path. Now, Israel, you have said, should be part that ceasefire you want. Yet we've heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu today directing his own forces to continue the fight with full force. So, are you worried that he is ignoring your appeals for a ceasefire? And also is there a limit to US military support for Israel? We haven't seen any limits so far.
You're still supplying them with arms, but are there red lines? For example, if Israel chose to carry out a ground invasion into Lebanon, is that a red line for you? And then I'd like to ask our defense secretary, are you worried about what Benjamin Netanyahu has said today? He seems to be ignoring those calls for a ceasefire, which you back, and is directing his forces, as he says, to continue the fight with full force.
Are you any nearer also to thoseâyou put 700 British troops into Cyprus, along with more US assets going into the region as well. Are you any nearer to that position where you're going to have to activate an evacuation, a military evacuation of British citizens in the country, because many say they can't get flights out?
And I would ask that also, the deputy prime minister, you have Australian citizens in Lebanon, what are you doing about getting them out safely and are you going to be part of some military evacuation? Thank you very much, sirs.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Lloyd, do you want to have first crack atâ
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: Thanks, John.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: âthose multiple questions.
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: Thanks for the question, John. Israel has stated that its goal is to return its citizens to their homes in the north. And I believe the best and the quickest way to do that is through diplomacy. I mean, there's no question that both Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah have stated that they do not want to see an all-out war.
A war between LH and Israel could be devastating for both entities. And so, we believe that the best thing that can happen is that we agree to a ceasefire, or the two parties agree to a ceasefire and allow diplomacy to take place. And again, we have been in constant dialog with our counterparts in Israel.
As you probably know, I talk to my counterpart frequently, and of course, I encourage them to pursue diplomacy every step of the way. In terms of any limits that we would place on Israel, we've been committed from the very beginning to help Israel provide the things that are necessary for them to be able to protect their sovereign territory and that hasn't changed and won't change in the future.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Thank you. The calls at the United Nations at this time, this week, led by President Biden by Prime Minister Starmer and a number of other nations for this 21-day ceasefire, unprecedented calls together at the United Nations offer a pause in the fighting, as Secretary Austin has said, and the chance to see negotiations.
There is a way that Israel can see its thousands of displaced citizens return to their homes in northern Israel and those Lebanese can return to their homes as well. And that's the American led Hochstein plan. The Israelis have said they're prepared to accept that and I urge Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Lebanese Hezbollah leaders to pay heed to the combined voices at the United Nations to do just that, 21 days, a ceasefire where talks can start, and the fighting can end, and the chance of a longer term settlement may emerge.
On the question of the British nationals in Lebanon, this is our first concern, their safety, it's the first duty of a government is to look after the interests of its nationals. Our advice on Lebanon has not changed in recent days. It's been the same for weeks. Don't go to Lebanon and if you are in Lebanon, then leave.
And there are at present commercial flights leaving Lebanon, but at any sensible government must make preparations for future developments. So, I left the labor party conference early this week. On Tuesday morning, I chaired a meeting of Cobra officials that afternoon to ensure that if we see rapid developments in Lebanon, then Britain with allies is ready to respond.
And in the last 24 hours, we've flown 700 UK military personnel to Cyprus. They stand ready to act should they be needed at short notice.
AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER RICHARD MARLES: Well, firstly, Australia has added its voice, along with the US, the UK and other countries for a call for a 21 day ceasefire to enable diplomacy to have the opportunity to establish a longer term peace on the Israeli-Lebanon border. There are a significant number of Australians who are Australian citizens who are in Lebanon, and we have been very mindful of that population of Australian citizens in Lebanon really since this conflict began.
We do have in place plans and preparations in respect of a range of scenarios and we stand ready to activate those preparations. But the most important thing that can be said right now is to echo what John has said and that is that Australians who are in Lebanon now, this is the time to leave, don't wait.
Take the opportunity to leave while you can. The quickest way to getting to safety is to take steps as we speak. And for those thinking of going to Lebanon, don't go. It is really important that people use this moment, and we are speaking as loudly as we can to the more than 10,000 Australian citizens who are in Lebanon, now is the time to leave.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Thank you. Can I move to Bridget Rollason, please, ABC?
Q: Thank you. Secretary Austin, as the Deputy Prime Minister said, Australia has thousands of citizens in Lebanon. Given the close partnership that we've seen evident today, has there been discussions about how the US could possibly help Australia in getting these citizens out safely?
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: Bridget, there's a bit of an echo, so I couldn't understand the question completely. If you could move your mic a little closer, maybe and speak up a little bit.
Q: Sure. I was just wondering if there's been any discussions about how the US can help Australia get their citizens in Lebanon out safely given the partnership we've seen on display evident here?
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: How we would help Australia leave Lebanon, is that the question?
Q: Correct.
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: Australia is a valued ally and certainly, we don't want to engage in any hypotheticals at this point. As you've heard the deputy prime minister say, that he is doing things to continue to plan and put means in place to be able to offer options to the Australian leadership if it comes to that. We do the same thing and as you heard Secretary Healey say, he is doing the same thing, and we are close allies.
We will always endeavor to help each other when and if that time comes. But again, that hadn't presented itself yet, but Australia and the UK, I would hope that they would feel that they can always count on the United States of America.
AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER RICHARD MARLES: Perhaps I might just respond and say there has not been any request obviously of the UK or the United States. I mean right now we are talking about a hypothetical, but the most important message for people today and Australian citizens in Lebanon today is to leave. That's the most important step that people can take.
But as Lloyd said, we, in our preparations for a range of scenarios, work really closely with both the US and the UK. There is a history of cooperation which goes back decades. We have seen scenarios in Lebanon previously over the last two decades and they are still remain fresh in ourâ
But the most important step in relation to all of this as we speak is for Australians in Lebanon to leave today right now.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Thank you. Haley Britzky, CNN.
Q: Thank you so much. Secretary Austin, you've spoken with your Israeli counterpart multiple times in the last week. Given Prime Minister Netanyahu's comments today, do you have confidence that Israeli leadership is listening to the US when it comes to this conflict with Hezbollah? And Secretary Healey, for you, can you speak about any detailed conversations between you and Secretary Austin regarding lifting the ban on Ukraine using Storm Shadow missiles to strike deeper inside of Russia?
And is the UK prepared to move forward and allowing Ukraine to do this without the US If the US does not give approval?
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: Thanks, Hayley. You heard me say a couple of seconds ago that a full-scale war between LH and Israel could be devastating for â both parties and it could lead to a larger conflict throughout the region. So that's not in the best interest of anyone. And the best way forward is â is to pursue a ceasefire that will enable diplomacy to take place.
And again, I know that our diplomats continue to engage each other on this issue. I am confident that they'll continue to â to find a way to â to do just that, you know, get to a point where we can â we can see a ceasefire and still work towards a diplomatic solution. But this is â we recognize that there's hard work to be done.
We are committed to doing that work. And yes, I am optimistic that â that the right things will happen.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Haley, we've been a government now in the UK for 10 weeks. In that time, we've stepped up the military aid that we've provided to Ukraine. We've sped up the deliveries of the aid that had previously been pledged. We've struck a new industrial treaty with Ukraine so that we cannot only provide what they need now, but we can produce what they need in future.
And the main focus for the discussions between Secretary Austin and I this morning over Ukraine were how we get behind the victory plan that President Zelenskyy has presented in the US this week and how we can reinforce the Ukrainians position in the months ahead in the face of a continuing onslaught from the Russians on the eastern border.
And in the end, we're talking about resolution of conflict and cease fire in the Middle East. Putin could end the war in Ukraine today if he pulls back his troops and ends his illegal invasion. Can I move on to Mark Nicol of Daily Mail, please?
Q: Thank you, Mr. Healy. If I could ask you this question and then an adjunct to it to Mr. Austin. As the Daily Mail has reported recently, the Royal Navy hasn't had an attack submarine on operations for more than two months and most of the astute class are alongside undergoing repairs. This has necessitated a greater reliance on the UK's allies, in particular the United States.
So when will Britain be able consistently to protect its bomber submarines, which carry the UK's nuclear deterrent? And to Mr. Austin, how familiar are you as US Secretary of State for defense with these many long standing issues within the Royal Navy? And how comfortable are you given â with them given it's the US that is often required to plug capability gaps?
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Well, Mark, you know I won't comment as defense secretary on anything operational, but I will say as Defense Secretary, I will allow nothing that compromises the security of our UK nuclear deterrent. And I would just say to this, President Putin knows just how capable and world class our submarines and our underwater systems are.
And today, we as three nations have been discussing our â the way that our national forces can be strengthened by being developed and deployed in the future together through the AUKUS partnership. So this is a partnership that reinforces our national securities, but also collaboratively reinforces wider national and international security and stability to.
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: And Mark, I think the question was whether or not I am confident in the UK's capability, is that correct? Yes. Hey, listen, I â you know, we have been trusted allies for a long time. We have fought beside each other, bled with each other, faced difficult challenges with each other.
And you know, I was telling the ministers earlier today, the short 41 years that I spent in uniform, a good part of that well, well over five years was in combat on and off.
There was never a place that I went where I didn't have a Brit or an Aussie that was in that formation. That's how closely we've been working together for a long time. Matter of fact, when I was at Land Forces commander in Iraq, my deputy was a British man by the name of Sir Richard Baron.
You probably know about him or know of him. He rose to prominence in the â in the UK military. But I have confidence in their war fighting capability, their strategic outlook, and in their willingness to work alongside us on tough issues. And the same level of confidence with the Australian military.
So the short answer is yes. That answer is based upon many years of experience of working with the â with our allies here.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: So thank you. Can I turn to Latika Bourke, please, The Nightly?
Q: Thank you. Secretary, Austin, a revered elder of Mr. Miles's party, former Prime Minister Paul Keating, has said that AUKUS is about the United States turning Australia into suckers and a military outpost. What would you say to critics like Mr. Keating? And are you concerned about the tone of the debate in Australia around AUKUS and that leading to a slippage in public support for the program?
And Secretary Healey, I didn't quite understand your answer on Storm Shadow. Yes or no, are you willing to go it alone? And Secretary Austin, would you be OK with that scenario if the British decided to go it alone?
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: So, regarding your first question, AUKUS â pillar one of AUKUS will provide a generational capability to Australia that will provide benefits for many, many years to come. It is well worth the investment. It is well worth the effort that we put into it, and we take this very seriously. As you heard Secretary Healey say earlier, we haven't shared this with any other country in 60 years.
So, this is not a good idea that we woke up one day and said, hey, let's do this. We understood the level of complexity, the commitment, the hard work that would go into this and the shared responsibilities that would come along with this. And what I've seen throughout, in working with our trusted allies here is just that, tremendous commitment.
I've seen incredible performance by â by their sailors â by the Australian sailors. And Secretary Healey, I know, would agree with me as we have trained their sailors in our schools recently. Their performance has been quite impressive. This effort extends over many â several years. And because of that we know that we need to make sure that we hit every benchmark, every objective over that period of time that we've outlined.
And to date, in the third year of our efforts on AUKUS, I can say that we have and we continue to press forward to make surethat that we're doing everything that we need to do to ensure that this capability comes to life. And it's already coming to life. You look at what's happening in the schools, you know, what we're doing in maintenance.
We're investing in the submarine industrial basis, so we are creating capability, and we are committed to making sure that Australia has what it needs to have going forward and it will make its own sovereign decisions about what it will do in the future. We fully expect that, but thanks.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Let me add to that. I said earlier that we've just completed the first course of our Royal Navy training, 250 Australians in nuclear engineering. I am proud to say also we've got Australian submariners now serving on one of our astute submarines and we've got Australian experts now in our wider nuclear enterprise.
These are just the very first steps. They will increase during the year ahead and it's part of the way that we bind our AUKUS partnership closer together and we develop it further for the future. On your other question,
There really is only one person. You know that benefits from the public debate about specific capabilities and that is President Putin.
And I would just say to you this, America, that has been outstanding in its leadership in support of Ukraine, and the UK provide military aid and support for Ukraine across a wide range of capabilities. And we do that for the sole purpose to help Ukraine defend itself from this illegal invasion and we will continue to do that.
AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER RICHARD MARLES: I might just say a little bit in response to the question as well. Mr. Keating, to give him credit has been consistent in his position over a long period of time. What Mr. Keating is saying now is what Mr. Keating was saying in March of last year. So there's really nothing new in his comments and obviously he is perfectly entitled to the view that he holds.
But what's also not new is the strategic imperative for Australia to walk down the path of acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine capability. Just to be able to maintain the submarine capability that we had in the early 2000s when we first introduced the Collins class submarine, into the future will require us to move down a nuclear-powered path.
Because as we move into the 2030s and '40s, diesel electric submarines will become increasingly detectable. And as a nation, which is positioned where we are, which is oceangoing, which is so connected to the world through our sea lines of communication, we have to have a top of the line, first rate, long range submarine capability.
And the only way we achieve that is through a nuclear-powered submarine capability. So to be able to have the same capability in the future that in Mr. Keating's time, he was planning for with the Collins class submarines, we must walk down this path. But of course, a nuclear-powered submarine capability will be greatly in advance of anything that the Collins class submarines offer us today, as capable as they are.
And this is the most significant, one of the most significant leaps in military capability that our nation has ever taken. And as Lloyd just said earlier, this is only the second time in history that we have seen countries pass this technology on to another country. The first of course being when the United States provided this technology to the UK. So it is not lost on us the significance of the step that we are taking.
But this is utterly essential for Australia's future and the strategic imperative of that remains unchanged, irrespective of what Mr. Keating says. And in terms of the state of the debate in Australia, from the labor party's own conference last year in August through to the bipartisan position, which is held by the political parties in our parliament through to the public support for what we are doing in the development of AUKUS and Australia acquiring this capability.
There is support for AUKUS in Australia. I mean that is where the public debate stands. There is absolutely support for this and we will continue to make the argument to the Australian people, we are really comfortable and confident about the way in which that argument is being received. There will of course be other voices which happens in a democracy and that is important.
But this is a program which enjoys bipartisan support in Australia, and it is happening.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Thank you and finally, Lauren Williams, Defense One.
Q: Thank you. More on submarine production. In the US, The Virginia class program is very behind schedule, it's years behind schedule, and the submarine industrial base challenges have long been known. Are you concerned at all that shipbuilders will able to not only produce what the Navy has already ordered in the US, but also produce what Australia is trying to procure?
On pillar two, there's been a lot of discussion about expanding it to other countries and other technologies, but when you do that, that introduces security risks, cybersecurity risks specifically. Can you talk a bit about how you're going to protect companies' intellectual property and if you have enough counterintelligence efforts in place to mitigate those?
And then in that same vein, with pillar two, when you're developing these technologies, I know a lot of it is classified, but still these companies are developing technologies. How are you ensuring that what's being developed will actually end up in the hands of military operators and not necessarily just become experiments?
DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: First of all, in terms of our ability to meet the production objectives, of course we're concerned about that and that's why we're investing more in the submarine industrial base, so that they can continue to expand capacity and place our efforts on a ramp that ensures that we can meet the objectives going forward.
And I feel good about the things that we're investing in. I met with the leaders of industry and discussed with them what they're doing with the additional resources that we're providing, what they're investing in, how they're using those resources. And so, I think they welcome that discussion. And what I'm seeing is that we're investing in the right things, and we will be able to expand the capacity going forward and to meet our objectives.
Pillar two, we do see opportunities to offer other countries the ability to work with us on specific projects. There are countries who want to work with us that bring a lot to the table and on a project-by-project basis, we will endeavor to work with those countries, ensuring that all the things that you mentioned in terms of protection of IP and those kinds of things, the right things are taking place.
We don't take that for granted. And finally, my colleagues will attest to the point that during our discussion today, all three of us hammered home what our north star is. Our north star is to make sure that we are producing capability for the warfighter in real and relevant time, but we cannot allow to lose that focus.
That's our current focus and it will be our focus for the foreseeable future going forward.
BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY JOHN HEALEY: Richard? Let me just finish off by underlining that point about timescales. These are decade, the submarines in particular in pillar one are decades long programs. This is the perhaps the most complex engineering and technologies on the planet, but there is an imperative to see every day counts because it's what we do now and in the weeks and months ahead now that will determine whether or not to time, towards the end of the 2030s, the first AUKUS submarines are built and put into operation.
And in our discussions that theme ran throughout, timescales are tough, but they are essential and that together we are absolutely determined that we will deliver. So thank you. Thank you, all. Thank you all very much.
