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- Australia and the United States have agreed to expand their military cooperation, including deployments of US military aircraft to Australia
- It comes a day after the US and Britain said they would provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines
- America and its allies are seeking ways to push back against China’s growing power and influence, particularly its military build-up
- Australia’s submarine agreement with the US means scrapping a $90 billion deal for conventional French-designed submarines, signed in 2016
- France has accused Joe Biden of stabbing it in the back and acting like his predecessor, Donald Trump
A day after signing a submarine deal denounced by China as “severely damaging,” Australia and the United States have agreed to expand their military cooperation, including rotational deployments of all types of US military aircraft to Australia.
Speaking on Thursday after several meetings between officials of the two allies, Defence Minister Peter Dutton said Australia and the US would be “significantly enhancing our force posture cooperation, increasing interoperability and deepening alliance activities in the Indo-Pacific.”
“This will include greater air cooperation through rotational deployments of all types of US military aircraft to Australia,” he told a joint news conference in Washington.
“We’ve also established combined logistics sustainment and capability for maintenance to support our enhanced activities, including logistics and sustainment capability for our submarines and surface combatants in Australia.”
On Wednesday, the US and Britain said they would provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.
America and its allies are seeking ways to push back against China’s growing power and influence, particularly its military build-up, pressure on Taiwan, and deployments in the contested South China Sea.
In denouncing the new pact with Australia, China said such partnerships should not target third countries.
The United States, Britain and Australia are “severely damaging regional peace and stability, intensifying an arms race, and damaging international nuclear non-proliferation efforts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.
France also weighed in, accusing US President Joe Biden of stabbing it in the back and acting like his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Australia’s agreement with the US means scrapping a $90 billion deal for conventional French-designed submarines, signed in 2016.
“This brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision reminds me a lot of what Mr Trump used to do,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told franceinfo radio. “I am angry and bitter. This isn’t done between allies.”
The nuclear-powered submarines will allow Australia to operate throughout the region and for longer periods than those involved in the French deal, military analysts said.
