Republicans in the Senate Armed Services Committee are blocking approval to provide Australia with three nuclear-powered Virginia-class attack submarines as agreed to in the AUKUS security pact, Politico reported on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2023) Republicans in the Senate Armed Services Committee are blocking approval to provide Australia with three nuclear-powered Virginia-class attack submarines as agreed to in the AUKUS security pact, Politico reported on Friday.
According to the report, Republicans argue that the White House must boost the Pentagon's budget to strengthen the US defense industry enough to meet the needs of the US Navy and Australia.
Republican lawmakers have not come up with an amount to request, but pointed out that the $3 billion Australia plans to invest in the US submarine industrial base for this initiative will not be enough, the report said.
Republican Senators Roger Wicker and Susan Collins plan to send a letter to President Joe Biden in the coming days to address their concerns on this matter.
The trilateral partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia (AUKUS) was launched in September 2021 based on the premise that the US and UK would provide Canberra with the technology to obtain its nuclear-capable submarines, which is dubbed Pillar 1. Pillar 2 of the alliance includes the development of other technologies, including the production of critical minerals.
