In September 2021, the leaders of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced AUKUS, an enhanced trilateral security partnership. The need for this partnership is as clear today as it was a year ago. We stand together to support an international order that respects human rights, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion. AUKUS is a central element in our efforts to achieve these aims.
Over the last 12 months, we have made significant progress towards Australia acquiring conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. We are steadfast in our commitment to Australia acquiring this capability at the earliest possible date.
As leaders, we remain committed to ensuring the highest level of nuclear safety, security, and stewardship in this endeavour. Australia does not seek and will not acquire nuclear weapons. The United States and United Kingdom are fully committed to establishing an approach to sharing naval nuclear propulsion technology with Australia that meets the highest non-proliferation standard. We welcome International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Grossi’s report to the September IAEA Board of Governors meeting on this issue, in which the Director General reported his satisfaction with our engagement. The international community can be confident that our nations will continue to work transparently with the IAEA towards an approach that will strengthen the non-proliferation regime.
Through AUKUS, we have also made significant strides in our trilateral cooperation on advanced capability initiatives: hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, electronic warfare capabilities, cyber, artificial intelligence and autonomy, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities. To support further progress on these initiatives, we continue to promote greater information and technology sharing, foster deeper integration of our industrial bases and supply chains, and accelerate our defence innovation enterprises. As our work progresses on these and other critical defence and security capabilities, we will seek opportunities to engage allies and close partners.
Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have a proud history of working together, along with other allies and partners, to protect our shared values and uphold the rules based international order. Today, as we mark the one-year anniversary of AUKUS, we reaffirm our commitment to that critical endeavour and to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.