The AUKUS umbrella: Australia-US relations and strategic culture in the shadow of China's rise
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00207020231195631 |
| Author | Lloyd Cox,Danny Cooper,Brendon O’Connor |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Scholarly Essays |
The AUKUS umbrella:
Australia-US relations and
strategic culture in the
shadow of China’s rise
Lloyd Cox
School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South
Wales, Australia
Danny Cooper
Government and International Relations, University of Sydney,
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Brendon O’Connor
US Studies Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia
Abstract
In September 2021, Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom entered into a new
trilateral security pact, AUKUS. Central to AUKUS is Australia acquiring nuclear-
powered submarines, scheduled to begin delivery in the 2030s. AUKUS was
announced by Australia’s previous conservative government, but it has also won
the strong support of the new Labor government. The rationale behind AUKUS
emphasizes growing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific and the advantages of
joint capabilities and interoperability in the context of China’s growing assertiveness
in the region. This article examines AUKUS through the lens of China’s rise and the
contradictory economic and security imperatives that the agreement poses for
Australia. We argue that AUKUS is the latest expression of Australia’s strategic cul-
ture, which is premised on a fear of abandonment and a conviction that Australia’s
core security interests can only be guaranteed by the support of the US. Yet this
Corresponding author:
Lloyd Cox, School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University, Wallumattagal Campus, Macquarie Park, NSW
2109, Australia.
Email: lloyd.cox@mq.edu.au
Scholarly Essay
International Journal
2023, Vol. 78(3) 307–326
© The Author(s) 2023
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/00207020231195631
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position harbours risks that are not widely acknowledged. These include risks to
Australia’s sovereignty and other risks arising from the uncertainties of the US posi-
tion in Asia and the volatility of US domestic politics.
Keywords
AUKUS, US-Australia alliance, strategic culture, US-China rivalry, security
On 15 September 2021, the Australian and British prime ministers and the US presi-
dent announced the creation of an “enhanced trilateral security partnership”between
their three countries, to be known as AUKUS (Australia, UK, US).
1
The centrepiece
of the new partnership involves Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines
from the UK and the US.
2
These vessels will be a substitute for the conventional
Attack-class submarine program that Australia previously had entered into with the
Naval group and the French government. While the Australian government’s initial
media statement was light on detail, the rationale for the move emphasized growing
security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, a narrowing of the technological edge that
Australia and its partners had hitherto enjoyed in the region, and the benefits of enhanc-
ing “joint capabilities and interoperability”between the three countries. While China
was not mentioned in the official announcement, the impetus for AUKUS is driven by
the perception that China represents a growing regional threat. This was confirmed the
day after the AUKUS announcement, when the joint statement from Australia-US min-
isterial consultations “conveyed ongoing concern regarding the People’s Republic of
China’s (PRC) expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea that are without
legal basis.”
3
1. The White House, “Joint leaders statement on AUKUS,”15 September 2021, https://www.whitehouse.
gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/09/15/joint-leaders-statement-on-aukus/ (accessed 22
December 2022); Boris Johnson, “PM statement on AUKUS partnership: 15 September 2021,”UK
Government, 15 September 2021, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-on-aukus-
partnership-15-september-2021 (accessed 22 December 2022); Scott Morrison, Peter Dutton, and
Marise Payne, “Joint media statement: Australia to pursue nuclear-powered submarines through new
trilateral enhanced security partnership,”Australian Government, Defence, 16 September 2021, https://
www.minister.defence.gov.au/statements/2021-09-16/joint-media-statement-australia-pursue-nuclear-
powered-submarines-through-new-trilateral-enhanced-security-partnership (accessed 23 December
2022).
2. For an informed account of the background diplomacy and politics leading up to the announcement of
AUKUS, see Hamish McDonald, “Time to rethink the Morrison doctrine,”Inside Story, 19 January
2023, https://insidestory.org.au/time-to-rethink-the-morrison-doctrine/ (accessed25 January 2023).
3. “Joint statement Australia-US ministerial consultations (AUSMIN) 2021,”Australian Government,
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 17 September 2021, https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/united-
states-of-america/ausmin/joint-statement-australia-us-ministerial-consultations-ausmin-2021 (accessed
23 December 2022).
308 International Journal 78(3)
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