Rep. Courtney Statement on AUKUS Ministerial Announcement
“The announcement is tangible evidence that the trilateral mission is moving forward…”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) issued the following statement following a joint statement from Lloyd J. Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Honourable Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense, Australia, and the Right Honourable Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom, on action steps on the trilateral AUKUS security mission.
“Today’s meeting between U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, and Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps, demonstrates the clear progress our three nations have made in executing the AUKUS “Optimal Pathway” announced in March of this year and reaffirms the leaders’ ironclad commitment to ensuring peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The announcement is tangible evidence that the trilateral mission is moving forward to recapitalize Australia’s submarine fleet with conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines at the earliest date possible while upholding the highest standards of stewardship and transparency through continued and constant communication with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The announcement also provides a clear framework for future Australian submariners to continue their important education at Nuclear Power School as well as U.S. Submarine School at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT, deepening the relationship between Connecticut and Australia.
“The leaders were also right to acknowledge the importance of the AUKUS enabling legislation that is before the U.S. Congress ‘to ensure the success’ of the mission. I will continue to press my colleagues to pass enabling legislation as part of the FY24 annual defense bill.
“The leaders’ commitment to safely leveraging the expertise and resources of each ally in the AUKUS security agreement will also ensure we have the advanced technologies to strengthen our military capabilities and streamline our ability to secure stability and prosperity in the region without prohibitive roadblocks.
“I commend U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, and U.K. Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps, for continuing to achieve milestones at a cadence that demonstrates their unwavering commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The announcement is also coupled with the State Department’s decision to clear a potential $2 billion sale of AUKUS-related training and training devices to Australia in support of enhancing their workforce’s capacity to safely operate and sustain their future submarine program.