Aukus partnership plans to develop hypersonic weapons in apparent response to China’s build-up
- US, Britain and Australia leaders cite ‘Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and unlawful invasion of Ukraine’ as they reaffirm commitment ‘to a free and open Indo-Pacific’
- The three nations also pledge ‘to deepen cooperation on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and additional undersea capabilities’
The United States, Britain and Australia announced plans on Tuesday to cooperate on state-of-the-art weaponry – including hypersonic missiles and “counter-hypersonics”, an apparent response to China’s aggressive pursuit of its own hypersonic arsenal.
It is the latest sign that Washington and many of its closest allies, including those in the new “Aukus” security partnership, remain focused on the growing military threat from Beijing, even as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no obvious end in sight.
In a joint statement signed by US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the three leaders “reaffirmed our commitment to Aukus and to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“In light of Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine, we reiterated our unwavering commitment to an international system that respects human rights, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion.”
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Chinese hypersonic weapons test ‘has all of our attention’, US General Mark Milley says
The leaders said they would cooperate on “hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities”, and would “expand information sharing” and work together more on defence innovation.
