AUKUS and the Future of the Indo-Pacific

On September 15, U.S. President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced AUKUS, a new trilateral security pact. The agreement focuses on military capability, and the United States and the United Kingdom notably will be helping Australia acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines. What compelled Australia to seek this agreement? What are the strategic implications of nuclear submarines? And is AUKUS a precursor to a more substantive American engagement in the Indo-Pacific? Dr. Michael Green joins us on the podcast to discuss AUKUS and the future of the Indo-Pacific.

Dr. Green is the senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and director of Asian Studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He served on the staff of the National Security Council (NSC) from 2001 through 2005, first as director for Asian affairs and then as special assistant to the president for national security affairs and senior director for Asia, with responsibility for East Asia and South Asia.