The first generation of AUKUS nuclear submarines to be built in the British shipyards is a “tangible demonstration” of the country’s commitment to global security, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday.

The AUKUS pact, which is a trilateral alliance between the UK, US and Australia, is seen as a counter to an aggressive China in the strategic Indo-Pacific region, which included its claim over most parts of the disputed South China Sea.

Sunak, who is in San Diego with US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, said the conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarine dubbed the ‘SSN-AUKUS’ will be built in British shipyards.

“The AUKUS partnership, and the submarines we are building in British shipyards, are a tangible demonstration of our commitment to global security,” Sunak said, in a statement released by Downing Street.

“This partnership was founded on the bedrock of our shared values and resolute focus on upholding stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. And I am hugely pleased that the plans we have announced today will see pioneering British design expertise protect our people and our allies for generations to come,” he said.

It follows the UK government’s refreshed Integrated Review of its foreign policy tabled in Parliament, which highlights that the so-called Indo-Pacific “tilt” of the 2021 review is now a permanent pillar of the UK’s international policy and that the AUKUS pact a key element of that pillar.

“This is a significant step forward for our three nations as we work together to contribute to security in the Indo-Pacific and across the world,” said UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

“Supporting thousands of jobs across the UK, with many in the north-west of England, this endeavour will boost prosperity across our country and showcase the prowess of British industry to our allies and partners,” he said.

The SSN-AUKUS submarines are dubbed the “largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines” ever operated by the UK’s Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in one vessel.

According to Downing Street, “choosing an interoperable submarine design will allow the Royal Navy, with its Australian and US counterparts, to work together to meet shared threats and deter aggression.” Construction of the new submarines will start towards the end of this decade and decisions about how many submarines the UK requires will be made in the coming years, based on the strategic threat picture at the time, Downing Street said.

They will be built by BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce and once they are operational, the new SSN-AUKUS submarines will eventually replace the UK’s current Astute-Class submarines.

Australia and the UK will both build new submarines to the same design, with the construction of the UK’s submarines taking place principally in Barrow-in-Furness in north-west England.

The first UK submarines built to this design will be delivered in the late 2030s and the first Australian submarines will follow in the early 2040s, Downing Street said.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)