In an effort to confront the growing military power of China, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom have joined forces to create AUKUS--the trilateral security partnership. As part of this pact, Australia has announced its commitment to purchasing three nuclear submarines from the US, and having the option to purchase two more.

The past 18 months have seen the three nations take strides in developing a unified response to the Chinese challenge--especially with the commitment posed by the nuclear submarines. Not only would these vessels ensure Australia’s security against Chinese forces, but training provided by the US and Britain would help ensure longer-term readiness.

This deal marks an ambitious shift from the three allied nations, and will be long-term and multistage process that will cost billions of dollars. Australia, the UK, and the US have also pledged to work together to develop artificial intelligence capabilities,