Aukus focus: The strategic pivot to France

Capability asymmetries between India and the US impede joint training

- AJAI SHUKLA

The four-nation Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad) and its military manifestation Exercise Malabar - have achieved only partial success in deterring China's growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific maritime theatre. To step up pressure on Beijing, the US moved purposefully in September 2021 to persuade its two most steadfast and capable regional allies to join a grouping called Aukus (Australia - United Kingdom - United States). Aukus flashed its fangs immediately, announcing its support for Australia to acquire a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet. Aukus was to have two pillars: Pillar 1 involved the unprecedented transfer of nuclear submarine propulsion technology (without nuclear weaponry) to Australia. Meanwhile, Pillar 2 focused on cooperation in eight military and high-technology domains: The realms of artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, innovation, information sharing, and cyber, undersea, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic and electronic warfare.

Last fortnight, in another step that pointed to close operational coordination, the Aukus alliance announced that, by the end of the year, its three constituent nations would field a new "trilateral algorithm" that would allow them to share information from P-8 Poseidon sonobuoys - the first tangible Aukus Pillar 2 technology to hit the field.