Washington DC [US], March 22 (HBTV): The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have welcomed a new agreement to build Australia's SSN-AUKUS submarines. The development is being called a significant milestone in the endeavor for defense cooperation among the countries. 

The agreement has been signed between Australia's ASC Pty Ltd and UK-based BAE Systems, with the former being selected as Australia's nuclear-powered submarine sustainment partner, according to a trilateral statement by Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and UK Defence Grant Shapps. 

AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia, the UK, and the US.   

‘One year ago, on 13 March 2023 in San Diego, the leaders of Australia, the UK, and the US announced the Optimal Pathway. The Optimal Pathway outlines an ambitious plan to deliver a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability (SSNs) for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) - a plan that will strengthen our three countries' combined military capabilities, boost our collective industrial capacity, set the highest non-proliferation standard and enhance our ability to promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,’ the statement read.    

AUKUS is built on the bedrock of decades of close defense, capability, and technology cooperation between the three nations and is a natural progression of their partnership. 

AUKUS partners welcomed the announcement of the selection of ASC Pty Ltd and BAE Systems to build Australia's SSN-AUKUS submarines and the selection of ASC as Australia's nuclear-powered submarine sustainment partner. 

Under the new partnership, ASC and BAE Systems will build the SSN-AUKUS submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. The SSN-AUKUS will also be equipped for intelligence, surveillance, undersea warfare and strike missions, and will provide maximum interoperability among AUKUS partners, the statement read. 

The Optimal Pathway was always designed to create a stronger, more resilient trilateral submarine industrial base, supporting submarine production and maintenance in all three countries. 

The build of the SSN-AUKUS will increase opportunities for industrial base collaboration, strengthen collective industrial base capacity, and generate economic growth in defense and national security sectors in all three countries, the handout stated. 

It further said that all AUKUS partners are making significant investments to ensure success of the Optimal Pathway and are working at pace to transform and integrate their trilateral industrial bases to support SSN cooperation.

(ANI) This is a syndicated news feed. HBTV has edited it for clarity.