San Diego: On Monday, US President Joe Biden, along with the leaders of Australia and the United Kingdom, announced that Australia will upgrade its navy by purchasing nuclear-powered attack submarines from the US to counter China’s increasing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The 18-month-old nuclear partnership, known as AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States), grants Australia access to more capable, stealthier submarines as a deterrent against China’s military build-up. While emphasising that the submarines would be “nuclear powered, not nuclear armed,” Biden acknowledged China’s concerns about the deal. This marks the first time in 65 years that the US has shared its nuclear propulsion technology with another country. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it the “biggest single investment” in his country’s defence capability, while British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised it as “the most significant multilateral defence partnership in generations.”