AUKUS

Why in news

• Russia supported the concerns voiced by China on AUKUS, the new tripartite defense alliance formed with the intention of intimidating China, at a recent meeting of the UN General Assembly.

About AUKUS:

• Aukus is a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, announced on 15 September 2021 for the Indo-Pacific region.
• Under the pact, the US and the UK will help Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
• The pact also includes cooperation on "cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and additional undersea capabilities".
• The pact will focus on military capability, separating it from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance that also includes New Zealand and Canada.
  • The Five Eyes alliance is an intelligence-sharing arrangement between five English-speaking democracies: the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
  • The alliance was created during the Cold War (1946-1991) and it is often described as the world's most successful intelligence alliance

Add ons:

• Under AUKUS, Australia will acquire Nuclear Submarine with the help of US and UK to join a group of only six countries – India, the US, the UK, France, Russia and China – that operate nuclear-powered submarines.
• It will also be the only country to have such submarines without having a civilian nuclear power industry.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Which of the following countries are  part of AUKUS grouping

1. Australia

2. South Korea

3. New Zealand

4. United States

5. Spain

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1,2 and 3 only

(b) 2,3 and 5 only

(c) 1 and 4 only

(d) 1,2,3,4 and 5

Answer