In his article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, VCDNP Research Associate Noah Mayhew reflects on the “known knowns” and the “known unknowns” about the Australia‑United Kingdom‑United States AUKUS partnership, which aims to provide Australia with nuclear‑powered submarines. The piece may assist Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in preparation for future discussions, given the attention and prominence that AUKUS received at the 2022 IAEA General Conference and meetings of the Boards of Governors since the initial announcement of the partnership in 2021.
In particular, Mr. Mayhew notes that while the AUKUS countries have committed to a “trilateral effort of 18 months to seek an optimal pathway” to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, no decision has yet been made on whether the submarine deal will move forward. In this regard, he argues that, rather than sounding alarm about the would‑be submarine deal, Member States should remain aware of the legal and practical realities of safeguards and naval nuclear propulsio and focus on technical solutions to the challenges that safeguarding naval nuclear propulsion programmes poses.
