AUKUS Forum

China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy Shandong Carrier Strike Group conducted 240 fighter aircraft launches and recoveries and 140 helicopter take-offs and landings over the course of a week operating in the Philippine Sea, according to a Tuesday news release from Japan’s Joint Staff Office (JSO). Tuesday’s release includes the day of the initial sighting of the Shandong CSG on July 9. Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter aircraft scrambled in response to the carrier’s fighter launches. https://lnkd.in/e8icDKQG

Known as the Immortals and distinguished by a phoenix on its badge, the squadron, 809 traces its history back to 1941 in various incarnations – mostly in World War 2. The phoenix has risen. For the first time an F-35B Lightning stealth fighter belonging to 809 Naval Air Squadron, flown by an 809 pilot, maintained, dispatched and recovered solely by 809 personnel, has conducted an operational sortie. The squadron stood-up after a four-decade-long absence at the end of last year, joining the RAF’s legendary 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron as one of two front-line formations delivering fifth-generation fighter punch via the nation’s most advanced aircraft… and the sword of the UK’s two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. https://lnkd.in/gUrEvRXb

Geelong, Victoria; Launceston, Tasmania; Tamworth, New South Wales; Biloela in regional Queensland - AUKUS Forum CEO, Michael Sharpe said "The true potential of AUKUS extends far beyond enhancing our military capabilities. One of the most exciting aspects of this partnership is its potential to unlock significant opportunities for regional Australia." "Companies that have never before engaged in defence projects are stepping up, driven by a wave of patriotism and a desire to contribute to the nation's security and economic growth." The largest industrial endeavour in our nations history - #AUKUS 🇦🇺🇬🇧🇺🇸 See https://lnkd.in/g_butANk AUSTENG; Australian Steel Association; Andromeda Industries Pty Ltd; Callide Manufacturing Company

The U.S. Air Force plans to upgrade more than 80 fighter jets stationed at Japanese bases over the next several years as part of a $10 billion program to modernize its forces there. The Defense Department announced the plan last week, saying it aims to enhance the U.S.-Japan alliance and bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. "This is a necessary upgrade that has been planned for some time. And combined with Japan's own investments, it will help maintain some degree of air power balance between the allies and China's progress in air force modernization," said James Schoff, senior director of the U.S.-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. "Without it, the credibility of U.S. deterrent capacity would be much weaker, which could cause Beijing to doubt U.S. seriousness about protecting the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and prompt more aggressive Chinese behavior," Schoff said. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said it spotted 37 Chinese aircraft near Taiwan on Wednesday as they headed to the Western Pacific for drills with the Shandong aircraft carrier. https://lnkd.in/gmvHH7G3

John Healey has set out the UK’s continued commitment to the AUKUS defence project as he welcomed Australia’s defence minister to the country. AUKUS is a “fundamental” part of the UK’s future security and can help drive the Government’s growth agenda, the new Defence Secretary said. Mr Healey spoke as he toured a military steel supplier in Sheffield with Richard Marles, who is the Australian defence minister and deputy prime minister. https://lnkd.in/gnHW-5aS

Australia's defence minister Richard Marles has been reassured the new British government has a continued commitment to the AUKUS submarine defence project, during a visit to the United Kingdom. Defence Secretary John Healey said AUKUS is a "fundamental" part of the UK's future security and can help drive the newly elected British Labour government's growth agenda. Just over a week into the job and fresh from a NATO summit in Washington DC, Mr Healey toured specialist steel manufacturer Sheffield Forgemasters alongside Mr Marles on Saturday. There he reaffirmed the UK's commitment to AUKUS and emphasised its role in UK job creation. "This is just one example of how our hugely important partnership with our Australian and American partners can help drive jobs and growth across Britain," Mr Healey said. https://lnkd.in/ggSGeHx9

Establishing New Industries with #AUKUS AUKUS Forum Chief Executive Michael Sharpe shares the latest insights. 🇦🇺🇬🇧🇺🇸 Missile Manufacturing Industry: Australia currently lacks a domestic missile manufacturing industry, but the strategic imperative to develop this capability is clear. A key recommendation of the Defence Strategic Review is to accelerate and expand weapons systems, including land-based maritime strike and long-range missile capabilities. This expansion will be complemented by investments to replenish weapons and explosive ordnance stocks and establish in-country missile and munition manufacturing facilities. In the next two decades, Defence projects an investment of around AUD $100 billion in guided weapons. This substantial investment underscores the importance of developing a robust domestic missile manufacturing capability. Given the challenges in global supply chains and the shifting geopolitical landscape, enhancing domestic production of guided weapons is crucial for ensuring national security and strategic autonomy. See https://lnkd.in/gBHhvDAZ

The stunning spy allegations against two Russian-born Australians read like a plot of a TV thriller and represent the dawn of a new era for the nation’s intelligence agencies. The prospect that Russia may have planted sleeper agents to live among us – an idea popularised by the hit TV show The Americans – will shock everyday Australians. The bringing of charges over the alleged espionage plot in suburban Brisbane is a credit to ASIO and the Australian Federal Police. It marks the first-ever use of new espionage laws introduced five years ago, and comes amid surging efforts by foreign spies to gain access to classified information. But many questions remain unanswered. Chief among them – did Kira and Igor Korolev move to Australia a decade ago as part of a long-term Russian plan to spy on Australia? Or will it be alleged they were turned by a Russian agent after they arrived? Police are yet to say. But ASIO director-general Mike Burgess hinted the plot may have been years in the making, saying foreign intelligence services “play the long game”. It remains to be seen whether any sensitive material was actually handed to the Russians, although Burgess suggested the authorities had been “able to control this”. Australians will also rightly ask, if Kira Korolev is a spy, how did she manage to get through the Australian Defence Force’s security vetting processes to take up a job as an information systems technician? https://lnkd.in/ga9WSz5m

Almost a year after clinching a multi-billion-dollar contract to build Australian Army vehicles, South Korea is again promoting closer defence ties as it seeks to win another lucrative prize; to deliver Navy's new fleet of "general-purpose frigates". Visiting South Korean Vice-Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho will hold talks with officials in Canberra today to discuss possible future cooperation on AUKUS Pillar 2 projects, while also pushing for more joint military exercises and cyber cooperation. "I believe we could increase our participation within the land forces exercises, and the second part is I believe we need to increase our exercises within the cyber domain," Mr Kim told the ABC during his only interview in Australia. "[South] Korea's actually conducting, currently conducting lots of cyber exercises with the United States, NATO and EU countries and if it's possible I think we could conduct bilateral exercises [between] Korea and Australia and also multilateral exercises." This week South Korea for the first time supported an Australian-led push to accuse Beijing of conducting large-scale cyber espionage targeting government and business networks, and was joined by Japan, Germany and Five Eyes intelligence partners. https://lnkd.in/g34c3BUT

A four-nation grouping of Indo-Pacific democracies - Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea - would now be launched as a new, standalone diplomatic entity and partner for the US. The leaders of this group, the so-called Indo-Pacific Four or IP4, have been invited to join NATO summits in recent years, acknowledging that they share some of the same concerns as the NATO allies. Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles plus the leaders of the other three IP4 countries are in Washington this week for NATO’s 75th anniversary summit. Campbell said that the group of four had developed into a new entity. “What you’ll see is a clear set of guidelines and initiatives designed to embed the IP4 into this nascent architecture that is emerging in the Indo-Pacific,” Campbell said. “We fully expect the IP4 to join AUKUS and the Quad as fundamental features of the diplomatic and military architecture and dialogue of the Pacific.” https://lnkd.in/gEXtNfPg