SYDNEY, Dec 28: Australians have been voicing concerns over the prospect of US Virginia-class submarines being armed with nuclear weapons while serviced in Australia due to risks relating to radioactive waste and regional security, the ABC broadcaster reported on Sunday.
Local residents in the Western Australian city of Rockingham have voiced these concerns during the meetings with Australian navy representatives ahead of plans to host the submarines at the HMAS Stirling naval base near the city from 2027, according to the report.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian has previously said that the AUKUS trilateral cooperation between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia on nuclear-powered submarines breaches the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and called on the international community to assess the arrangement.
AUKUS is a trilateral defense partnership announced by the US, the UK and Australia in September 2021. The first pillar of the partnership concerns the creation of an Australian fleet of nuclear-powered submarines using US and UK technology. The second pillar involves the development of a range of technologies, including underwater robotics, quantum electronics, cybersecurity and electronic warfare capabilities, supersonic weapons and defense mechanisms against them. (UNI)
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