OAN Brooke Mallory
UPDATED 12:20 PM – Monday, March 13, 2023
President Joe Biden and the prime ministers of Australia and Great Britain will be meeting this week in San Diego, California, to officially finalize the AUKUS deal.
The AUKUS deal is a trilateral security partnership between the U.S., U.K., and Australia that will contribute nuclear-powered submarines to Australia to assist the nations in combating China’s attempts to control trade and passage in the Indo-Pacific region.
This comes right after Biden made a speech at the White House regarding the urgent matter of the nation’s banks and fears of widespread uproar and distrust in financial banking systems now that two major banks have collapsed.
Biden’s three-day trip will begin on Monday in San Diego where he will be meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the U.K. and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia.
All three leaders will be discussing the AUKUS agreement and how to better utilize resources and optimize military stealth.
“I am Traveling to the United States today to launch the next stage of the AUKUS nuclear submarine program, a project which is binding ties to our closest allies and delivering security, new technology and economic advantage at home,” said Prime Minister Sunak in a statement.
Sunak’s visit to the west coast of the U.S. comes right as the U.K. plans to announce its updated Integrated Review, which is a extensive statement regarding foreign policy and security that is planned to be released on March 13th.
Australia is purchasing up to five Virginia-class boats as part of the AUKUS deal, says two people familiar with the pact who spoke with the Associated Press on the sole condition of remaining anonymous to protect themselves.
A future series of submarines will eventually be constructed in the U.K. and Australia using U.S. technology and support. However, these new submarines would most likely not be ready for use until the 2040s.
Reportedly, the U.S., India, Russia, France, the U.K., and China are the only six nations who currently have nuclear-fueled submarines.
President Biden arrived at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego on Monday morning and was scheduled to deliver statements during midday after meeting with the other international leaders.
Biden will also be attending a reception for the Democratic National Committee in Rancho Santa Fe, an area of San Diego County. No further details on location has been provided.
The president will then pay a visit to the San Gabriel Valley community of Monterey Park on Tuesday in order to address efforts in reducing gun violence. This comes after eleven people were killed on January 21st in the city east of Los Angeles, when a gunman opened fire during a night of Lunar New Year celebrations.
In a courageous act, a man named Brandon Tsay thankfully disarmed one of the shooters in the dance hall lobby, and due to his heroism, was invited as a guest to Biden’s Feb. 7th State of Union address, where he sat in the first lady’s viewing section during Biden’s speech.
Sadly, the Monterey Park incident was one of three mass shootings that occurred in California in January.
In his oration, President Biden reaffirmed a call for banning military-style weapons to protect citizens from future incidents.
By: OAN
