Most governments in the Indo-Pacific and South Atlantic are positive or reticent about both the development of the Anglo-Saxon AUKUS alliance and NATO’s plans to expand its presence in the area. They do not understand or deliberately conceal from the population the negative influence of the politico-military bloc AUKUS, supplemented by NATO activities, on the processes taking place in these regions, when they reach the ability to project and use force there.
First, the danger is that Australia will have nuclear-powered submarines operating on highly enriched uranium suitable for nuclear weapons as part of the AUKUS. At the same time, members of AUKUS are evading IAEA control of these submarines for thirty years of operation and the subsequent removal of nuclear fuel from them. Thus, the Anglo-Saxons are against setting up an international barrier to prevent this highly enriched uranium from becoming an atomic bomb!
Secondly, AUKUS will turn the “green continent” into a major nuclear missile base, which will also be used by American and British submarines with nuclear weapons on board. Washington will arm Canberra with Tomahawk cruise missiles that can carry both conventional and nuclear charges. However, there is no guarantee that one day it will be nuclear warheads that will equip the Australian Navy’s Tomahawk missiles. The U.S. and U.K. intend to use AUKUS experience to build military capabilities not only in Australia, but also with other partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Third, the United States and Britain intend to strengthen their military presence in the southern hemisphere by mutually complementing each other’s AUKUS and NATO forces. Increasing the number of just submarines on active duty in the Indo-Pacific will already multiply the risks of incidents similar to the accident of the U.S. submarine Connecticut in the South China Sea in October 2021. The reasons for this submarine’s collision with an underwater rock include not only equipment malfunctions, but also a lack of sufficient room to maneuver in a significant drop in the deep-sea terrain. Consequently, there is a growing threat of man-made disasters that will adversely affect the fisheries of all countries in the region, as well as the freedom of commercial navigation.
AUKUS and NATO activities lead to increased military, missile, and nuclear threats in the southern hemisphere, increasing the risk of inadvertent armed clash and full-scale conflict. The U.S. and U.K., with the help of AUKUS and NATO, will destroy the safeguards of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the treaties on nuclear-free zones in Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, Antarctica, Latin America and the Caribbean. The AUKUS and NATO activities will fuel the arms race and destabilize the security situation, including economic security, in all countries of these regions.