President Biden fundraises at Rancho Santa Fe, visits San Diego region with British, Australian PMs

“Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, China’s growing assertiveness, the destabilizing behavior of Iran and North Korea all threaten to create a world defined by danger, disorder and division,” he added. “Faced with this new reality, it is more important than ever that we strengthen the resilience of our own countries.”

These remarks also were welcomed by Albanese, whose country has just under 50 commissioned navy vessels, smaller than the number in San Diego.

“The AUKUS agreement we confirm here in San Diego represents the biggest single investment in Australia’s defense capability in all of our history, strengthening Australia’s national security and stability in our region; building a future made in Australia with record investments in skills, jobs, and infrastructure; and delivering a superior defense capability into the future,” Albanese said.

The pact is propelled by concerns that China could, at some point, invade Taiwan, sparking a global military crisis. The allies also say that the military bases China is building on artificial islands in the South China Sea could be used to thwart trade and the movement of ships and aircraft in that part of the world.

That makes AUKUS “a very, very big deal,” said Tai Ming Cheung, a China expert at the University of California San Diego to the San Diego Union Tribune.

“The U.S. has primarily — as we’ve seen with NATO — engaged with militaries in alliances but has not historically been willing to engage in industrial partnerships and sharing the most sensitive, technological secrets.”

He added that, “The U.S. has to have a more global footprint (militarily). It needs a lot more allies to help them in the Indo-Pacific.”

The U.S. currently has about 275 ships, 71 which are submarines. China is rapidly building its own vessels and is expected to surpass the U.S. in the total number of subs by the end of this decade.

The deal “is being undertaken to help our closet allies (be) more powerful and capable of convincing Beijing that it’s no longer operating in a permissive security environment,” Charles Edel, a senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., said at a press briefing.

The new security pact will be carried out in three phrases. The first is just getting under way as the U.S. begins to have American submarines visit bases in Australia. The U.K. will do the same. Biden said Australian sailors will embed with the navies of both countries and study at schools specializing in nuclear-powered subs. In 2027, the U.S. and U.K. will begin placing their own subs at Australian ports on a rotating basis.

Australia currently has six Collins-class diesel submarines, which do not come close to matching the offensive and defensive capabilities of America’s various types of nuclear “boats,” including the four Los Angeles-class vessels homeported in San Diego.

The United Kingdom also has a small navy, with 72 commissioned ships. Its prime minister recognized the need for alliances, saying Monday, “Sixty years ago, here in San Diego, President Kennedy spoke of a higher purpose: the maintenance of freedom, peace, and security.

“Today, we stand together united by that same purpose,” Sunak said. “And recognizing that to fulfill it, we must forge new kinds of relationships to meet new kinds of challenge, just as we have always done.

The agreement will require an expansion of the industrial base in all three countries. The U.S. builds submarines in Virginia and Connecticut, which are at or near capacity, defense analysts say.

First lady Jill Biden is a sponsor of a Virginia-class sub, Delaware. “And she never lets me forget it,” Biden said Monday to laughter from the crowd.