Australia and UK sign bilateral nuclear submarine cooperation treaty.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles and visiting British Defense Secretary John Heely signed the "Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Cooperation Treaty" in Geelong, Victoria, on the 26th, and claimed that the treaty is a commitment between the two countries for bilateral defense cooperation over the next 50 years under the "Australia-UK-USA Alliance" as the "first pillar". According to the joint statement issued by Marles and Heely, the "Geelong Treaty" will enable the two countries to cooperate comprehensively in the design, construction, operation, maintenance and disposal of nuclear-powered submarines at the "Australia-UK-USA Alliance" level. It will support the development of personnel, infrastructure, and regulatory systems required for Australia's "Australia-UK-USA Alliance" level nuclear submarine project, while also supporting port visits of British "Astute" class nuclear submarines and rotational deployments at the Australian Stirling Naval Base. The statement said that the treaty is built on a solid foundation of trilateral cooperation between Australia, the UK, and the USA, and will drive towards achieving common goals of the "Australia-UK-USA Alliance" partnership and promote the development of nuclear submarines and flexible trilateral supply chains.