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Australia and UK Sign 50-Year Geelong Treaty for Nuclear Submarine Cooperation

The agreement locks in five decades of bilateral submarine cooperation under AUKUS despite ongoing US scrutiny.

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Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey speak to media at Admiralty House during the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney, Australia July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kirsty Needham/File Photo
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, from left, Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Britain's Secretary of State for Defence John Healey hold a press conference at Admiralty House following the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney, Australia, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
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Overview

  • The Geelong Treaty commits Australia and the UK to a 50-year partnership to design, build, operate, sustain and dispose of SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines.
  • Australia will contribute A$5 billion to British industry for reactor design and production while both nations develop domestic infrastructure, workforce training and regulatory systems.
  • The agreement is expected to secure tens of thousands of high-skilled jobs and generate up to £20 billion in UK exports over the next 25 years.
  • Under AUKUS, Australia will acquire at least three US Virginia-class submarines in the early 2030s before co-building its own SSN-AUKUS vessels in the early 2040s.
  • The bilateral treaty was finalised as the Trump administration reviews the broader AUKUS pact to assess its alignment with the America First agenda.