security & defence PLUS

Where Academia, Industry & Statecraft Intersect
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WHat IS SECURITY & DEFENCE PLUS?

Security & Defence PLuS is the flagship program of the PLuS Alliance, a global partnership which combines the strengths of three leading research universities on three continents – Arizona State University, King’s College London, and the University of New South Wales – to solve global challenges.

Security & Defence PLuS deepens this partnership, advancing research, education, and policy to support statecraft in the spirit of the 2021 AUKUS trilateral agreement between the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

OUR MISSION
partnership prospectus
Leveraging Scholarship to Enhance Policy

AUKUS PARTNERSHIP

Negotiated between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the AUKUS partnership strengthens the ability of each country to support mutual security and defence interests by promoting deeper information and technology sharing in nuclear-powered submarines and other advanced capabilities. Security & Defence PLuS aims to enhance the statecraft of the countries within the AUKUS Partnership by utilising each university’s unique approach to academic scholarship and research.

AUKUS Briefing Book
This is about investing in our greatest source of strength – our alliances. The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom have long been faithful and capable partners who are even closer today.
Joe Biden (2021)US President,
To meet these challenges, to help deliver the security and stability our region needs, we must now take our partnership to a new level — a partnership that seeks to engage, not to exclude; to contribute, not take; and to enable and empower, not to control or coerce. And so, friends, AUKUS is born…
Scott Morrison (2021)Former Australian Prime Minister,
The United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States are creating a new trilateral defense partnership, known as AUKUS, with the aim of working hand in glove to preserve security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Boris Johnson (2021)Former UK Prime Minister,
The AUKUS partnership has seventeen trilateral working groups (nine relating to conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarines, and eight relating to other advanced military capabilities).
Australia will become the seventh nation in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines, after the US, UK, France, China, India, and Russia.
Bringing together the military industrial complex of these three allies together is a step change in the relationship. We’ve always been interoperable, but this aims at much more. From artificial intelligence to advanced technology the US, UK and Australia will now be able to cost save by increasing platform sharing and innovation costs. Particularly for the smaller two, that’s game changing.
Tom Tugendhat (2021)chair of the British Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee,
Nuclear-powered submarines have superior characteristics of stealth, speed, maneuverability, survivability, and almost limitless endurance, when compared to conventional submarines. They can operate in contested areas with a lower risk of detection and deter actions against Australia’s interests.
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ESSAYS & ARTICLES DRIVEN BY ACADEMIC RESEARCH

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Fortress AUKUS: order-engineering by exclusion in the Indo-Pacific

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June 2025 This article, "Fortress AUKUS: order-engineering by exclusion in the Indo-Pacific" by Sarah Tzinieris & Zeno Leoni, was originally...

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What AUKUS means to Britain: Appraising the Benefits and Challenges in an Election Year

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April 2024 In March 2024, British premier Rishi Sunak declared a “national endeavour” with a new fund to “secure the...

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AUKUS and the Potential for a Disruptive Maritime Power

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June 2023 In April 2023, the Australian government released its Defence Strategic Review, setting out a vision for reforming the...

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To Exclude or Not to Exclude: AUKUS and Order-Engineering

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March 2023 Introduction While the delivery aspect of AUKUS – that is of nuclear-propelled submarines and advanced technological capabilities –...

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AUKUS under Pressure: The Capacity Constraints that put a Dampener on Delivery

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March 2023 Introduction On 15 September 2021, the governments of Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom announced the...

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Walking and Chewing Bubble Gum: How the Joint Force can Partner for Success in a Multipolar World

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October 2022 Abstract China’s One Belt One Road, “digital iron curtain,” and grey zone activities have contributed to what the...

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CONTACT SECURITY & DEFENCE PLUS

If you have questions about Security & Defence PLuS, the PLuS Alliance, or are interested in partnering with us, we want to hear from you.

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Partnership Prospectus