AUKUS Pillar II is not delivering on its promise

In The Australian, S&D+ Executive Director Ian Langford argues that AUKUS Pillar II — intended to deliver advanced capabilities in AI, quantum, hypersonics, undersea systems, cyber and electronic warfare — is at risk of “collapsing under the weight of its rhetoric” if partners do not act decisively.

“Almost four years into AUKUS, Pillar II has produced no demonstrator, no deployed prototype, no capability that says: This is what AUKUS brings to the fight today. That is more than a perception problem; it is a failure in deterrence.”

Yet Langford stresses the initiative can still be saved, if the AUKUS partners identify clear operational problems, create a dedicated budget for rapid capability development, and deliver a demonstrator or operational system into military hands within 36 months.

“We need a breakthrough, something our adversaries will notice, respect and fear. If we cannot deliver that, Pillar II will not just fail. It will fail at the exact moment we can least afford it.”

Read the full article in The Australian: AUKUS Pillar II is not delivering on its promise.