Three years ago, Australia, Britain and the US launched AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership to enhance stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. AUKUS is organized around two key pillars: supporting the Royal Australian Navy with nuclear-powered submarines and advancing military technology such as AI (artificial intelligence), quantum computing and cybersecurity.
This partnership will enable deeper information and technology exchanges between the three countries, promoting the integration of security-related science, industrial bases and supply chains. This will enable AUKUS to promote a free, open, safe and secure region in the Indo-Pacific region.
Overcoming ecosystem challenges in a complex national security landscape
A key challenge lies in Australia’s lack of a nuclear industrial base, with a decades-long timeline for development. In Pillar 1, the US plans to deliver Virginia-class submarines to Australia by 2027, necessitating the upgrade of the existing naval base in Perth and the construction of infrastructure in Adelaide for future UK-supplied submarines.
This presents an opportunity to build an efficient industrial ecosystem through streamlined processes, digital engineering and advanced technologies to improve efficiency and maintain industry standards.
A key hurdle is workforce development, especially in building skills and competencies in emerging technologies such as AI. Governments should invest in skills development centers and use techniques such as aptitude testing and AI-based learning tools to match and retain talent within the defense and technology sectors.
Furthermore, AUKUS’s stringent security requirements (protecting nuclear secrets, managing the electromagnetic spectrum and securing supply chains) require improving staff skills in a robust data-centric approach. Another requirement is meeting the latest post-quantum cryptography standards, including those developed by IBM, to ensure the partnership remains secure and future-proof.
Advancing technological capabilities to maintain a military advantage
As the AUKUS partnerships continue to develop and progress, we believe Australia is a green field for development. It is generally not hampered by the need to address outdated processes and methodologies like other countries in the partnership.
Modern IT processes, virtual reality training, robotics, AI, secure cloud infrastructure and other advanced support capabilities enable Australia to more effectively attract, assess, train and retain a capable workforce. This will allow them to build educational pathways and associated infrastructure with support from Britain, the US and their industrial partners.
Meanwhile, Pillar 2 of the partnership focuses on advancing technology capabilities, including AI and quantum. These capabilities are critical to accelerating the development and scale-up of advanced technology to sustain nations’ shrinking military advantage and to achieving information and decision advantage.
Other critical advanced capabilities include undersea capabilities, advanced cyber, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities, electronic warfare and innovation. Information sharing can only be achieved through a comprehensive approach to the use of technological tools and systems, including new use cases that have never been tested before.
Essential partnerships, trusted partners
Building on the 2023 IBM report, Strengthening the Future of the AUKUS Partnership, we believe that technology through partnership is critical to addressing the challenges in both AUKUS pillars. From the public-private partnership and data centricity to the implementation of generative AI, quantum and secure Distributed Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure (DHI), IBM is perfectly positioned to partner with the three countries to support their mission.
As outlined in the 2023 report, AUKUS partners should develop and promote trilateral initiatives to pool research and development of leading capabilities, supported by technologies such as AI and generative AI. This supports the goal of securing the region and promotes cooperation under this trilateral AUKUS partnership. Good governance is a necessity for data-centric architectures. This must align with governing AI to gain the trust of governments and the societies they serve.
By investing in enterprise-grade AI platforms such as IBM’s watsonx, AUKUS can industrialize, scale and simplify (at a pace) the adoption of AI in the cloud and on-premises to accelerate processes and increase decision-making advantage.
IBM conducts fundamental research in the field of AI and quantum that aligns with the pillars of the AUKUS partnership. IBM’s expertise and experience can move the AUKUS partnership forward with confidence.
IBM has been a trusted supplier to defense organizations around the world for decades, working closely with defense leaders to strengthen their organizations from headquarters to the edge. The complex nature of the AUKUS partnership and its ambitious objectives underline the importance of trusted partners who understand each country’s strengths and weaknesses.
As AUKUS celebrates its third anniversary, IBM is committed to supporting the mission of this future-proof partnership powered by AI.
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