AUKUS Forum

🚀 AUKUS Go FAST: Accelerating Innovation in Defense Vehicle Manufacturing 🚀 AUKUS Forum CEO, Michael Sharpe, said the new "AUKUS Go FAST" initiative will drive innovation and speed up production in defense vehicle manufacturing across the AUKUS member nations. By leveraging future accelerated shared technologies, this initiative is strengthening defense vehicle manufacturers and opening doors for the automotive and motorsport industries to find new opportunities in adjacent defense markets. 🌟 We’re collaborating with: 🔹 Companies developing composite ballistic floor plates 🔹 Design engineers focused on lightweight structures and vehicle frames 🔹 Researchers specializing in advanced production capabilities From electronics, robotics welding, and specialized paints to rapid prototyping—AUKUS is breaking down barriers and fostering collaboration across the automotive and defense landscapes. NASCAR is a prime example of engineering with defense applications. 23XI Racing, co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, has developed 23XI Racing's cutting-edge ‘Airspeed’ headquarters, blending motorsport and Silicon Valley innovation. See https://lnkd.in/gYzhRPki The defense vehicle manufacturing space is growing—don’t miss out on the opportunities! 🔗 Contact AUKUS Forum Operations Director, Cathy Krimmer, to get involved: [email protected] #AUKUS #GoFAST #DefenseInnovation #AutomotiveEngineering #Motorsport #DefenseManufacturing #NASCAR #Innovation #AdvancedManufacturing Masters & Young, PAB Coventry Ltd, Pearson Engineering Ltd, Oshkosh Defense

The navies of Britain, Australia and the U.S. were able to control uncrewed ships in Australia while sitting more than 10,000 miles away in Portugal as part of a series of military experiments, Britain's Royal Navy said on Friday. The AUKUS security pact between the three nations, which aims to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, is helping bring new military technology to the frontline at an "unprecedented" pace, the Royal Navy said. "The successes experienced, including proving the ability of all three AUKUS navies to command-and-control vessels on the other side of the world in a tactically realistic scenario, show how close we are to realising our ambition of a genuine team of crewed and uncrewed systems, capable of operating and prevailing everywhere on the planet, from the seabed to space," Royal Navy Director Develop James Parkin said in a statement. The experiments - dubbed "Maritime Big Play" - also tested other uncrewed equipment in mock operational scenarios. This included dropping payloads from a drone, with the ultimate aim of getting uncrewed technology to the frontline quickly. AUKUS nations are planning further experiments later this year, involving about 30 systems in a large-scale demonstration in the Indo-Pacific, the Royal Navy said. #AUKUS Michael Sharpe https://lnkd.in/gFrwhhK5

AUKUS Guardians - Western military space leaders are waking up to an uncomfortable reality: On-orbit threats to their space systems are here, but the ability to counter them may be a decade away. Beijing has demonstrated proximity operations around some of its defunct spacecraft and operational Western satellites, military and civilian officials say. China also has launched satellites with robotic arms that the U.S. Defense Department has warned could be used to engage other spacecraft. Moscow has performed “nesting doll” operations where a smaller spacecraft emerges from a main satellite. “We now face concurrent and accelerating threats in, from and to space,” Gen. Stephen Whiting, leader of U.S. Space Command, warned at the Defense in Space Conference in London in late September. Whiting and other Western space leaders are calling for greater investment in “dynamic space operations” to monitor spacecraft in nonstandard orbits better and thwart a potential adversary’s ability to track, target, disable or defeat friendly assets. The Space Force’s Commercial Space Office is seeking options for maneuverable satellites that can operate in GEO and plans to release a request for proposals in early 2025. The Defense Department is also modernizing ground systems to enable future dynamic space operations. The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) is investing $1 billion over the next 5-7 years in a cloud-based infrastructure to replace two legacy platforms built to support positional satellites: the Enterprise Ground Services and the Ground Command, Control and Communications systems. #AUKUS Michael Sharpe https://lnkd.in/gsANyZed

UK cede British sovereignty of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius. The deal was given approval by the United States. US president Joe Biden said it would lead to “peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes”. Mr Biden said: “I applaud the historic agreement and conclusion of the negotiations between the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom on the status of the Chagos Archipelago. “It is a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome longstanding historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes. “This agreement affirms Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, while granting the United Kingdom the authority to exercise the sovereign rights of Mauritius with respect to Diego Garcia. “Diego Garcia is the site of a joint US-UK military facility that plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security. It enables the United States to support operations that demonstrate our shared commitment to regional stability, provide rapid response to crises, and counter some of the most challenging security threats we face. The agreement secures the effective operation of the joint facility on Diego Garcia into the next century. “We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with Mauritius and the United Kingdom in upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific.” #AUKUS Michael Sharpe https://lnkd.in/g3cGp-B6

A letter by the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, addressed to the leaders of the armed services committees, lays out a laundry list of provisions contained in the House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act that the Pentagon #opposes, including the addition of funding for construction of a second Virginia-class attack submarine. “Adding a second submarine would require the Department to reduce the Next Generation Fighter program by $400 million, making the fighter program unexecutable and degrading the Navy’s ability to field next generation aircraft capabilities required in the 2033 to 2037 timeframe,” Austin said in the letter. The House, which passed its version of the NDAA in June, authorized $1 billion for a second submarine, while the Senate Armed Services Committee approved $400 million in incremental funding to build a second sub. Austin noted that the department opposes both pathways for providing additional money for the program, stating that industry would not be able to produce a second #submarine “on a reasonable schedule,” and urging lawmakers instead to stick to the budget plan laid out by the Navy, which called for only one Virginia-class sub. The decision on whether to obligate additional money for a second submarine ultimately rests with congressional appropriators, who have been more hesitant to put forward the necessary funds. The House’s defense appropriations bill kept funding for the Virginia-class submarine at the levels requested by the Navy, while the Senate Appropriations Committee added $357 million to begin purchasing materials for a second shipset. (Austin’s letter did not touch on the appropriations bills.) #AUKUS Michael Sharpe https://lnkd.in/gZNuCfTN

The United States will soon send one of its largest-ever security assistance packages to Taiwan — nearly $570 million — the White House said late Monday in a move sure to anger China. Under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. is bound by law to sell arms to the island for its self-defense. In a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered his secretary of state to “direct the drawdown of up to $567 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan.” The order means the U.S. will directly ship its own weapon stocks to Taiwan. https://lnkd.in/gubkdHpG

Threat From China Increasing, Air Force Official Says. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall spoke about the growing threat that China poses to the Indo-Pacific region. "I've been closely watching the evolution of [China's] military for 15 years. China is not a future threat; China is a threat today," Kendall told a large in-person and remote audience composed predominantly of Air and Space Force personnel. "In addition, China continues to expand its nuclear forces and its ability to operate in cyberspace," Kendall said. "We can expect all these trends to continue." "I am not saying war in the Pacific is imminent or inevitable. It is not," Kendall said. "But I am saying that the likelihood is increasing and will continue to do so." Noting that the United States must be prepared for a potential future conflict, Kendall then listed numerous ways that the Air and Space Forces are working to do just that, including a massive modernization initiative to achieve operational imperatives. "My promise to you," Kendall told the crowd, "is that I will spend whatever time I have left in public service working as hard as I can to get the Department of the Air Force the resources that it needs to be successful, and to successfully deter our adversaries — if needed — to achieve victory." See https://lnkd.in/g7Sn9k3S #AUKUS Michael Sharpe

The chairs of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees are pushing the Biden administration to share more defense equipment with Australia and the United Kingdom — America’s two partners in the AUKUS agreement. In a letter sent to the White House on Tuesday, first reported by Defense News, the two Republican lawmakers argued that the “excluded technologies list” governing what the U.S. can export to either country is still too long. The restrictions, they said, will hinder America’s ability to develop key capabilities to compete with its main rival, China. “We should move to allow as much sharing of technology as possible,” Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said in testimony before Congress in September. “We have more work to be done on this.” The U.S. State Department’s updated rule is still under review, allowing public comment until mid-November. Before the hearing, Campbell gave McCaul a “personal commitment” to shepherd this process through its deadline, said a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Republican staff. The staffer said that the size of the excluded technologies list also depends on how it’s measured: It may be 20% by dollar amount, but it’s 30% by the number of total U.S. licenses. “The Australians have done a full-court press to the Hill, but they’ve also been very vocal to the administration” about loosening the rules, the aide said. Of particular concern to Canberra, the aide continued, are precision weapons, undersea drones and maritime acoustic technology. The Australian embassy wouldn’t confirm whether those capabilities are of special interest. In a statement, a spokesperson for the embassy said that the government “welcome[ed] continued bipartisan congressional interest in removing barriers to create a seamless trilateral defense industrial base.” #AUKUS Michael Sharpe https://lnkd.in/gr4taqf9

The Royal Navy is specifically looking into the possibility of using Generation 4 nuclear technologies, including both larger nuclear reactors and micro modular reactors, for powering large surface ships. A key feature is the development of smaller, modular designs like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which are more flexible and can be deployed in a wider range of settings, including for naval applications. These reactors also aim to reduce the environmental impact of nuclear power while maintaining high operational performance. The MOD asks for “Detailed descriptions of Generation-4 nuclear reactor designs suitable for maritime applications,” as well as information on “power output, efficiency, and operational parameters.” https://lnkd.in/gCcWxptN

The House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee has published its latest report. Key conclusions and recommendations include: Defence industry preparedness: The UK’s defence industry is unprepared for sustained conflict due to years of underinvestment. There is a lack of trust between government and the defence industry, which needs to be addressed through clearer, long-term Government commitments to allow industry to take risks and increase output. Innovation: Non-traditional defence suppliers, such as start-ups, SMEs and tech companies, are key to innovation and accelerating the pace of delivery, but they face barriers in accessing the defence market. The Government needs to facilitate a ‘broad church’ of industry engagement, beyond the traditional defence sector. #AUKUS Michael Sharpe See https://lnkd.in/e_TB7c5G