U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm issued the following statement today on the AUKUS announcement
March 13, 2023
minute read time
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm issued the following statement today:
"The Department of Energy welcomes today’s announcement from President Biden, U.K. Prime Minister Sunak, and Australian Prime Minister Albanese detailing the planned pathway to enable Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines through the AUKUS program.
"AUKUS represents a generational commitment to increasing regional security in the Indo-Pacific and the Department of Energy (DOE) stands ready to provide the expertise, skills, and support to ensure the success of this vital program. Enabled by the joint U.S. Navy-DOE Naval Reactors program, the U.S. nuclear navy has safely operated for more than 60 years without experiencing any reactor accident or release of radioactivity that has harmed human health or had an adverse effect on marine life. We will work with Australia to ensure these same standards of nuclear safety and stewardship are upheld under the AUKUS program.
"DOE remains committed to ensuring that AUKUS activities are conducted in a way that sets the highest nonproliferation standards while protecting classified and controlled information. Experts from DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration will assist our AUKUS partners and the International Atomic Energy Agency with research and development of safeguards technologies and verification tools to assist the IAEA in carrying out its safeguards mission in Australia."
###