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New Submarine Pact With Australia, U.K. To Help With Growing China Threat, Hicks Says

By Matthew Beinart

Friday, October 1st, 2021

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New Submarine Pact With Australia, U.K. To Help With Growing China Threat, Hicks Says

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks reacts to the start of her Senate confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C. Feb. 2, 2021. (DoD photo by EJ Hersom)

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on Friday said the new trilateral security partnership formed by the U.S., U.K. and Australia, which includes assisting Australia’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines, will specifically help in building up capability to deter growing threats from China. Hicks’ comments arrived about two weeks after the new AUKUS security partnership was detailed, with White House officials at the time not specifically citing China as a direct reason for creating the new defense pact. “The Chinese are advancing…

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