Digital Press Briefing with Bonnie Denise Jenkins, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security

MODERATOR:  Greetings from the U.S. Department of State’s Asia Pacific Media Hub.  I would like to welcome journalists to today’s on-the-record briefing with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security.  Under Secretary Jenkins will provide an update on AUKUS, including its role in regional security, opportunities for technological innovation, and our commitments to nuclear non-proliferation.

With that, let’s get started.  Under Secretary Jenkins, I’ll turn it over to you for your opening remarks.

UNDER SECRETARY JENKINS:  Great.  Thank you very much for doing this, and thank you to everyone who’s here to listen in, and I look forward to your questions.  One thing I wanted to highlight and to say that’s very important is that AUKUS [a trilateral security partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States] is a generational opportunity that helps modernize the relationship of both the UK and Australia, which are longstanding partners in many areas that we have worked on with them, and we want to address our current and future challenges that exist right now.

So AUKUS should be understood to enhance peace, security, and stability across the Indo-Pacific, with further impacts across the globe.  And one of the reasons why I’m here is to have an opportunity to share some of the thoughts that the U.S. have on AUKUS to reinforce the strong relationship that we have with Australia, to thank Australia for what it’s been doing in terms of moving things along in terms of implementing AUKUS; and also to hear from you and hear from our counterparts and colleagues and everyone else here in Australia in terms of some of your thoughts and concerns about AUKUS.

So, with that I’d like to turn it back over to you and have an opportunity to hear some questions.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Ambassador Jenkins.  We will now turn to the question-and-answer portion of today’s briefing.  And our first question will be one that we received in advance from Dinakar Peri from The Hindu in New Delhi, India:  “Can you give us an overview of ongoing conversations with India on the proliferation of various arms in the Indo-Pacific and possible joint efforts towards non-proliferation and arms control expectations from India as well as concerns with respect to India?”

UNDER SECRETARY JENKINS:  Yes, thanks for the question.  What I can say is India is – has been engaged with us for many years on many issues, and we are increasingly engaging India on a range of issues.  We haven’t been able to have extensive discussions right now on particular issues on arms control, but I can say that we have traditionally had discussions with them.  We’re looking forward to having more regular conversations with India on these issues.

I can say that when I have my bilateral meetings with my colleagues from India and my counterparts, I have an opportunity to have some discussions on non-proliferation and arms control.  There’s quite a bit of things that are going on in terms of what’s happening at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.  So, there are forums in which India plays a role and we have opportunities to have conversations in multilateral forms.  We’re looking to have more  bilateral conversations outside of those as well, and we are engaged with them in trying to make that happen.

So I would say that we have quite a few in different forums.  We talk about these issues with India on a regular basis, and we’re looking to have even more in-depth conversations with them bilaterally in the future.

MODERATOR:  The next question goes to Kimberley Caines from The West Australian, who typed her message in the chat here.  “Western Australia is going to play a vital role at – in that AUKUS program with shipbuilding and the sustainment of submarines.  Are you concerned the required infrastructure is not being built fast enough for the submarines to start rotating through Western Australia in 2027, as planned?  How crucial is this?  Thank you.”

UNDER SECRETARY JENKINS:  Thanks for the question.  First of all, I want to say again thank you to Australia for the work that it’s doing in setting up SRF West and Service West and what they’re doing there to get everything ready by 2027.  And he have had conversations with individuals here in Australia about 2027 and what’s being planned and what’s being built.  So, there are ongoing – active ongoing conversations about that to make sure that everything is ready in 2027.  We’re looking at the challenges and what may be missing that we have to fill the gaps in.

So yes, we are – I wouldn’t say concerned, I would just say that we’re working very closely with Australia to make sure that everything is in place in 2027 for things to happen on time and in best a way as possible.

MODERATOR:  The next question comes from Mohamed Maher from the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper and Blinx News in Washington, D.C., and Egypt and the UAE:  “With the ongoing developments in AUKUS, how does the United States see the role of nuclear-powered submarines in maintaining regional security in the Indo-Pacific, and what measures are being taken to mitigate any nuclear proliferation risks associated with their deployment?”

UNDER SECRETARY JENKINS:  Just want to say that one of the things that we think is very important and one of the reasons why we agreed to do AUKUS amongst the three countries is because we see this as a way in which we can help ensure the safety and security of the region and also for – and peace in the Indo-Pacific.

And so we really think that this is a way that we’re going to be able to do this, and all three countries are committed to making sure this happens because we want to make sure that countries in the region are free to act according to their own sovereignty and not being coerced at all.  And so we want to make sure that we support a vision that’s stable and prosperous in this region.  And so it’s one of the major reasons why we did this.

In terms of arms control and non-proliferation, particularly in nuclear proliferation risks, one of the things I want to highlight and I want to be very clear is that AUKUS does not in any way violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.  All three countries – the U.S., the UK, and France [1] – are parties to this treaty.  Australia is not going to be developing any nuclear weapons.  It’s not going to acquire nuclear weapons.  It’s not going to enrich uranium or reprocess spent fuel.  We are going to make sure that whatever we give Australia cannot be used in a way that they can use the nuclear fuel for a nuclear weapon.

I should also say that we are in daily – well, maybe daily – weekly contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and we are being very transparent with countries around the world on what we’re doing.  We want to have the highest non-proliferation standards in terms of how we lay out AUKUS.  I can say that the IAEA Director General Grossi has released a couple of reports already, and you can find those online, in which he has praised all three countries for their transparency with the IAEA, all the ongoing discussions that we have with this organization to ensure that they are able to – that they are able to ensure that the nuclear submarines that we provide to Australia cannot be used for developing a nuclear weapon.

So, we are doing everything we can to be transparent with countries in different forums around the world – at the International Atomic Energy Agency to make sure we’re very transparent there – to ensure that there’s a correct understanding that we are not violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

MODERATOR:  Okay, the next question goes to Dominic from the Australian Associated Press:  “Will there – has there been any discussions about arms exports to Israel, and should Australia do more to ensure security in the Red Sea?”

UNDER SECRETARY JENKINS:  In terms of exports to Israel, I mean, we have the – we had the normal exports that we had originally, as we do with every country – not every country that we have security assistance with or security engagements with.  I think we all know with the recent events that’s going on in Gaza right now with Hamas has raised a lot of interest in that.  We understand that.  So, nothing has really changed in that respect in terms of our defense of Israel, but of course I want to highlight our recognition and understanding about the humanitarian situation there.  And as you know, we have done just a couple of days ago the drop of humanitarian aid into the region.  So, we are focusing on providing humanitarian aid to individuals and citizens in that region right now.  But there’s nothing to add really on the export controls situation with Israel.

MODERATOR:  Okay, the next question is from Masakatsu Ota from Kyodo News in Tokyo, Japan, and it’s a two-part question:  “What is the current status of the U.S. and China working-level dialogue on AI after the summit meeting in November?  Has there been any progress on mutual understanding on preventative measures not to make AI to make any decision on nuclear weapons employment?”

UNDER SECRETARY JENKINS:  Yeah, thanks for the question.  Yes, when the U.S. released its declaration last February at The Hague in the ROK summit on AI and the military last year, in The Hague, we have had an opportunity to talk to a number of countries about the AI in the military declaration.  We currently have 52 countries who have signed on to this declaration, which is really great, and we’re looking to have more countries sign on.

We have approached the PRC, we approached a number of countries on this, as I said, and we are very interested in the PRC being interested in this and hopefully being engaged.  This was a topic among many other topics that we had a chance to discuss with them.  So this is something that we want to work with the PRC and every country with, because we believe how countries use AI in the military is very important, and that’s why we want to have an international-level discussion on this topic.  And so we remain interested in working with them on this even after our meeting in November as well.

Just for more information, our goal on this is to actually host a meeting with all of the countries that have signed on to this declaration early this year, just so that we can have an opportunity to see where we can go with this idea for how we implement the AI in the military declaration.

You mentioned the issue of AI and employment of nuclear weapons.  What I can say is we did have in the draft earlier on a paragraph that said that a human will always be involved in the use of nuclear employment.  We had to take that out because of some confusion by some countries; they wanted some more time to focus on that issue.  But that is something that the U.S. is already committed to, and we also have agreement from France and the UK on this issue as well.  So this is something we want to keep working on, but it was in the original draft.

MODERATOR:  The next question will go to Brandon How from InnovationAus.com based in Canberra:  “Are you able to provide an update on the work that has been undertaken under pillar two of the AUKUS agreement?  In particular, how can Australian defense industry companies engage with the program of work?”

AMBASSADOR JENKINS:  Thanks for that question.  Yes, pillar two is an exciting part of AUKUS because it really is going to be a place where we can develop interoperability regarding quite a bit of technology – for example, whether it’s open AI and autonomy or cyber or electronic warfare or undersea capabilities or quantum computing or counter-hypersonic.  These are all areas that are going to be developed under pillar two amongst the three countries.  So, it’s very exciting and it’s also generational in the fact that we’re trying to get young people also involved in this issue.

There’s been a lot of talk amongst the three countries about this.  We are working on developing an export control system that will allow license-free engagements amongst the three countries on technologies and military training.  So, this is something brand new that we’re doing with – through the AUKUS platform.

And one of the things that we are very interested in is engaging industry, and so part of this work is to get industry even more involved.  We’ve already been reaching out to industry, but as we go forward, we want to do more engagement, not only domestically with our industries but also across our different countries.  So, make sure – making sure industry from all countries are involved in this process.  And we also want to hear from industry and hear their thoughts about this process.

We’ve also been able to have a couple of demonstrations.  We had a demonstration last April in the UK as part of our discussions on AUKUS in terms of UAVs, and we had another demonstration – and these demonstrations are really an effort to show how the three countries can work together on emerging technologies.

So, there’s a lot going on.  We encourage a lot of people to be involved in this because it is such an amazing area where we can develop technologies amongst the three countries in working together.

MODERATOR:  The next question goes to Stephen Wright of Radio Free Asia/BenarNews based in Brisbane, Australia:  “Some Pacific Island countries are concerned Australia’s involvement in AUKUS goes against the spirit of the Rarotonga nuclear-free treaty.  What is your response to those concerns?”

AMBASSADOR JENKINS:  Once again, just want to highlight that this is not a nuclear – we’re not – Australia is not developing a nuclear weapon; they’re not developing material to make a nuclear weapon.  This is a nuclear-powered submarine, which is allowed under the – which is allowed under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.  And so, we are actually – just want to make sure that that’s clearly understood that this is not a violation of our – of what we’re obligated to do under nuclear non-proliferation.

MODERATOR:  The next question is from Rezaul Laskar from the Hindustan Times in New Delhi:  “Could you please tell us about new maritime security and other security-related initiatives under the Quad, including progress on the maritime domain awareness initiative?  Thanks.”

AMBASSADOR JENKINS:  Yeah, I’ll have to get back to you on that.  I have to get back to you on that one.  Happy to do that.

MODERATOR:  Okay, the next question was from Nhu Nguyen of the OEC from Danang, Vietnam:  “In what ways could the U.S. and its partners or should the U.S. and its partners enhance the security of information sharing to protect the technology secrets of nuclear submarines in the future?”

AMBASSADOR JENKINS:  That’s really part – thanks for the question.  That’s really part of the ongoing discussions that we’re having now in terms of export controls.  One of the things we’re focusing on in terms of export controls is information technology and military training.  These are the reasons why we have these export controls, is to make sure that we can protect that information.  And I should make clear that this is a generational effort, but export controls will continually be looked at throughout the process.

And so, as we develop technologies, as we develop our capabilities, it’s going to be important to also keep up with issues and concerns about information getting out.  So, we will continue to look at export controls and develop them and adjust them as we need to, based on how technologies are being developed and what could become more vulnerable to countries.  So, this is something that’s very important to all three countries, and we are going to be really focusing on that important issue of export controls.

MODERATOR:  Okay, and we are down to our last question today from James Riley of – let’s see – I believe the InnovationAus.com based in Canberra:  “There are many dual-use technologies of strategic significance, such as quantum computing, quantum sensing, autonomous systems, AI, et cetera.  But the U.S. ITAR regulations as applied seem very restrictive and perhaps not flexible in relation to these fast-moving commercial strategic technologies.  ITAR regime seems restrictive for Australian companies seeking to carve out commercial opportunities.  Is ITAR likely to be modernized for the AUKUS partners?  Or are there carveouts that Australia can benefit from?”

AMBASSADOR JENKINS:  Yes, thanks for the question.  And actually, what we are engaged in right now with Australia and the UK is in fact a modernization of the ITAR.  The National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed last year in the U.S., allows for exactly what the question is asking about.  And that’s why we are now engaged with both the UK and Australia to find – to work on this carveout, I guess you could call it.  And we’re working on that carveout, as you asked, so that all three countries will have license-free ability to work together on issues and technologies and information and military training related to AUKUS.

So yeah, the answer to that is yes, we are doing exactly that.  And I know Australia has some legislation that needs to be passed and so does – and the UK has just recently passed legislation.  And this work that they’re doing is to actually accomplish what the question is asking, so the answer is yes.

MODERATOR:  Under Secretary Jenkins, I’ll turn the floor over back to you for your closing remarks.

AMBASSADOR JENKINS:  Thank you for everyone joining.  I feel like this always goes so fast.    But I just want to reiterate there’s a lot that really is happening with AUKUS.  One, it’s not a violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.  Australia will remain a non-nuclear-weapon state.  They’re not acquiring a nuclear weapon; they’re not developing anything to develop a nuclear weapon.  I think that’s very important and I want to stress that.

Also want to stress the advantages that came up with the last question of the things we’re working on now so that we can have a license-free trade amongst industry, but also the generational aspect of AUKUS, which will allow for the next generation of young people in colleges, universities to learn about how being on – the sailors on the nuclear subs, but also all the work in emerging technologies that we can get our young people excited about, because these are technologies that’s being developed and ways to do it that could be interoperable amongst the three countries is a wonderful opportunity, and I think that should be highlighted.

But lastly, the importance of AUKUS itself to ensure that we have a safe and open Indo-Pacific region where countries are empowered to make their own sovereign decisions free from coercion.  And this really is an example of demonstrating our firm commitment to our international partnerships, and it’s a key line of effort in our Indo-Pacific strategies.

So, I just want to highlight those points.  I just want to thank everyone for taking the time to ask questions.

MODERATOR:  And that brings us to the end of our time for today.  Thank you for your questions, and thank you to Under Secretary Jenkins for joining us.  We will provide a transcript of this briefing to participating journalists as soon as it is available.  We’d also love to hear your feedback, and you can contact us at any time at AsiaPacMedia@state.gov.  Thank you again for your participation, and we hope you can join us for another briefing soon.

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[1] Australia