Some things are here today and gone tomorrow and some things change the course of history for decades to come. This is possibly one of those moments.
If Australians hadn’t realised it already, there should be no doubt now that not only has the world changed but their place within it is changing. Rapidly.
This is the world beyond the pandemic and it is one that will endure long after life returns to normal.
The significance of the new trilateral defence pact between Australia, the US and the UK can’t be overstated.
The US has shared the crown jewels of its submarine technology only once before, a one-off with Britain in 1958.
It’s decision to do so again, with Australia and under a far broader defence agreement, is not just a reflection of the trust between allies but of just how febrile the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific has become.
It could be argued that Beijing has brought this on itself through its behaviour.
Would the US have been offering Australia its nuclear propulsion technology five years ago? And would the UK have even contemplated such an arrangement?
For Scott Morrison to have not sought and taken this opportunity would have defied all strategic and military logic.
In doing so, he has taken advantage of a US president in Joe Biden who, unlike Donald Trump, realises the only path to achieving strategic effect in the Indo-Pacific is working through allies and partners.
It explains why Morrison had been reluctant to beat up Biden over Afghanistan when the main game was drawing the US and Europe back into the region.
While the nuclear deal will attract the most attention, it is the alliance and what it represents that carries equal if not greater significance.
Underlying this framework is an agreement that offers access to the world’s most advanced military technology across a far broader scope than just submarines, and across multiple platforms. Quantum computing, cyber weapons, satellites, hypersonic missiles, long-range strike missiles, undersea drones and sentinel sensor technology are all on the table. Only nuclear weapons are off the table.
Morrison’s claim that it is the most important agreement since the signing of the ANZUS treaty in 1951 is not without foundation.
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