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Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie expressed concern that Canada may be unable to gain access to cutting-edge military capabilities as it is not a member of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership.
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Media reports from Canada have emerged detailing concern from one of the nation’s military leaders over the AUKUS agreement.
Speaking to The Canadian Press, VADM Auchterlonie described Canada’s exclusion from the partnership as a “significant concern”.
“The fact is that [nuclear submarine] technology has existed for a while, so the sharing of that is not a big deal,” he said.
“The issue is when you start talking about advanced technology in terms of the artificial-intelligence domain, machine learning, quantum, all of these things that really matter moving forward. Those are conversations we need to be in on.”
The senior officer questioned why Canada was not included in the partnership.
“And the issue is: Why are we not included in this? Is it resistance to get involved? Is it policy restrictions that we have? Or are we just not going to invest? That’s the question. So it is a significant concern.”
VADM Auchterlonie is currently serving as the Commander Canadian Joint Operations Command, and is the former Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific.
According to the Commonwealth of Australia, one of the core priorities of the AUKUS trilateral partnership is to enhance defence capability and technology between partner nations.
“AUKUS is deepening defence capability and technological cooperation between Australia, the UK and the US,” Defence explains.
“AUKUS will also develop and provide joint advanced military capabilities to promote security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Responding to whether it was his role to comment on government affairs, he explained that “This is probably not my lane, but the fact is: what do I do for a living?”
“I am the operational side of the Armed Forces. Therefore, am I concerned? Do I want to be involved with our closest allies in things? Yes, I do. Absolutely. And I think it’s critical given where you see technology moving. Canada needs to be part of that.”
Though he expressed concern over Canada’s isolation from Canada’s traditional AUKUS allies, VADM Auchterlonie praised the Canadian government’s recently announced Indo-Pacific Strategy.
In late November, the Canadian government released the Indo-Pacific Strategy, a whole-of-government framework detailing how the country intends to collaborate with its partners to shape the region.
The strategy contains $2.3 billion in commitments over the next five years across security, trade, connectivity, green initiatives and Canada’s role in the region.
Key ticket items include:
- $492.9 to “reinforce” the nation’s naval presence and enable Canada to participate in more regional military exercises;
- $750 million for FinDev Canada (the nation’s development finance institution) improving its ability to support sustainable infrastructure; and
- $100 million to enhance the government’s overseas missions.
