(VitalNews.org) – Congress has passed another U.S. military aid package that will include more aid for Israel and Ukraine and also a five billion dollar boost for the Aukus agreement. The Aukus agreement funding is to ensure that the United States can produce Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines for Australia without any issues.
Joe Biden has spoken about an additional seventeen billion dollars in funding for the U.S. submarine base over the next five years, and it’s been added in as part of the budget request for next year. Australia has confirmed they would contribute over four billion dollars directly to the project to ensure that the Aukus submarines can be delivered on schedule.
Richard Marles, a spokesperson for the defense minister, said “The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom are all investing significantly to build up our respective industrial capacity to ensure the success of AUKUS.”
This submarine funding is part of a larger-scale military aid bill focused on the Indo-Pacific region and is aimed at countering Chinese influence. The funding for the region also includes a specific amount just for Taiwan; the United States has requested others pitch in to help.
This package would double the size of military financing loans as it expands military aid and welcomes “major non-NATO allies and the Indo-Pacific region.”
Biden showed appreciation to Congress for passing the package, saying, “It gives vital support to America’s partners – so they can defend themselves against threats to their sovereignty and to the lives and freedom of their citizens.”
He continued, “And it’s an investment in our own security, because when our allies are stronger – and I want to make this point again and again – when our allies are stronger, we are stronger.”
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