AUSTRALIA'S SECURITY STRATEGY IN RESPONDING TO CHINA'S THREAT IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION THROUGH THE 2021-2024 AUKUS

Authors

  • Dewi Kania Saraswati Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Jakarta
  • Indrawati Indrawati Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Jakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24076/13g5ad75

Keywords:

AUKUS, Australia, China, Indo-Pacific, Security Strategy

Abstract

This research analyzes Australia's security strategy in responding to China's threat in the Indo-Pacific Region through the AUKUS alliance from 2021 to 2024. Amid rising geopolitical tensions and China's assertive actions, Australia faces strategic pressure that compels it to strengthen its national defense. Using qualitative methods and secondary data analysis, this study applies Alliance Theory and Bandwagoning to examine Australia's choice to align with the United States and the United Kingdom. The findings reveal that AUKUS is a deterrence strategy embedded within Australia's defense policies: Defense Strategic Update 2020, Defense Strategic Review 2023, and National Defense Strategy 2024. These policies reflect a shift from diplomatic multilateralism to military-based alliances, highlighting Australia's increasing dependency on great powers for strategic security. Through AUKUS, Australia is strengthening its defense posture, especially about nuclear-powered submarines and emerging technologies, to uphold regional stability and sovereignty. This study examines how middle powers navigate great competition through strategic security alliances.

References

AFP. (2015, December 16). Australian military flies over disputed South China Sea in defiance of Beijing. Retrieved April 28, 2025, from Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) website: https://hongkongfp.com/2015/12/16/australian-military-flies-over-disputed-south-china-sea-in-defiance-of-beijing/

Agus Sugiharto. (2024). Analisa Penandatanganan Kesepakatan Kerjasama Pertahanan antara Pemerintah China, Solomon dan di Kawasan IndoFasifik. Maritim Indonesia, 12(2), 44–53. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.52307/jmi.v912.166

Albanese, A. (n.d.). AUKUS Remarks Speech. Retrieved from Prime Minister of Australia website: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/aukus-remarks

Downloads

Published

2025-06-30

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2025): Journal of Social Politics and Governance (June)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Dewi Kania Saraswati, Indrawati Indrawati

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish articles in this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal of Social Politics and Governance journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or edit it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.