The urgent need for an AUKUS-Plus maritime alliance
8 steps to "unite the clans"
The Boyd Institute’s mission is to advance asymmetric solutions to strategic global challenges. This article is a continuation of our maritime initiative and efforts to strengthen AUKUS. Subscribe for free updates, consider supporting our mission, and share any thoughts on this article in the comments below — thank you!
In the film Braveheart, William Wallace, portrayed by Mel Gibson, implores the fragmented Scottish clans to unite against the more powerful English forces. His iconic plea, "Unite us. Unite the clans!" is relevant today in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain. The United States and its allies must urgently embrace a unite-the-clans strategy to counterbalance China's expanding maritime influence.
The UK and U.S. have tilted their focus to the Indo-Pacific in recent years. A logical progression of these efforts is the establishment of a comprehensive maritime alliance centered on AUKUS nations — Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — as well as key regional players such as Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. This proposed AUKUS-Plus maritime alliance would aim to counterbalance China’s maritime growth, maintain regional stability, and keep the Indo-Pacific free and open. We propose it as a third pillar of the security partnership.
A Strategic Imperative
As noted in our previous policy recommendation, China’s maritime expansion outpaces the U.S. in every aspect, with 232 times the shipbuilding capacity and over half of global commercial shipbuilding output.1 The U.S. Naval Institute reports that China now boasts the world’s largest navy, with 370 ships expected to grow to 435 by 2030. In contrast, the U.S. Navy aims for 290 ships by the same year.2 Given these disparities, forming a robust maritime alliance in the Indo-Pacific is not just advisable but essential and urgently needed. Only by “uniting the clans” can we match China’s maritime strength.
China, meanwhile, has been taking an aggressive — yes, bullying — posture in the Indo-Pacific. This is creating strategic tensions and sparking fears of a broader conflict in the region. China’s activities in the South China Sea, including constructing artificial islands and militarizing disputed territories, challenge international law and threaten regional sovereignty and navigation freedom, vital for global trade. The defense secretary of the Philippines recently characterized China’s posture in the South China Sea as an “existential issue.”
8 Steps to Establish an AUKUS-Plus Maritime Alliance
Established in September 2021, AUKUS focuses on providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines (Pillar 1) and fostering advanced technological collaboration between the three member nations (Pillar 2). Creating an AUKUS-plus maritime alliance is a natural progression of existing efforts and would be a powerful third pillar of the partnership. Here are eight steps to bring this into reality:
1) Expand Memberships and Partnerships
Creating an AUKUS-Plus framework (our proposed Pillar 3) to include Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and others would transform AUKUS into a formidable maritime coalition. Engaging with regional organizations like ASEAN and the QUAD would provide broader support and legitimacy.
2) Create an Institutional Framework
Form a formal institution to coordinate joint operations, intelligence sharing, and strategic planning. This entity should facilitate regular high-level meetings, joint exercises, and interoperability training, ensuring cohesive operations. Lessons from NATO’s structure can inform this institution.3
3) Enhance Naval Capabilities
Invest in coordinated development and procurement of advanced maritime technologies, including next-generation submarines, anti-submarine warfare capabilities, and unmanned maritime systems. Pooling resources and sharing research initiatives can lead to technological breakthroughs. This should involve allowing the construction of at least some US naval vessels in AUKUS-Plus yards, which is currently prohibited by U.S. law — but should not be.4
4) Share Logistics and Bases
Develop a network of shared logistics hubs and naval bases across the Indo-Pacific, ensuring seamless operations and sustained presence. Strategic locations like Guam, Okinawa, and Darwin would facilitate rapid deployment and resupply. It bears mentioning that the U.S. has legal barriers to the use of such bases for the overhaul, repair, and maintenance of its ships — and these laws should be removed.5 As U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel notes in a recent WSJ op-ed:6
Japans’s shipyards could help the U.S. tackle its maintenance backlog, which was more than 4,000 days between 2015 and 2019… Expanding the scope of Japanese shipyards’ repair work would free up American shipyards to focus on new production and enable our warships to remain in the region as a peacetime deterrent or to immediately return to action during conflict.
5) Create New Trade Benefits
A sweetener to these arrangements could involve a relaxation of U.S. build requirements, allowing U.S. companies to purchase more commercial ships from Japan and South Korea. Similar accommodations could be made for Australia and the UK. As gCaptain CEO John Konrad has noted, it’s time to rethink overall maritime policy and engagement with oceans among G7 nations, and trade policy plays a role in this.7 Some possibilities include waiving taxes on U.S. ships, shipyards, and mariners; retaining a free trade, low tax maritime environment for partners and allies meeting a 2% of GDP target in defense spending; and increasing port user, trade fees, and also tariffs for Russia, China, Iran and other nations that don’t respect UNCLOS.
6) Strengthen Cybersecurity and Intelligence Sharing
Establish robust cybersecurity frameworks and intelligence-sharing protocols to protect maritime infrastructure and operations from cyber threats, ensuring timely and coordinated responses to emerging threats. As William Stoltz writes in ASPI’s The Strategist, Japan would be a particularly valuable partner when it comes to cyberwarfare.8
7) Foster Diplomatic Ties and Soft Power
Complement military measures with strong diplomatic engagement and soft power initiatives, including fostering economic ties, cultural exchanges, and humanitarian cooperation. A positive vision for the Indo-Pacific — Pax Pacifica — can attract broader regional support. This vision should include countries on the west coast of Latin America as well as Asian nations.
8) Create Legal and Normative Frameworks
Advocate for reinforcing international maritime laws, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The U.S. is not a signatory but upholds the important parts — we recommend a renewed effort to build support for approving the Law of the Sea convention, which would strengthen the effort to counter China’s actions in the South China Sea.9 Engaging with ASEAN and other regional bodies to build consensus on maritime security will bolster the alliance's legitimacy.
Conclusion
There’s an urgent need for an AUKUS-Plus maritime alliance in the Indo-Pacific. The outlined policy recommendations provide a roadmap for realizing this vision — and hopefully serve as conversation starters and activators. By building collective maritime strength, an AUKUS-Plus alliance would enhance deterrence, provide regional stability, and uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific. Although William Wallace was betrayed in the end, the Braveheart strategy of “uniting the clans” and “holding the line” is needed now in the Indo-Pacific not for war but for peace.
Has there been any more recent pro/con arguments for USA ratifying UNCLOS? It needs to be vetted by people with defense credibility like Cmdr. Salamander.