Indonesia Calls for Tighter IAEA Safeguards on Nuclear Submarines Amid Concerns Over AUKUS Pact

Jakarta has expressed concerns that the trilateral AUKUS pact could trigger an “arms race” in the region. A joint statement by Indonesia and Malaysia last October, a month after AUKUS was unveiled, said both Southeast Asian nations are “worried and concerned” about the possibility of Canberra possessing advanced nuclear subs.

Indonesia has called for the implementation of tighter safeguards by global nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in cases where enriched uranium is transferred from nuclear states to non-nuclear countries for potential use in nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs).

“Indonesia calls for strict observance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and reaffirms that under the Treaty all parties must accept IAEA strict observance by concluding and adhering to the IAEA comprehensive safeguards agreements and applicable additional measures related to the safeguards,” per a working paper presented by Jakarta at the Tenth NPT Review Conference in New York.

The NPT Review Conference kicked off on August 1 and will conclude on August 26.

Jakarta has warned that the “exclusion” of production, use and disposition of “highly-enriched uranium” from IAEA safeguards for nuclear naval propulsion could be “exploited to provide a shield for diversion of that material to nuclear weapons programmes.”

“The uranium enriched to fuel naval propulsion reactors is above levels used in civilian power reactors, near-weapons-grade levels, and even weapons-grade, which poses a growing risk to achieving the non-proliferation goals of the Treaty,” the paper stated.

The paper said that “cooperation involving the transfer of nuclear materials and technology for military purposes” between atomic and non-atomic countries will increase proliferation risks and might lead to “catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences.”

This is the first review conference being held since Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom announced the trilateral AUKUS pact last September. Under the AUKUS arrangement, the US and UK will provide Canberra with technology to domestically develop SSNs.

The Indonesian working paper didn’t directly refer to AUKUS, although Jakarta has been critical of the trilateral arrangement. Beijing, the perceived target of AUKUS, has also hit out at the US for inciting a “nuclear arms race” in the Asia-Pacific region.

Under the NPT, only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), which includes the US and UK, are permitted to possess nuclear weapons. Australia ratified the NPT in 1973.

Ambassador Tri Tharyat, the Indonesian representative at the conference, called on nuclear weapons states to strengthen the “disarmament architecture” by taking effective steps towards global nuclear disarmament.