WASHINGTON -- More integrated military operations with AUKUS and Japan, two major projects that could alter the defense posture in the Indo-Pacific for years to come, received the stamp of approval from the U.S. Congress this week, as the annual defense policy bill was finalized between House and Senate lawmakers.
The compromise between each chamber's version of the National Defense Authorization Act published Wednesday night kicked off plans to offer Australia nuclear-powered submarines under the three-way AUKUS pact with the U.K. It also requires the secretary of defense to modify the U.S. military's command structure in Japan to complement Tokyo's new Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), which will oversee all three branches of the Self-Defense Forces.
