Jakarta, IO – Nuclear-powered submarine development programs in various parts of the world seems to have raised pros and cons from divers’ countries. After the 2021 AUKUS agreement, it drew a lot of criticism and anxiety from the region countries that were in direct tie-up with Australia. Geographically, Australia has closer ties with Southeast Asia and a huge Indo-Pacific region, wherein those regions have a significant dynamic change.
In addition to being used for renewable energy, nuclear power is frequently used as a military deterrence strategy, which sadly raises the chance of war because of the arms race. This has sparked a lot of discussion today. Surprisingly, after those protracted discussions, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom signed the AUKUS accord in September 2021. Indonesia has finally grown concerned about the effects of AUKUS in the region after observing the more complex dynamics in those places.
Indonesian Paper to the United Nations
Addressing those concerns, Indonesia has submitted a proposal known as the Indonesian Paper “Nuclear Naval Propulsion” to the United Nations by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia at the 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons or NPT RevCon in New York, United States on 1-26 August 2022.
Based on the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) source, NPT RevCon is a conference that held every 5 years since 1970 where states parties to the Treaty meet to review its implementation. The NPT Treaty is an international legally binding agreement against countries that sign or ratify the treaty with the aim of preventing the nuclear weapons spread and encouraging the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The proposal submitted by Indonesia examines the potential risks of nuclear-powered submarines which are considered to be obligatory to be handled properly in order to avoid human safety or human security threats. This proposal is expected will increase international awareness to create a peaceful and stable environment.