What does AUKUS stand for? 

AUKUS

AUKUS (, AW-kəs), also styled as Aukus, is a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, announced on 15 September 2021 for the Indo-Pacific region. Under the pact, the US and the UK will help Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.The pact also includes cooperation on "cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and additional undersea capabilities". The pact will focus on military capability, separating it from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance that also includes New Zealand and Canada.The deal has been subject to both praise and disapproval. The government of China was vocal in its contempt for the deal, accusing the three western powers of having a "cold-war mentality", as the deal was widely seen as being, at least in part, a response to China's status as an increasingly assertive emerging superpower. On 17 September 2021, France, which is an ally of the three countries, recalled its ambassadors from Australia and the US; French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called the pact a "stab in the back" following Australia's cancellation of a French–Australian submarine deal worth €56 billion (A$90 billion) without notice, ending efforts to develop a deeper strategic partnership between France and Australia. It was also criticised for not making room for New Zealand, an important strategic ally in the Pacific region, which was presumed to be because of the country's nuclear-free policy.

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