Joe Biden

President Biden Meets in San Diego With UK, Australia Prime Ministers to Announce Submarine Deal

The meeting was scheduled so the leaders can discuss the Australia-United Kingdom-United States partnership known as AUKUS

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In the evening, President Biden headed to Rancho Santa Fe for a fundraiser, NBC 7's Omari Fleming reports.
The main purpose of President Biden’s visit to San Diego Monday was to talk about the AUKUS partnership with the prime ministers of Australia and the UK, reports NBC 7's Priya Sridhar.

President Joe Biden arrived in San Diego County on Monday shortly after noon to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Air Force One touched down on Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado at about 12:07 p.m. Ground crews had a portable staircase rolled up to the plane soon thereafter, then the nation's chief executive deplaned, shaking hands with Vice Admiral Roy Kitchener and Capt. Charles McKissick, the commanding officer of Naval Base Coronado. Biden then got into the presidential motorcade for transport over to Naval Base Point Loma, joined on his trip by Ashley and Natalie Biden, according to the White House.

Ashley Biden is the president's youngest daughter; Natalie is one of his grandchildren.

US-Australia-Britain-DEFENSE-security-AUKUS-submarines-politics-
Jim WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
US President Joe Biden, with his daughter Ashley Biden and granddaughter Natalie Biden, disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego California, March 13, 2023.

The meeting was scheduled so the leaders can discuss the Australia-United Kingdom-United States partnership known as AUKUS, the White House announced, and is expected to outline how Australia will acquire up to five nuclear-powered submarines from the United States as part of the agreement, according to the White House. Biden will also participate in bilateral meetings with Sunak and Albanese.

The trilateral AUKUS pact announced in 2021 aims to boost Australia's submarine program and, according to a joint statement, "help sustain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.''

The world leaders came together during the AUKUS summit on March 13, 2023.

“These boats will not have any nuclear weapons of any kind of them,” he said at an outdoor ceremony at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, where he was joined by the other leaders. At least two submarines were moored in the background.

Albanese said the agreement "represents the biggest single investment in Australia’s defense capability in all of our history.”

The world leaders are meeting to discuss a submarine deal as a counterweight to China's military buildup.
Rishi Sunak Attends San Diego AUKUS Meeting
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 13: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L), US President Joe Biden (C) and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) hold a press conference after a trilateral meeting during the AUKUS summit on March 13, 2023 in San Diego, California. President Biden hosts British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego for an AUKUS meeting to discuss the procurement of nuclear-powered submarines under a pact between the three nations. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Australia is buying up to five Virginia-class boats as part of AUKUS, said Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, who accompanied Biden to California. A future generation of submarines will be built in the U.K. and in Australia with U.S. technology and support.

The U.S. would also step up its port visits in Australia to provide the country with more familiarity with the nuclear-powered technology before it has such subs of its own.

Biden flew into Naval Air Station North Island. He will be greeted later in the day by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and other local elected officials at San Diego International Airport.

On Sunday, the White House released the following itinerary for the president on Monday:

  • 12:40 p.m.: THE PRESIDENT arrives in San Diego North Island Naval Air Station
  • 1:30 p.m.: THE PRESIDENT participates in a trilateral meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom Naval Base Point Loma
  • 2 p.m.: THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) partnership Naval Base Point Loma
  • 2:45 p.m.: THE PRESIDENT participates in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom Navy Gateway Inns & Suites, San Diego
  • 4 p.m.: THE PRESIDENT participates in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia Navy Gateway Inns & Suites, San Diego
  • 5:35 p.m.:  THE PRESIDENT departs San Diego, en route to Del Mar San Diego International Airport Landing Zone
  • 5:50 p.m.: THE PRESIDENT arrives in Del Mar Del Mar Landing Zone
  • 6:45 p.m.: THE PRESIDENT participates in reception for the Democratic National Committee Rancho Santa Fe
  • 7:30 p.m.: THE PRESIDENT departs Del Mar en route to San Diego Del Mar Landing Zone
  • 8:05 p.m.: THE PRESIDENT arrives in San Diego, San Diego International Airport Landing Zone

San Diego is Biden's first stop on a three-day trip to California and Nevada. He will discuss gun violence prevention in the community of Monterey Park, California, and his plans to lower prescription drug costs in Las Vegas. The trip will include fundraising stops as Biden steps up his political activities before an expected announcement next month that he will seek reelection in 2024.

There were two small protests during the president's visit -- one group of Trump supporters outside NAS North Island and one organized by a group called Friends of Friendship Park, who were protesting Biden's immigration policies. Each had less than a dozen people.

California Republican Party chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said there are "countless items we’d love to hear him address," including inflation, rising gas prices, and border issues.

The visit will be Biden's first to the San Diego area since a 19-hour visit Oct. 3-4 when he spoke at MiraCosta College in Oceanside and a technology company in Carlsbad.

Rishi Sunak Attends San Diego AUKUS Meeting
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 13: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L), US President Joe Biden (C) and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) hold a press conference after a trilateral meeting during the AUKUS summit on March 13, 2023 in San Diego, California. President Biden hosts British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego for an AUKUS meeting to discuss the procurement of nuclear-powered submarines under a pact between the three nations. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
US-Australia-Britain-DEFENSE-security-AUKUS-submarines-politics-
US President Joe Biden (C) participates in a trilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) during the AUKUS summit on March 13, 2023, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego California. - AUKUS is a trilateral security pact announced on September 15, 2021, for the Indo-Pacific region. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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