As part of a global effort to ensure peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia will become the seventh country in the world to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines.
That move is part of a historic security partnership created a year ago among the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, called AUKUS, intended to strengthen and share advanced defense capabilities, including helping Australia develop long-range subs powered by nuclear energy.
Now, an alliance of three top universities from those countries has stepped up to become “the intellectual engine” of AUKUS, providing research, educational offerings and events to support the deal.
Six years ago, Arizona State University joined King’s College London and the University of New South Wales to form the PLuS Alliance, a partnership to scale innovations in research and education for maximum public benefit.
The PLuS Alliance’s new initiative — Security & Defence PLuS — aims to be the intellectual engine behind AUKUS, according to Ryan Shaw, managing director of strategic initiatives and senior university advisor at ASU.
Shaw said that in the six years the PLuS Alliance has operated, it’s worked in the fields of public health, engineering and sustainability, but never in security or defense.
“That struck me as a greatly missed opportunity,” said Shaw, who came to ASU in 2019 after a career in the military.
Interest intensified last September when AUKUS was launched.
“The first major initiative of AUKUS was to equip Australia with nuclear subs to counter China in the Indo-Pacific, but it’s meant to be a more broadly scoped diplomatic and military partnership for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said.
“And it became clear that we should do what we can to contribute to that space.”
Security & Defence PLuS is launching with a trove of information. The website offers the AUKUS Briefing Book, which includes downloadable official documents and news stories.
The site also includes essays by military and diplomatic experts, including a short history on the thorny twists and turns of the submarine deal.
The AUKUS Briefing Book is based on “The NPT Briefing Book,” a long-running project by the Centre for Science and Security Studies at Kings College London that compiles documents and information about the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
“It’s really well known and respected among those who deal with that,” Shaw said.
“Every year, there’s a nuclear non-proliferation conference and it serves as the read-ahead preparation material.
“We imagine the AUKUS Briefing Book filling the same role.”
On Nov. 14, Security & Defence PLuS will hold the Advancing AUKUS Conference in Canberra with military, diplomatic and policy experts.
The AUKUS focus on providing Australia’s first nuclear-powered submarines is an opportunity, Shaw said.
“We want to position ourselves not just in academic research but at the intersection of industry and policy and academia,” he said.
“We want to provide workforce development and academic research in support of that.
“We can tackle these issues better together than separately and ensure they’re used for good and not for evil.”
Top image courtesy iStock/Getty Images
Reporter , ASU News
480-727-4503 marybeth.faller@asu.edu
Ever since participating in a business competition in high school, Cameron Prohaska knew he wanted a career in the field. He also knew that he would need to pursue higher education to meet that goal, but didn’t feel quite ready for college straight out of high school.After taking some time off to develop his interests and launch a small business selling clothes, Prohaska enrolled in Golden West …
Ever since participating in a business competition in high school, Cameron Prohaska knew he wanted a career in the field. He also knew that he would need to pursue higher education to meet that goal, but didn’t feel quite ready for college straight out of high school.
After taking some time off to develop his interests and launch a small business selling clothes, Prohaska enrolled in Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California, where he focused on economics and completed his associate’s degree. 
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Around that time, he learned of the Starbucks College Achievement Plan at Arizona State University, which provides 100% tuition coverage for eligible U.S. partnersStarbucks refers to its employees as partners.. That was all Prohaska needed to convince him ASU was the place to pursue his bachelor’s degree.
Around that time, he learned of the Starbucks College Achievement Plan at Arizona State University, which provides 100% tuition coverage for eligible U.S. partnersStarbucks refers to its employees as partners.. That was all Prohaska needed to convince him ASU was the place to pursue his bachelor’s degree.
The icing on the cake was learning that Golden West College had formed an alliance with ASU to provide students a seamless transfer experience through the MyPath2ASU program.
MyPath2ASU is a set of customized tools available to transfer students from accredited, U.S. regional institutions. These tools ensure a smooth transition to ASU after earning credits or an associate degree from a U.S. community college or university, and also shorten the time to degree completion.
“The ASU pathway program helped me through seeing what tasks I needed to get done next. I was able to remain organized and focused by staying on track and being in contact with my ASU counselor on a semi-weekly basis,” Prohaska said.
Through the MyPath2ASU partnership, students have access to personalized benefits to help them navigate the transfer experience, including:
- End-to-end learner navigation through 400 course-by-course guided pathways into on-campus, local and ASU Online degree programs.
- Insurance of course applicability through assistance with selecting courses that apply to their associate and ASU bachelor’s degree.
- Guaranteed general admission to ASU and admission into MyPath2ASU major choice if all requirements are satisfied. (Some majors have additional or higher admission requirements.)
- Self-service, degree progress tracking through My Transfer Guide to minimize loss of credit.
- Connected experience through personalized ASU communications to prepare academically and build a connection to ASU.
“At Golden West College, we care about our students not only while they take classes with us, but also when they move on to transfer institutions,” said Meridith Randall, vice president of instruction. “Our partnership with ASU is an integral step in ensuring a seamless transition for students to the next step in their higher education journey.”
Here, Prohaska shares more about his journey from community college to the accountancy BS program in the W. P. Carey School of Business, as well as some advice for other transfer students.
Cameron Prohaska
Cameron Prohaska
Question: Why did you choose ASU?
Answer: I chose ASU because of the professors and classes. I have friends that are ASU alumni and they have always told me great things about how smooth the courses run each session. Working at Starbucks and being aware of the ASU SCAPStarbucks College Achievement Plan program, I began to act on transferring to the university as soon as I became eligible.
Answer: I chose ASU because of the professors and classes. I have friends that are ASU alumni and they have always told me great things about how smooth the courses run each session. Working at Starbucks and being aware of the ASU SCAPStarbucks College Achievement Plan program, I began to act on transferring to the university as soon as I became eligible.
Q: What have you enjoyed most about your ASU experience so far?
A: I have really enjoyed the classes. Each class online is very structured and organized, which makes it easier as a student to follow and keep up with. One of my strengths is following instruction, and I like that the classes are set up to help me stay on task by keeping up to date with my calendar for deadlines and due dates.
Q: What are your plans after you graduate with your bachelor’s degree?
A: My plan is to work for a company where I can do accounting, but I also want to get my master’s and find more information on earning that so I can strengthen my experience and resume.
Q: What do you do in your spare time to advance your goals?
A: I enjoy buying and selling clothes in my spare time when I can afford to. Learning about the market for secondhand clothes as well as brand new clothing items to sell for profit actually got me interested in accounting. I was able to learn a lot more about gross profit and how I wanted to grow in the future if I want to start up my own business someday.
Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to a new transfer student?
A: One piece of advice I would give to a new transfer student is to find out the school’s student support number. This helped me get in contact with an ASU success coach and made my transfer process way easier on me. I was able to quickly set up an appointment easily, and they were available pretty quickly. The success coach also answered all of my questions that I needed help answering and finding solutions to.
Watch Prohaska share his story below:
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