AUKUS demands could prompt vetting and visa overhaul

Australia’s planned acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact is set to prompt a major rethink of how security clearances are issued and defence industry skills imported from overseas, as the military scrambles to find enough bodies to build a sustainable local industry.

That’s the unvarnished assessment from a report backed by the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AmCham) and the Australian British Chamber of Commerce released this week as major allied vendors of military systems and platforms jostle for influence under in massive change of tack.