Middle Power and Great Power Agreements: Emerging Models for Capability Collaboration
Abstract
Examples of AUKUS and GCAP demonstrate how middle powers like Australia, Italy, Japan and the UK can collaborate with a great power to acquire tier-one defence capabilities at an affordable cost, while securing sovereign control over future production capability and operational employment. This type of collaborative model is driven in part by a new geopolitical situation. Simon Chelton and Philip Shetler-Jones analyse the factors that limit its application to partners with a certain profile and discover that the advantages it offers over alternative acquisition pathways will not be open to all.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Defense
Military
and Policy Studies
International Relations and Foreign Policy
Military Technology and Strategies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- The RUSI Journal
- Volume
- 171
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 70–80
- Publication date
- 2 January 2026
- Language
- EN