In a joint leaders’ statement on April 5, 2022, the leaders of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States detailed the AUKUS Quantum Arrangement (AQuA) as part of an update on AUKUS implementation. According to a White House fact sheet, AQuA would “accelerate investments to deliver generation-after-next quantum capabilities” with an initial focus on quantum technologies for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT).
Emerging quantum technologies were to be integrated into trials and experimentation over the following three years. AQuA was one of eight working groups under AUKUS Pillar II, with seventeen trilateral working groups established across both pillars. Each group had met multiple times since the AUKUS announcement in September 2021.