The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia are moving forward with the AUKUS security agreement, leaders announced this week after the Trump administration completed its review of the deal.
AUKUS is a trilateral security agreement launched in 2021 designed to promote security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region through the rotational basing of nuclear-powered attack submarines in Australia and the longer-term effort of aiding Australia in acquiring its own nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet.
“You see through AUKUS and the review that we conducted a continued commitment to a pragmatic, practical application of hard power between our countries that reflects peace through strength, and also hard power — real capabilities — that demonstrate a deterrent effect that we all want,” Hegseth said in public remarks ahead of the Wednesday morning meeting.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles and U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey at the Pentagon on Wednesday, and there were also meetings at the State Department earlier this week.
The U.S. review had raised questions about whether the Trump administration would conclude that the AUKUS deal fell within its vision of the “America First” agenda.
Curiously, the leaders of the three countries did not mention China in the press conference at the State Department or in the opening comments ahead of the meeting at the Pentagon. Beijing is widely viewed as the primary threat to peace and stability in the region.
Healey downplayed the U.S.-initiated review under Hegseth, saying both the Australian and U.K. governments conducted similar reviews when their current governments came into power.
“There’s been some questioning, some concern about the review that the new administration in the U.S. has undertaken with a focus on the submarine pillar one program since February. My view is they’re entirely right to do that,” he told reporters in a subsequent briefing at the U.K. Embassy. “So all three governments, as newly elected governments, have done those reviews. The reviews are done. Now’s the time, as we confirm publicly, now’s the time that we focus on collaboration. We focus on the delivery, and we do that together.”
The partnership has also resulted in economic opportunities.
The U.K. has made the commitment to invest $8 billion into its nuclear program, and as a result, it has led to the creation of more than 3,000 new jobs at its primary nuclear sites, such as Barrow, where the U.K. manufactures submarines, according to Healey.
TRUMP AND AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER PUT ON UNITED FRONT BEFORE PRESIDENT’S MEETING WITH XI
The Virginia-class submarine, USS Vermont (SSN 792), underwent maintenance at the Australian base known as HMAS Stirling before departing at the end of November. Before it departed, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the base, and he announced during his visit that HIFraser became the first Australian company qualified to supply parts for U.S. Virginia-class submarines through the Government-funded Defense Industry Vendor Qualification Program.
This was the first time a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine underwent a Submarine Maintenance Period in Australia without a U.S. support ship and was the second SMP of the year, following the USS Minnesota in February.
