Trump administration backs Australia-US submarine agreement
Updated ,first published
Washington: Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has refused 12 times to say what changes the United States wants to the more than $368 billion AUKUS agreement, although he acknowledged that the Pentagon’s latest review of the agreement looked for ways to “make AUKUS better.”
Marles and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong met with their American counterparts Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio in Washington for annual talks during what Rubio called “real momentum” in the alliance following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s meeting with President Donald Trump in October.
Ahead of the meeting, Hegseth applauded Australia for its next US$1 billion ($1.5 billion) check, which will soon be deposited into a US bank account to encourage American shipbuilding.
But Australians are no closer to learning what changes Hegseth’s department wants to make at AUKUS; However, he broadly agrees with Trump’s statement that the deal is “in full swing.”
At a press conference with Australian journalists following the meeting, Marles refused 12 times to reveal the contents of the AUKUS review, which the Pentagon handed over to the Australian government last week.
“The review is essentially looking at ways in which AUKUS can be done better,” Marles said.
When asked to expand on the issue, he said he respected the fact that this was a US review. “We are really clear about what America wants from us, what we want from America and what we both want from the UK,” he said.
When pressed again, Marles said: “The whole point of the review was about how we can make AUKUS better… I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to go any further into that.”
Marles also asked whether the US was pushing Australia to spend more on defense or whether the countries were trying to avoid AUKUS World War II. He declined to say whether he was narrowing down the defense capabilities with which he would share sensitive technology within the scope of his column.
While the Pentagon said it did not intend to make the review public, Marles declined to comment on the matter. He also did not say whether the Australian government agreed with the review’s recommendations.
Several concerned members of the US Congress read a version of it. One of them, Democrat Joe Courtney, said the review approved AUKUS but stressed there were “critical deadlines” that all three countries must meet.
The next critical deadline is for US and UK nuclear-powered submarines to begin regular rotations at HMAS Stirling south of Perth in the fourth quarter of 2027, Marles said.
This imprint reported over the weekend that the Pentagon’s review of AUKUS, led by skeptical undersecretary Elbridge Colby, said: had to be significantly rewritten To match Trump’s enthusiasm for the deal.
Australian It was reported on Tuesday that Morrison had made a personal behind-the-scenes effort to support the foreign policy achievement of the agreement with the Pentagon.
Under the current timeline, Australia will purchase three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US from 2032, followed by new AUKUS-class submarines with the UK in the 2040s.
But the US defense industrial base has struggled for years to produce enough boats for its own needs, let alone divert some to Australia. So, under the agreement, Australia will inject US$3 billion ($4.5 billion at current exchange rates) of cash into US shipbuilding.
Despite previous uncertainty regarding AUKUS under the Trump administration, the first US$1 billion was delivered in two separate payments this year following an agreed timeline.
Marles said the next $1 billion would be disbursed shortly and that he was pleased with the way the money was used. “We understand how this money is being spent and the contribution it’s making to increasing these production rates, and we’re very confident about what impact it’s having,” he said.
Hegseth applauded the extra funds in a brief joint statement before the meeting. “We are strengthening AUKUS to benefit America, Australia and the United Kingdom,” he said.
He also touted increased defense cooperation between the US and Australia, including additional rotations of US Air Force bombers through bases in Queensland and the Northern Territory, more rotational deployments of US Marines, and deeper cooperation in the production of guided missiles, including hypersonic attack cruise missiles.
Rubio, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of the critical mineral agreement framework agreed to by Trump and Albanese at the White House in October.
“This is the cornerstone of everything we plan to do together in the months and years to come,” Rubio said. “We really don’t have a better friend.”
He also confirmed that the United States stands with the Quad, a diplomatic partnership consisting of the United States, Australia, Japan and India. This was despite the leaders’ summit planned for this year being canceled due to friction between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rubio added that he has never been to Australia and wants to visit.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political correspondent in Canberra.Connect with: excitement or email.
