Australia to get nuclear subs faster as Trump seeks to speed up AUKUS timeline
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The United States wants to accelerate the equipping of Australia with nuclear submarines under a tripartite agreement between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom to strengthen Australia’s submarine force aimed at countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.
In the deal, known as AUKUS, the US will sell up to five Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, with delivery scheduled for 2032.
But Trump told reporters he was pursuing a faster timeline when asked if he wanted to speed up the process.
“Yes, we’re doing that, yes…we’re moving them very, very quickly,” Trump told reporters during a White House meeting with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese on Monday.
Despite this, Trump also said that he did not believe AUKUS was necessary to deter China, while citing his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is expected to meet in South Korea in late October.
“I don’t think we’ll need it,” Trump said of the tripartite agreement. “I think we’ll be fine with China. China doesn’t want to do that. First of all, the United States is by far the strongest military power in the world. It’s not even close, not even close. We have the best equipment. We have the best of everything, and no one is going to interfere with that. And I don’t think about that with President Xi at all.”
This is breaking news and will be updated. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
