Australia’s desperate thirst over AUKUS could drain the ocean

There’s a funny detail in today’s report that the Trump administration’s review of the AUKUS submarine still hasn’t been completed despite the 30-day deadline set in June.

John Noh, the Pentagon’s nominee for senior official in the Indo-Pacific region, confirmed that the review is still ongoing and said, “notedHe said both Australia and the United Kingdom were conducting reviews of the agreement.

Of course the UK did that, but Australia stuck to the agreement so blindly that we did too. Negative conducted a review, but the United States did not put enough thought into the process to learn either way.

Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate committee, showed a slightly better understanding of Australia’s mood by saying the US review was “a sad surprise for our steadfast ally Australia”.

In fact, you can look at the following details of the process and perhaps detect a fairly consistent dynamic:

September 2021: The tone was set before the AUKUS program was officially launched, with Nine newspapers teasing an impending “big announcement” and breathlessly reporting on cabinet ministers rushing back to Canberra. The announcement appears to have received almost no coverage in the US press, and it is notable that then-US President Joe Biden essentially forgot about it. Prime Minister Scott Morrison By thanking “that guy Down Under.”

Almost immediately it emerged that Morrison had previously caved to local construction, reducing previous requirements for 60% of submarines to be built in Australia to 40%.

Following complaints from former leader Paul Keating (who also Argued that AUKUS was represented “A further dramatic loss of Australian sovereignty as material dependence on the United States deprives Australia of any freedom or choice of office as Australia may deem appropriate”) ALP confirms it will remain loyal to AUKUS If elected in May 2022.

October 2021: Of course, rather than something ScoMo did by the malcontents, Morrison’s breaking of the previous agreement with the French to build submarines generally establishes ScoMo’s reputation as a habitual liar. cricket He cared. In this context, Biden is hanging Australia out to dry, claiming he was “under the impression that France had been informed”. Damn, didn’t you know my birthday? I could have sworn he was in that group chat…

February 2023: Responding to Keating and fellow former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Defense Minister Richard Marles was forced to argue in parliament that: ActuallyAUKUS Enhancing Australia’s sovereignty, not diminishing it.

July 2024: Biden announced that he will not run for a second term. Again, perhaps in a sign of the priority he places on the comfort of Australian political leaders, he gleefully reveals that his AUKUS partners have achieved a revamped version of the agreement that the US has vaguely secured.political commitments” From the Albanian government.

February 2025: Re-elected US President Donald Trump is being asked questions about AUKUS and needs answers reminded me what the program is.

April 2025: Newly elected Labor government in the United Kingdom AUKUS launches parliamentary inquiry.

June 2025: In June, Trump’s Under Secretary for Defense Policy Elbridge Colby said: Nighty: “AUKUS will only lead to the production of more submarines collectively in 10, 15, 20 years, which is well beyond the maximum danger window, which is really within this decade. So its benefits are questionable and its feasibility is also questionable.”

This is the man Trump appointed to review the AUKUS agreement. It sets a period of 30 days.

Determined to ignore this hint, Secretary of Defense Richard Marles responds: “Our interactions with the Trump administration and the entire political spectrum in the United States have shown clear and consistent support for AUKUS.

“We look forward to continuing our close collaboration with the Trump administration on this historic project.”

July 2025: Colby announced: deadline will not be met. When asked if this was a cause for concern, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: insists: “No, it is not surprising that this was the case and it was something we expected, something like this.

“We expected a review from an incoming government, just like Keir Starmer’s government did. We expect these things to take longer than 30 days.”

September-October 2025: Albanese could not have a proper meeting with Trump during his visit to the USA and had to take a selfie with the president. It was finally confirmed on October 20. the two will meet.