Top Pentagon adviser urges Anthony Albanese to hire special AUKUS tsar to drive forward progress on pact after Donald Trump backing
However, he also acknowledged that the production rate of Virginia-class submarines in the United States “is not where it should be.”
“The United States has made, and will likely continue to make, significant investments in its subsea industrial base to try to improve our production numbers,” he said.
U.S. Navy operations chief Adm. Daryl Caudle said in July that the United States would need to nearly double its Virginia-class submarine production rate from 1.2 to 2.2 per year to allocate it to Australia.
Morrison, who spearheaded the establishment of AUKUS, said fears that Trump would scrap the deal were exaggerated and it was time to “get to work”.
He told this byline that he hoped Trump’s support for the agreement would “allow for a more useful and mature conversation about AUKUS” without delving into a bilateral debate about whether the United States would support the submarine plan.
Denmark, now a partner at consultancy Asia Group, said it was more concerned about the so-called “Pillar II” part of AUKUS, which is designed to spur innovation in advanced military technologies such as hypersonic weapons, undersea capabilities, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
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Since AUKUS was announced four years ago, it has been widely acknowledged among defense insiders and experts that Pillar II has failed to deliver on its transformative potential.
“Achieving concrete tripartite capabilities quickly and at scale will require significant focus and leadership from all three governments,” Denmark said.
“What Pillar II needs to produce is something that has a tangible impact on deterrence and military capabilities, and hopefully we can make progress on that over the next few years.”
He nominated crewless systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous underwater vessels as a key opportunity to deliver results.
Denmark has called on the Albanian government and the Trump administration to follow up on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint a special envoy to AUKUS to ensure a senior official is dedicated solely to advancing the deal.
Starmer appointed senior civil servant Stephen Lovegrove as his special representative to AUKUS in April.
“I think President Trump and Prime Minister Albanese appointing counterparts who will advise them directly and guide the decision-making process will help increase activity and focus in each country’s system,” he said.
At the White House meeting between Trump and Albanese, US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said the US wanted to clear up areas of “uncertainty” in the original AUKUS plan.
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As reported in this byline, senior Australian officials believe Phelan may be talking about solidifying the presence of up to four nuclear-powered US submarines at HMAS Stirling near Perth from 2027.
Denmark said regular access to the naval base was “operationally crucial” for the US Navy.
“Having the ability to operate from Western Australia to the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea is an extremely strategic opportunity for the United States,” he said.
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