Aukus review puts spotlight on dramatic decline of US arms manufacturing
The US government's decision last month to review the Aukus agreement has shaken the British and Australian governments – while also energising Australian opponents of the deal, who see this as an opportunity for Canberra to back out.
Under the agreement, the US would provide Australia with three to five Virginia-class attack submarines while the three countries jointly develop a new Australian submarine for the 2040s.
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AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Ukraine voices concern as US halts some missile shipments, World News
WASHINGTON/KYIV — A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv on Wednesday (July 2) that the move would weaken its ability to defend against intensifying airstrikes and battlefield advances. Ukraine said it had called in the acting US envoy to Kyiv to underline the importance of military aid from Washington continuing, and cautioned that any cut-off would embolden Russia in its war in Ukraine. The Pentagon's decision — tied to concerns that US military stockpiles are too low — began in recent days and includes 30 Patriot air defence missiles, which Ukraine relies on to destroy fast-moving ballistic missiles, four people familiar with the decision said on Wednesday. It also includes nearly 8,500 155mm artillery shells, more than 250 precision GMLRS (mobile rocket artillery) missiles and 142 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, they said. "The Ukrainian side emphasised that any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine's defence capabilities will only encourage the aggressor to continue the war and terror, rather than seek peace," Ukraine's foreign ministry said. The defence ministry said it had not been officially notified of any halt in US shipments and was seeking clarity from its American counterparts. A Ukrainian source familiar with the situation said the decision was a "total shock". Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said the decision was made "to put America's interests first" following a Department of Defence review of military support around the world. "The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran," she said, referring to US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities last month. Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the US needed to take care of its stockpiles but told Fox News that "in the short term, Ukraine cannot do without all the support it can get" when it comes to ammunition and air defence systems. Russian airstrikes Dozens of people have been killed in recent airstrikes on Ukrainian cities and Russian forces, which control about a fifth of Ukraine, have been making gains in the east. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the decision risks Ukrainian lives, undermines Washington's credibility and will make it harder to end the war. "This sends a message to not just our allies, like Ukraine and our European allies, but it sends a message to our adversaries, to China, to North Korea, to Russia, that our allies can't count on the United States," she told WKBK radio in her home state New Hampshire. Since US President Donald Trump took office in January, he has softened Washington's position towards Russia, seeking a diplomatic solution to the war and raising doubts about future US military support for Kyiv. Trump said last week he was considering selling more Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine after meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Ukrainian parliament's national security and defence committee, said the decision to halt shipments was "very unpleasant for us". In an email, the Pentagon said it was providing Trump with options to continue military aid to Ukraine in line with the goal of ending the war. Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defence for policy, said it was "rigorously examining and adapting its also preserving US forces' readiness". All weapons aid was briefly stopped in February, with a second, longer halt in March. Washington resumed sending the last of the aid approved under the previous administration, of Democratic President Joe Biden, but no new aid to Ukraine has been announced. The Kremlin welcomed the news of a halt, saying the conflict would end sooner if fewer arms reached Ukraine. Kyiv residents expressed alarm at the Pentagon's decision. "If we end up in a situation where there's no air defence left, I will move (out of Kyiv), because my safety is my first concern," said Oksana Kurochkina, a 35-year-old lawyer. On the battlefield, a halt in precision munitions would limit the capacity of Ukrainian troops to strike Russian positions farther behind the front line, said Jack Watling, a military analyst at the Royal United Services Institute. "In short, this decision will cost Ukrainian lives and territory," he said. [[nid:719738]]
AsiaOne
3 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Iranian nuclear programme degraded by up to two years, Pentagon says, World News
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said on Wednesday (July 2) that US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear programme by up to two years, suggesting the US military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding that the official estimate was "probably closer to two years". Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their programme by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defence) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing. US military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 30,000 pound (13,600kg) bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. The evolving US intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's programme had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the US intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's — those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme have been. Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defence Intelligence Agency suggested that the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear programme by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear programme was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday. [[nid:719371]]
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Iranian nuclear programme degraded by up to two years: Pentagon
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said on Wednesday (Jul 3) that United States strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear programme by up to two years, suggesting the US military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding that the official estimate was "probably closer to two years". Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their programme by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing. US military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on Jun 22 using more than a dozen 13,600-kg bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. The evolving US intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's programme had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the US intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's - those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme have been. Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested that the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear programme by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear programme was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday.
