United States reviewing AUKUS security pact with Australia and UK
The United States is reviewing its AUKUS security pact with Australia and the UK.
The Pentagon says it will assess if the agreement aligns with President Donald Trump's 'America First' agenda.
It will also ensure the readiness of US service members as Australia faces demands to boost defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
Under AUKUS, Australia would be armed with nuclear-powered submarines worth more than $350 billion.
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The Advertiser
26 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
What happened the last time AUKUS was reviewed
The announcement that the Pentagon will review the AUKUS agreement has kicked off feverish speculation that the mercurial US President will scrap the trilateral partnership. But it's not the first time the agreement has been reviewed, and nor will it be the last. In April, the United Kingdom announced it would double-down on the AUKUS agreement, after a rapid review conducted by former National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed his government would retain Sir Lovegrove as a special representative, to shepherd the program through to the next generation of submarines, which will be designed and initially built in the UK. While not uncontroversial in the UK, particularly given the challenges the country faces with building its industrial base, the program has bipartisan support, both from the Conservative party that signed the agreement under former PM Boris Johnson and now Sir Keir. The Lovegrove review is yet to be published publicly, but Sir Stephen has briefed US and Australian officials on its findings and is expected to travel to Canberra to further share his findings with Defence officials here. "[AUKUS] is a uniquely powerful partnership which will develop and deliver cutting-edge capabilities, help to revitalise Britain's defence industrial base and provide sustained employment for thousands of people across the UK, US and Australia," Sir Stephen said when he was appointed to the special representative role. Senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Dr Euan Graham said the outcome of the Lovegrove reviews so far indicated the parties all needed to adopt a "whole of government" approach to AUKUS. "One of the things that Lovegrove has recommended is the need to bring AUKUS out of the Defence silo and approach it across the three partners with the whole of government, whole of nation ethos, front and centre." A separate parliamentary committee review is under way in the UK as well, with submissions closed on May 30. Labour MP and committee chair Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said the agreement was vital, and the inquiry would examine progress against pillar one and the technology sharing agreement, known as pillar two. "AUKUS has been under way for over three years now. Our inquiry, launching today, will examine whether the partnership is on track, and will consider the impact of geopolitical shifts since the initial agreement in 2021," Mr Dhesi said. Following the announcement of the Pentagon review of AUKUS, Defence Minister Richard Marles acknowledged the recently completed UK review. "All three countries are committed to ensuring AUKUS meets national and trilateral objectives." Dr Graham said while the focus was on US and Australian relations, this overlooked the role of the UK in the trilateral partnership. READ MORE: "The UK role in this is very important, the UK is also actively supporting Australia in Washington, by lobbying for the Virginia [submarine] transfer." Dr Graham said that given the support of the UK and the critical role that Congress plays in the US, which passed enabling legislation, it was premature to speculate about the end of the agreement. "I wouldn't overreact to this announcement at the moment, I think the review is not dissimilar to the review in the UK and the review of the [Australian Submarine Agency]," he said. "All three partners have to maintain tight scrutiny of this given the ambition level." The announcement that the Pentagon will review the AUKUS agreement has kicked off feverish speculation that the mercurial US President will scrap the trilateral partnership. But it's not the first time the agreement has been reviewed, and nor will it be the last. In April, the United Kingdom announced it would double-down on the AUKUS agreement, after a rapid review conducted by former National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed his government would retain Sir Lovegrove as a special representative, to shepherd the program through to the next generation of submarines, which will be designed and initially built in the UK. While not uncontroversial in the UK, particularly given the challenges the country faces with building its industrial base, the program has bipartisan support, both from the Conservative party that signed the agreement under former PM Boris Johnson and now Sir Keir. The Lovegrove review is yet to be published publicly, but Sir Stephen has briefed US and Australian officials on its findings and is expected to travel to Canberra to further share his findings with Defence officials here. "[AUKUS] is a uniquely powerful partnership which will develop and deliver cutting-edge capabilities, help to revitalise Britain's defence industrial base and provide sustained employment for thousands of people across the UK, US and Australia," Sir Stephen said when he was appointed to the special representative role. Senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Dr Euan Graham said the outcome of the Lovegrove reviews so far indicated the parties all needed to adopt a "whole of government" approach to AUKUS. "One of the things that Lovegrove has recommended is the need to bring AUKUS out of the Defence silo and approach it across the three partners with the whole of government, whole of nation ethos, front and centre." A separate parliamentary committee review is under way in the UK as well, with submissions closed on May 30. Labour MP and committee chair Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said the agreement was vital, and the inquiry would examine progress against pillar one and the technology sharing agreement, known as pillar two. "AUKUS has been under way for over three years now. Our inquiry, launching today, will examine whether the partnership is on track, and will consider the impact of geopolitical shifts since the initial agreement in 2021," Mr Dhesi said. Following the announcement of the Pentagon review of AUKUS, Defence Minister Richard Marles acknowledged the recently completed UK review. "All three countries are committed to ensuring AUKUS meets national and trilateral objectives." Dr Graham said while the focus was on US and Australian relations, this overlooked the role of the UK in the trilateral partnership. READ MORE: "The UK role in this is very important, the UK is also actively supporting Australia in Washington, by lobbying for the Virginia [submarine] transfer." Dr Graham said that given the support of the UK and the critical role that Congress plays in the US, which passed enabling legislation, it was premature to speculate about the end of the agreement. "I wouldn't overreact to this announcement at the moment, I think the review is not dissimilar to the review in the UK and the review of the [Australian Submarine Agency]," he said. "All three partners have to maintain tight scrutiny of this given the ambition level." The announcement that the Pentagon will review the AUKUS agreement has kicked off feverish speculation that the mercurial US President will scrap the trilateral partnership. But it's not the first time the agreement has been reviewed, and nor will it be the last. In April, the United Kingdom announced it would double-down on the AUKUS agreement, after a rapid review conducted by former National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed his government would retain Sir Lovegrove as a special representative, to shepherd the program through to the next generation of submarines, which will be designed and initially built in the UK. While not uncontroversial in the UK, particularly given the challenges the country faces with building its industrial base, the program has bipartisan support, both from the Conservative party that signed the agreement under former PM Boris Johnson and now Sir Keir. The Lovegrove review is yet to be published publicly, but Sir Stephen has briefed US and Australian officials on its findings and is expected to travel to Canberra to further share his findings with Defence officials here. "[AUKUS] is a uniquely powerful partnership which will develop and deliver cutting-edge capabilities, help to revitalise Britain's defence industrial base and provide sustained employment for thousands of people across the UK, US and Australia," Sir Stephen said when he was appointed to the special representative role. Senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Dr Euan Graham said the outcome of the Lovegrove reviews so far indicated the parties all needed to adopt a "whole of government" approach to AUKUS. "One of the things that Lovegrove has recommended is the need to bring AUKUS out of the Defence silo and approach it across the three partners with the whole of government, whole of nation ethos, front and centre." A separate parliamentary committee review is under way in the UK as well, with submissions closed on May 30. Labour MP and committee chair Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said the agreement was vital, and the inquiry would examine progress against pillar one and the technology sharing agreement, known as pillar two. "AUKUS has been under way for over three years now. Our inquiry, launching today, will examine whether the partnership is on track, and will consider the impact of geopolitical shifts since the initial agreement in 2021," Mr Dhesi said. Following the announcement of the Pentagon review of AUKUS, Defence Minister Richard Marles acknowledged the recently completed UK review. "All three countries are committed to ensuring AUKUS meets national and trilateral objectives." Dr Graham said while the focus was on US and Australian relations, this overlooked the role of the UK in the trilateral partnership. READ MORE: "The UK role in this is very important, the UK is also actively supporting Australia in Washington, by lobbying for the Virginia [submarine] transfer." Dr Graham said that given the support of the UK and the critical role that Congress plays in the US, which passed enabling legislation, it was premature to speculate about the end of the agreement. "I wouldn't overreact to this announcement at the moment, I think the review is not dissimilar to the review in the UK and the review of the [Australian Submarine Agency]," he said. "All three partners have to maintain tight scrutiny of this given the ambition level." The announcement that the Pentagon will review the AUKUS agreement has kicked off feverish speculation that the mercurial US President will scrap the trilateral partnership. But it's not the first time the agreement has been reviewed, and nor will it be the last. In April, the United Kingdom announced it would double-down on the AUKUS agreement, after a rapid review conducted by former National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed his government would retain Sir Lovegrove as a special representative, to shepherd the program through to the next generation of submarines, which will be designed and initially built in the UK. While not uncontroversial in the UK, particularly given the challenges the country faces with building its industrial base, the program has bipartisan support, both from the Conservative party that signed the agreement under former PM Boris Johnson and now Sir Keir. The Lovegrove review is yet to be published publicly, but Sir Stephen has briefed US and Australian officials on its findings and is expected to travel to Canberra to further share his findings with Defence officials here. "[AUKUS] is a uniquely powerful partnership which will develop and deliver cutting-edge capabilities, help to revitalise Britain's defence industrial base and provide sustained employment for thousands of people across the UK, US and Australia," Sir Stephen said when he was appointed to the special representative role. Senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Dr Euan Graham said the outcome of the Lovegrove reviews so far indicated the parties all needed to adopt a "whole of government" approach to AUKUS. "One of the things that Lovegrove has recommended is the need to bring AUKUS out of the Defence silo and approach it across the three partners with the whole of government, whole of nation ethos, front and centre." A separate parliamentary committee review is under way in the UK as well, with submissions closed on May 30. Labour MP and committee chair Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said the agreement was vital, and the inquiry would examine progress against pillar one and the technology sharing agreement, known as pillar two. "AUKUS has been under way for over three years now. Our inquiry, launching today, will examine whether the partnership is on track, and will consider the impact of geopolitical shifts since the initial agreement in 2021," Mr Dhesi said. Following the announcement of the Pentagon review of AUKUS, Defence Minister Richard Marles acknowledged the recently completed UK review. "All three countries are committed to ensuring AUKUS meets national and trilateral objectives." Dr Graham said while the focus was on US and Australian relations, this overlooked the role of the UK in the trilateral partnership. READ MORE: "The UK role in this is very important, the UK is also actively supporting Australia in Washington, by lobbying for the Virginia [submarine] transfer." Dr Graham said that given the support of the UK and the critical role that Congress plays in the US, which passed enabling legislation, it was premature to speculate about the end of the agreement. "I wouldn't overreact to this announcement at the moment, I think the review is not dissimilar to the review in the UK and the review of the [Australian Submarine Agency]," he said. "All three partners have to maintain tight scrutiny of this given the ambition level."
Sky News AU
35 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Albanese to unveil defence funding as US reviews AUKUS agreement
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to announce new defence funding plans as the United States orders a review of its AUKUS pact with Australia. Labor is reportedly seeking to ensure the US delivers on its promise to service nuclear submarines from 2027. There are concerns AUKUS will deliver major defence capabilities to Australia, despite no commitment of support in a conflict over Taiwan. The government says it is confident with the progress of the pact under the Trump administration.
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Australian news and politics live: Albanese travelling to G7 summit without Trump meeting confirmation
Scroll down for the latest news and updates. Before Anthony Albanese took off, the Australian Prime Minister shared his thoughts for 'everyone affected' by the deadly Air India plane crash. 'The news of a passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad is absolutely devastating,' he wrote on X. 'In this time of tragedy, Australia's thoughts are with everyone affected. 'Our government is receiving regular updates and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is travelling to Canada and the United States, where he will meet with world leaders; however, a meeting with US President Donald Trump remains in limbo. Mr Albanese will first travel to Fiji, where he will meet Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, before continuing to Canada. On the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, Mr Albanese is expected to meet new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as well as others. However, it is a meeting with Mr Trump that Mr Albanese may be hoping for most. On Thursday, the Pentagon launched a review of AUKUS to ensure it aligned with Mr Trump's 'America First' agenda. The Republican president has never publicly voiced his support for AUKUS.
