Latest news with #AUKUS-class
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
US launches review of AUKUS submarine deal; Australia confident pact will proceed
The United States has initiated a formal review of the AUKUS submarine agreement with Australia and the United Kingdom to ensure it aligns with the Trump administration's 'America First' priorities, according to a US defence official cited by the BBC. 'The department is reviewing AUKUS as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda,' the official said. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has talked about the importance of ensuring maximum military readiness and pressing allies to contribute fully to collective defense. The review will be led by Elbridge Colby, a senior Pentagon official and critic of the deal, who had previously questioned why the US would part with what he called the 'crown jewel' of its defense technology at a time of heightened global tensions. Australia has responded with calm, expressing confidence that the pact remains intact. Defence Minister Richard Marles told ABC Radio Melbourne on Thursday that the deal is crucial to Australia's long-term security needs. 'I'm very confident this is going to happen,' Marles said. 'You just need to look at the map to understand that Australia absolutely needs to have a long-range submarine capability.' Marles said that it is not a surprise for a new administration to reassess such a major agreement. 'This is a multi-decade plan. There will be governments that come and go and I think whenever we see a new government, a review of this kind is going to be something which will be undertaken,' he said. Signed in 2021 under then-President Joe Biden, the AUKUS pact is a trilateral security agreement aimed at countering China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. Under the deal, Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines with technology shared by the US and UK, becoming only the second country after Britain to receive such access from Washington. The plan involves Australia purchasing up to three second-hand Virginia-class submarines from the US starting in the early 2030s, with options for two more. Eventually, Australia and the UK will co-develop a new AUKUS-class submarine, with production shared between the two countries. The deal is valued at $368 billion is Australian dollars (US$239 billion) over three decades and is expected to generate thousands of manufacturing jobs in both nations. In 2025, Australia is scheduled to make a $2 billion payment to help upgrade US submarine shipyards. The first $500 million tranche was paid earlier this year during a visit by Marles to Washington. The US review will also examine the production rate of Virginia-class submarines, which have fallen behind schedule. Colby and other officials have expressed concerns about whether the US can meet its own fleet demands while also supplying submarines to Australia. 'It is important that those production and sustainment rates are improved,' Marles said. Meanwhile, Australia is under pressure from Washington to increase its defense spending from 2% to 3.5% of GDP. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to raising it to 2.3%, citing capability needs rather than percentage targets. He is expected to meet President Donald Trump at the upcoming G7 summit in Canada to discuss both AUKUS and defense burden-sharing. An Australian government spokesperson told the BBC that such reviews are natural for a new administration, noting that the UK had also recently completed its own evaluation of the pact. There is 'clear and consistent' support for the deal across the 'full political spectrum' in the US, they said. The UK Ministry of Defence echoed this sentiment, calling AUKUS a 'landmark security and defence partnership' and 'one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades.' The AUKUS pact has drawn criticism from China, which accuses the trilateral alliance of destabilising the region and stoking an arms race. Analysts warn that any sign of US withdrawal could be seen as a strategic win for Beijing. (With inputs from BBC, Reuters)
Japan Times
09-02-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Trump aware and supportive of AUKUS pact, U.S. defense secretary says
Sydney – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump supported the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, after Australia on Friday confirmed its first $500 million payment under the defense pact. "The president is very aware, supportive of AUKUS, recognizes the importance of the defense industrial base," Hegseth said in opening remarks of a meeting in Washington with his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, according to a transcript released Saturday. Under AUKUS, Australia will pay the United States $3 billion to boost the capacity of the U.S. submarine industry, and Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s, while Britain and Australia will later build a new AUKUS-class submarine. Australia transferred the first $500 million payment after a call between Marles and Hegseth on Jan. 29, Marles said Friday. When asked, at the meeting with Marles, if the U.S. would deliver the nuclear submarines to Australia on time, Hegseth said: "We sure hope so." "Part of what President Trump is committed to doing is cutting red tape, investing in the defense industrial base, ensuring that we stand by our allies and partners," he said. Marles said Australia was "pleased with the progress that we're seeing in terms of the rate of production, both in terms of construction and sustainment," referring to the Virginia-class submarines. Marles is the first foreign counterpart hosted by Hegseth since his confirmation in the role. The pair was expected to discuss security in the Indo-Pacific region and the growing U.S. military presence in Australia in addition to talks on AUKUS. Formed in 2021, AUKUS is aimed at addressing shared worries about China's growing power and designed to allow Australia to acquire the nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump aware, supportive of AUKUS pact, US defense secretary says
SYDNEY (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump supported the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, after Australia on Friday confirmed its first $500 million payment under the defense pact. "The President is very aware, supportive of AUKUS, recognises the importance of the defense industrial base," Hegseth said in opening remarks of a meeting in Washington with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, according to a transcript on Saturday. Under AUKUS, Australia will pay the United States $3 billion to boost the capacity of the U.S. submarine industry, and Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s, while Britain and Australia will later build a new AUKUS-class submarine. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Australia transferred the first $500 million payment after a call between Marles and Hegseth on January 29, Marles said on Friday. When asked, at the meeting with Marles, if the U.S. would deliver the nuclear submarines to Australia on time, Hegseth said: "We sure hope so". "Part of what President Trump is committed to doing is cutting red tape, investing in the defence industrial base, ensuring that we stand by our allies and partners," he said. Marles said Australia was "pleased with the progress that we're seeing in terms of the rate of production, both in terms of construction and sustainment," referring to the Virginia-class submarines. Marles is the first foreign counterpart hosted by Hegseth since his confirmation in the role. The pair is expected to discuss security in the Indo-Pacific region and the growing U.S. military presence in Australia in addition to talks on AUKUS. Formed in 2021, AUKUS is aimed at addressing shared worries about China's growing power and designed to allow Australia to acquire the nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles.
Reuters
08-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Trump aware, supportive of AUKUS pact, US defense secretary says
SYDNEY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump supported the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, after Australia on Friday confirmed its first $500 million payment under the defense pact. "The President is very aware, supportive of AUKUS, recognises the importance of the defense industrial base," Hegseth said in opening remarks of a meeting in Washington with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, according to a transcript on Saturday. Under AUKUS, Australia will pay the United States $3 billion to boost the capacity of the U.S. submarine industry, and Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s, while Britain and Australia will later build a new AUKUS-class submarine. Australia transferred the first $500 million payment after a call between Marles and Hegseth on January 29, Marles said on Friday. When asked, at the meeting with Marles, if the U.S. would deliver the nuclear submarines to Australia on time, Hegseth said: "We sure hope so". "Part of what President Trump is committed to doing is cutting red tape, investing in the defence industrial base, ensuring that we stand by our allies and partners," he said. Marles said Australia was "pleased with the progress that we're seeing in terms of the rate of production, both in terms of construction and sustainment," referring to the Virginia-class submarines. Marles is the first foreign counterpart hosted by Hegseth since his confirmation in the role. The pair is expected to discuss security in the Indo-Pacific region and the growing U.S. military presence in Australia in addition to talks on AUKUS. Formed in 2021, AUKUS is aimed at addressing shared worries about China's growing power and designed to allow Australia to acquire the nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Australia makes $500 million AUKUS payment ahead of US defence secretary meeting
By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has made its first $500 million payment to the United States under the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal ahead of a meeting between their defence heads on Friday in Washington. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the gesture showed Canberra is paying its way as a security partner. Marles will be the first foreign counterpart hosted by U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth since his confirmation in the role. They are expected to discuss security in the Indo Pacific region and the growing U.S. military presence in Australia. In early meetings with the Trump Administration, Australia has emphasised plans to double its annual defence budget over the next decade to A$100 billion ($63 billion) and notes that the United States has its second-largest trade surplus of $32 billion with Australia. Under AUKUS, Australia will pay the United States $3 billion to boost the capacity of the U.S. submarine industry, and Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, while Britain and Australia will later build a new AUKUS-class submarine. Australia transferred the $500 million after a call between Marles and Hegseth on January 29. Marles said in a statement the payment "is an important investment – it is about Australia paying its way when it comes to AUKUS by helping to uplift the U.S. submarine industrial base so that Virginia class submarines are available to be transferred to Australia". Australia has previously said it will spend A$18 billion upgrading a network of northern defence bases used by the U.S. military, and A$8 billion on a defence naval base in Western Australia to support rotations of U.S. nuclear powered submarines. Talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on AUKUS, Australia's biggest defence project, had been "very positive", Foreign Minister Penny Wong said last month. ($1 = 1.5891 Australian dollars)
