Britain’s Aukus adviser briefs US and Australian officials on defence project review

WASHINGTON - Britain’s special representative for the Aukus defence project, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, has been briefing US officials in Washington this week about a review of the project he presented to the British government in 2025, a British official said on May 1.

The Aukus defence partnership

was formed in 2021 by Australia, the US and Britain to address shared worries about China’s growing power.

It envisages Australia acquiring US nuclear-powered attack submarines from 2032 and its deployment from 2040 of a new class of submarine built jointly with Britain using US technology, as well as the development of advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles.

Sir Stephen, Britain’s national security adviser when Aukus was formed, was commissioned in 2024 to review Britain’s progress towards meeting its core commitments under the project and identify barriers to success.

A British official told Reuters that Sir Stephen had briefed Pentagon officials and senior US lawmakers on his report and was also due to meet officials from the US State Department.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sir Stephen has also discussed the report with Australian officials in London and Washington, and will travel to Australia soon, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Sir Stephen’s Washington visit comes just ahead of a national election in Australia on May 3.

The two main parties contesting the polls back Aukus, which is Australia’s biggest-ever defence project, but the opposition Liberal Party has been more vocal about the need to step up defence spending.

Before Australia takes ownership of submarines under Aukus, four US and one British commanded submarines will provide a “rotational force” at Australia’s Indian Ocean naval base in Perth from 2027, giving Washington a coveted strategic position to operate from in the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Trump’s tariff plans have raised some concerns about Aukus in Australia and questions remain as to whether Washington can boost US submarine production to meet its own targets and allow sales to Australia.

Among other obstacles, US controls on sensitive defence exports, relaxed for Australia and Britain and the Aukus project in 2024, still apply to certain submarine technology, requiring the issuance of special licences that can be time-consuming to obtain.

There have been concerns, too, about the Australian Labor government’s reluctance to discuss using Aukus submarines against China, something that could hurt US deterrence efforts in the Indo-Pacific if US vessels are transferred. REUTERS