Trump declares ‘full steam ahead’ on Aukus in win for Australia

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump declared “full steam ahead” on the Aukus pact among the US, Australia and Britain, signalling his support for the Biden-era security agreement that had been under a cloud since his return to office.

The new administration in Washington announced a review of the pact in 2025, raising fears in London and Canberra that it was preparing to kill off the agreement.

However, because the plan to provide Australia with nuclear submarines to counter China aligns with some senior administration officials’ belief that the US should focus more of its military assets on Asia, Aukus seems set to emerge as a rare Biden-era programme that Mr Trump will not scrap.

“It was made a while ago, and nobody did anything about it,” Mr Trump said during his meeting in Washington with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose nation has already transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to help bolster the US industrial base to build the submarines. “It was going too slowly. Now we’re starting, we have it all set.”

Aukus is designed to check China’s military advance in the Indo-Pacific as Beijing’s military power swells alongside its economic strength. Signed in September 2021, the deal has two pillars: Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines; and trilateral sharing of advanced capabilities including quantum, hypersonic, AI and autonomy. 

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong hailed the comments in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corp radio on Oct 21.

“President Trump could not have been clearer on the submarines. He was very clear about his support for Aukus. He was very clear that Australia will get the subs,” she said, referring to the sale of at least three, and potentially five, advanced Virginia-class vessels. 

The US, Britain and Australia will then cooperate to manufacture a new model of nuclear submarine known as the SSN Aukus, which is planned to enter service in the 2040s. 

“He was also very clear that the project was on track and how much work we had done as both governments,” Ms Wong said. “And let’s remember this is about a capability that Australia wants to ensure we can contribute to keeping peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

Mr Trump’s remarks will be a significant relief for Mr Albanese’s centre-left government, which has lobbied to maintain the agreement and keep the US engaged in the region. 

Speaking alongside Mr Trump, US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said the review was really meant to improve the Aukus framework and “clarify some of the ambiguity that was in the prior agreement”.

Asked to comment on Mr Phelan’s remarks, Mr Trump said they were “minor details” and the US was going “full steam ahead”.

Dr Michael Green, of the US Studies Centre, said on Oct 21 that while there had been some nervousness ahead of the meeting with Mr Trump, given the president’s unpredictability, Mr Albanese’s visit had been a success.

“It was a home run, as they say in baseball,” Dr Green told ABC TV. “The chemistry was good – that’s always important – and the prime minister got from President Trump solid reassurances on Aukus.”

He said the US review of Aukus would focus on some important questions in terms of workforce and supply chains, which will be challenges for Australia and the US. 

“Australia’s sunk in a lot. We need Australia,” said Dr Green, who served on the National Security Council at the White House from 2001 to 2005.

“The US Navy benefits from access to Western Australia. So what you saw in this summit was – we’re going to move forward. We’ll tweak it, make recommendations, but it’s not a review that’s going to lead to a cancellation.” BLOOMBERG