US to review defence pact
A Pentagon official says the US will review the AUKUS defence pact between the UK, US and Australia this autumn.
An important deal for Australia
In June, the Trump administration revealed it had launched a formal review into the AUKUS defence deal, which is worth billions of dollars and enables Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
Largest Australian defence project
Canberra has committed to spending A$368bn over three decades on the deal, making it Australia’s largest defence project.
Billions of dollars of this investment are spent on the programme’s submarine bases.
Already a scarce resource
The Pentagon’s top policy adviser said last year that submarines are already a scarce resource within the US military, with the US not able to meet its own demand in relation to the supply of submarines.
The UK and Australia signed a 50-year submarine pact on Saturday, reaffirming the UKs commitment to supporting the Australian military in its nuclear submarine programmes.
Australia confident the deal will survive
Australia is confident the AUKUS defence pact will survive, having given the US A$800m this month for the pact.
