Australia confirms United States is “completely supportive of AUKUS” nuclear submarine partnership, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced on Thursday (4 December). This development, reportedly, eased concerns raised when the U.S. administration launched the review in June.
Speaking to the press on Thursday (4 December) Marles said, "We're working through the AUKUS review, and we very much thank the United States for providing it to us," he said.
"What's really important here is the United States is completely supportive of AUKUS," Marles added.
In June 2025, the Financial Times revealed that the U.S. Department of Defense had launched a formal review of AUKUS. The reassessment was being overseen by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, a longtime critic of the pact.
A Pentagon spokesperson later confirmed that the review reflects the Trump administration’s America First approach.
Although early reporting pointed to a 30-day deadline, the review took long as Colby’s office subsequently announced on X that the process would continue into the autumn.
Early concerns that the review would be highly critical eased after the U.S. President Donald Trump’s first in-person meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in October, when he said the project was moving “full steam ahead.”
The delivery of the review documents comes just days before key talks in Washington, where Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong will meet their counterparts, Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio, for the first Australia–U.S. Ministerial meeting since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Launched in September 2021, AUKUS is an enhanced trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The trilateral effort was aimed to define the optimal pathway for Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines made in U.S. and UK according to the Australian Submarine Agency.
Valued at A$368 billion for more than 30 years, including substantial investment in boosting U.S. submarine manufacturing capacity, AUKUS is Australia’s largest defence undertaking to date.
In a separate move aimed at improving delivery of major defence projects, Australia this week announced the creation of a new Defence Delivery Agency that will report directly to ministers to streamline spending and accelerate timelines.
Prime Minister Burnham and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a Royal Navy base in Portsmouth, where they met British and Ukrainian troops taking p...
Russia's Supreme Court has prohibited the transfer of funds to Digimarket, a U.S.$35 million offshore company linked to Ruben Vardanyan, as legal proc...
Ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait fell to its lowest level in months on Sunday after Yemen's Houthi movement attacked Saudi oil facilities...
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of U.S. intentions, a senior Iranian source told on Sunday.
Ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait fell to its lowest level in months on Sunday after Yemen's Houthi movement attacked Saudi oil facilities along the Red Sea coast, while vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz also remained subdued despite a pause in U.S.-Iran tensions.
A New York school district has put plans to introduce a humanoid robot into classrooms on hold after fierce criticism from teachers, Indigenous community members and state education officials over the use of artificial intelligence in schools.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on Saturday for Russia and Ukraine to freeze the conflict and return to peace talks, saying a negotiated settlement remained possible despite the entrenched positions of both sides.
A known Islamist suspected of driving a minivan into a crowd near a major LGBTQ Pride gathering in Berlin was shot dead during a police operation at an allotment garden complex, broadcaster RBB reported on Sunday.
Prime Minister Burnham and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a Royal Navy base in Portsmouth, where they met British and Ukrainian troops taking part in Exercise Sea Breeze. The visit underscored Britain's commitment to supporting Ukraine as the war with Russia continues.
A known Islamist suspected of driving a minivan into a crowd near a major LGBTQ Pride gathering in Berlin was shot dead during a police operation at an allotment garden complex, broadcaster RBB reported on Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed laws introducing stricter financial requirements for foreign workers, as Moscow continues to tighten migration controls affecting millions of labour migrants, particularly from Central Asia.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 3,200, including 1,405 deaths, according to government data released on Sunday, highlighting the scale of an outbreak that continues to challenge health authorities and aid agencies.
The 27 July edition of Daybreak covers a pause in fighting between the U.S. and Iran, the latest developments in Russia's war against Ukraine, and mass evacuations as wildfires continue to spread across France and Spain.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment