US AUKUS Review: Perspective and Purpose

12 June 2025

The current US Department of Defense review of AUKUS is well within its remit and not unlike the strategic assessment recently conducted by the new UK Government following the election of Prime Minister Starmer. This is a departmental review, not a policy decision, and should not be over-interpreted.

The focus of the review is not new and rightly centres on US submarine production rates. This is a known and genuine challenge for the US industrial base. This goes directly to the maintenance and expansion of the US submarine fleet, and it’s an area where Australia is already uniquely contributing under AUKUS Pillar I. Importantly, this is also a challenge the Trump Administration is committed to addressing.

AUKUS is fundamentally about strengthening collective deterrence, particularly in the Indo-Pacific against potential adversaries. Pillar I is about more submarines, not fewer, across all three partners. Pillar II, and the development of the trilaterally-produced AUKUS-class submarine with the UK, continues to move forward with strategic purpose.

The case for AUKUS was first built on convincing the US and UK defence institutions during the period of the first Trump Adminsitration and the Johnson Government about the technical merit, sovereign capability, and shared security interests. It has enjoyed bipartisan and institutional support in both Washington and London from the outset. That foundation matters and was important to secure.

As the Pentagon leads this review, the depth of US-Australia engagement, the professionalism of our collaboration, and the consistent backing from Secretary Hegseth, as reaffirmed in his discussions with Minister Marles, remain reasons for continued confidence.

Now is the time for Australia to make the case again. We have a good case to make in both our own interests and those of our AUKUS partners, especially in the US.