The U.S. Department of War has completed its review of the AUKUS project for the provision of Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia, identifying areas to strengthen implementation of the agreement, a Pentagon official reported.
The administration of President Donald Trump had launched a formal review of the AUKUS security pact — involving the U.S., Australia, and the United Kingdom — in June, a programme valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars. According to U.S. officials, the findings will be discussed next week during a meeting in Washington between the foreign and defence ministers of the United States and Australia. A trilateral meeting including the United Kingdom is expected to follow.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that “consistent with President Trump’s guidance that AUKUS should proceed ‘full steam ahead,’ the review identified opportunities to place the agreement on the strongest possible footing.” Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed that Canberra had received the report and is “reviewing it.” A British official noted that the United Kingdom had also received the document and welcomed its completion.
The review had raised concerns in Australia due to the magnitude of the commitment — the largest in its defence history — but those doubts began to ease after Trump expressed support for the programme during a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House in October.
The original AUKUS plan, announced in 2023 under the Joe Biden administration, envisions the United States selling several Virginia-class attack submarines to Australia, while London and Canberra later build a new class of SSN-AUKUS attack submarines based on U.S. technology. Australia plans to invest A$368 billion (US$240 billion) over three decades, including substantial contributions to strengthening the U.S. industrial base for submarine construction.
The review was led by Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who had previously emphasised that submarines are a scarce and critical asset, and that the U.S. industrial base is struggling to meet even domestic demand.
According to a U.S. official, the meeting between Australia’s defence and foreign ministers and the U.S. secretaries of Defense and State is scheduled for Monday. Meanwhile, the trilateral meeting with UK Defence Secretary John Healey is expected to take place on Wednesday in Washington. Canberra and London have not yet officially confirmed the dates.
In October, Trump reaffirmed the continuity of the programme, declaring that his administration will sell Virginia-class nuclear submarines to the Royal Australian Navy. Following his meeting with Albanese, he said the project “is moving quickly and very well” and that the technology-transfer process “is already underway.” He added: “Australia will get the submarines,” reiterating that the agreement is “full steam ahead.”
This political backing put an end to doubts generated by the review initiated in June. The AUKUS pact, signed in 2021, foresees Australia acquiring between three and five Virginia-class submarines before beginning local construction of the future SSN-AUKUS vessels, expected to enter service in the 2040s. The initial purchase will allow Australia to develop infrastructure, specialised workforce, and operational experience in nuclear-powered platforms.
Images for illustration purposes.
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