Washington, D.C. – In a pivotal affirmation of trans-Pacific military collaboration, the Pentagon announced Friday that it has fully endorsed the AUKUS security pact following a rigorous five-month review ordered by President Donald Trump, allaying months of uncertainty over the $368 billion Australian submarine deal and underscoring the administration's commitment to countering China's regional dominance. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed in a statement that the assessment, initiated in June to align the 2021 trilateral agreement with Trump's "America First" priorities, identified "opportunities to put AUKUS on the strongest possible footing." "Consistent with President Trump's guidance that AUKUS should move 'full steam ahead,'" Parnell said, the review positions the pact as a cornerstone of U.S. national security, ensuring enhanced deterrence in the Indo-Pacific amid escalating tensions with Beijing.
The endorsement comes as relief to allies reeling from Trump's initial skepticism. Unveiled in September 2021 under President Joe Biden, AUKUS – a pact between the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia – commits Washington to selling at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines to Canberra starting in 2032, with the UK co-developing a successor SSN-AUKUS class by the early 2040s. Valued at A$368 billion (about $247 billion USD), the deal also encompasses advanced technologies like hypersonic missiles and AI-driven warfare systems, aiming to bolster Australia's naval edge in the South China Sea. Trump's June directive for a scrub stemmed from concerns over U.S. submarine shortages – with the Navy's fleet dipping to 49 boats against a 66-boat goal – and fears that sharing sensitive nuclear propulsion tech could strain domestic production.
Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT), ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, emerged as an early champion of the outcome after briefing committee members on the still-classified report Thursday. "The Pentagon’s five-month review endorsed the AUKUS agreement and correctly determined that its framework is aligned with our country’s national security interests," Courtney stated, emphasizing that the 2023 congressional authorization for Virginia-class transfers remains "intact." Representing Connecticut's Groton shipyard – home to General Dynamics Electric Boat, which builds the submarines – Courtney highlighted the pact's economic ripple: Over $10 billion in U.S. investments since 2018, plus Australia's $3 billion commitment, have spiked production to near-record tonnage, creating 20,000 jobs. "Expanding the submarine workforce, supply chain, and facilities to even greater capacity is the clear pathway to meet the demands of U.S. submarine fleet requirements and those of our ally Australia," he added.
Australia's Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles, filling in for Anthony Albanese during a domestic tour, welcomed the news in a Canberra press release Thursday evening. "We have received the AUKUS review. We are working through it, and we are very grateful to the United States for providing it to us," Marles said. He stressed continuity: "What’s important here is that the United States is fully supportive of AUKUS, as the president of the United States has made clear." The pact's survival across three U.S. administrations underscores its resilience, Marles noted, amid Australia's pivot from a scrapped $90 billion French diesel-sub deal in 2021 that sparked diplomatic fury in Paris.
The review's green light arrives at a geopolitically charged juncture. China's assertive maneuvers – including 2025's unprecedented carrier incursions into the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea militarization – have amplified AUKUS's strategic imperative. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Samuel Paparo warned in October testimony that Beijing's navy, now the world's largest at 370 ships, poses an "existential threat" to allied sea lanes, where 60% of global trade flows. AUKUS enhances "interoperable deterrence" by integrating Aussie subs into U.S.-UK carrier strike groups, potentially deterring aggression against Taiwan or the Philippines. Yet, implementation hurdles loom: U.S. yards face a 25% workforce shortfall, delaying Virginia deliveries; Australia must stand up a nuclear stewardship regime by 2027, per International Atomic Energy Agency mandates.
Trump's personal imprint was evident from the outset. During an October White House summit with Albanese, he quipped, "We're giving you the best subs – but don't let the Chinese steal the blueprints," easing Canberra's jitters after June's review announcement triggered a 5% dip in Aussie defense stocks. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier pressed for AUKUS to include "burden-sharing" clauses, like joint basing in Darwin, to offset U.S. costs estimated at $3 billion annually through 2040.
British officials, who stand to gain from SSN-AUKUS co-production at Barrow-in-Furness, echoed the optimism. A Foreign Office spokesperson noted London received the review and "welcomes its completion," with Prime Minister Keir Starmer slated for a December 15 virtual trilateral to hash out timelines.
Critics caution against overhyping. The Lowy Institute warned that without accelerated U.S. production – targeted at two subs yearly by 2028 – delays could erode deterrence. Beijing's foreign ministry slammed the pact Friday as a "Cold War relic" exacerbating arms races, vowing "resolute countermeasures."
As the first Virginia handover looms in 2032 – with options for two more – AUKUS's endorsement cements a new era of allied undersea might. For Trump, it's a "win-win": Bolstering deterrence while juicing U.S. shipyards. For Australia, it's a $368 billion bet on sovereignty in shark-infested waters. With Marles eyeing a February pillar-two tech summit in Sydney, the pact's engines hum louder – full steam ahead into an uncertain Pacific horizon, where steel hulls may yet tip the scales of power.
