Pentagon review reportedly confirms Aukus submarines pact is safe | Aukus

The Aukus submarine agreement will take place as planned after surviving the Pentagon examination of the security pact.

Nikkei Asia, based in Japan, reported that the Trump administration would retain the initial 368 billion dollar schedule, which includes the United States selling three Virginia class nuclear submarines in Australia from 2032.

An official of the US Defense Ministry would not confirm the report when contacted by Guardian Australia.

“Aukus’ initiative is still underway. We have no other Aukus updates to announce at the moment,” said the official.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese admitted that the exam was still underway, but was confident that Akus had the support of the United States and the United Kingdom-the third partner of the Pact.

“We know that Akus is in the interest of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States,” said Albanese d’Abu Dhabi, the last judgment of a trip abroad which included visits to the two allies of Aukus.

“This is a partnership that is in the interest of the three nations that will make peace and security in our region much stronger.”

The exam will be completed before the first face-to-face meeting of the Albanese with Donald Trump in the United States on October 20, Nikkei Asia reported.

The future of Aukus has been under a cloud since the Pentagon launched an assessment of the agreement to determine if it drew up with Trump’s agenda “in the first American”.

The examination was led by the US Under-Secretary for Defense for Politicians, Elbridge Colby, who has already expressed skepticism as to any agreement that could weaken the US Navy.

In the United States, one of the most important concerns about Aukus in the United States is the ability to save all nuclear propulsion submarines in Australia while it fights to build enough for its own needs.

There has also been speculation that the United States wanted clarity on the part of Australia on the way it reacts in a potential American war against Taiwan.

The federal government has already given more than $ 1.6 billion in the United States to support the American shipbuilding capacity, with the delivery of the first Virginia class submarines in Australia in the early 2030s on American production of the United States.

The Australian government has never publicly expressed its concerns about the Pentagon review, arguing that it was a standard procedure for a new administration to examine such an agreement, just as the United Kingdom has done after a change of government.

Earlier Tuesday, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles would not become prevented the outcome of the Pentagon journal, but again expressed his confidence that the agreement was secured.

“Aukus occurs – this is not in question,” the acting Prime Minister told ABC Melbourne on Tuesday morning.

“We are very confident about the agreement and we said that throughout, because we also said that we welcome this review and participate,” said Marles on Tuesday.

“I said on several occasions that Akus was going well; Aukus occurs at a rate; This responds to all the steps that it is supposed to meet and we are confident that it is the path for Australia which acquires its future submarine capacity. ”

The United States has also prompted Australia to increase its global defense expenses to 3.5% of GDP, against its current level by around 2%.

Albanese has publicly resisted this pressure, insisting that Australia will determine the nature and volume of its military spending.

The Federal Government has made several new defendments of defense spending while the exam was underway, including $ 12 billion to improve a Western Australian shipyard which will be used by the submarines of Aukus.

Albanese and Marles confirmed that the US Navy could use the Henderson Defense Precint to dock and maintain its own ships.