If AUKUS falls over, Australia is left with very little indeed
For the past three years, Labor’s national security team has steadfastly insisted that it has no plan B. This Pentagon review will stress test that formula.
As the Pentagon’s review into Australia’s $300 billion submarine plan filtered back to Canberra this week, officials put on a brave face. The public message is: “Don’t panic”. In private comes the anxiety.
It is impossible to know yet what new American demands might emerge from the review – whether it calls for more Australian defence spending, a greater contribution to the US submarine industrial base or a commitment to join Washington in a military conflict over Taiwan.
