‘Strong and enduring’: Pentagon puts doubts around AUKUS alliance to rest amid secret review
A senior US defence official has set the record straight after a Senator warned a secret review of the AUKUS alliance had “upset our friends in Australia”.
A senior Pentagon adviser has revealed the review of AUKUS is almost complete and was conducted with the goal of making the pact “as strong and enduring as possible” after a Senator warned it had “upset our friends in Australia” and cast doubt on the alliance.
But while offering a positive assessment on the future of the trilateral defence pact, the defence official conceded the marine industrial base capacity required to produce enough submarines to fulfil the needs of the United States in addition to Australia continued to be a challenge.
Senior Adviser to the Under Secretary of War for Policy Alexander Velez-Green told a US Congressional hearing on Thursday local time that it was in the interests of the United States for the defence pact with Australia and the United Kingdom to work.
It is the most positive indication yet from inside the Pentagon which has closely guarded details of the review, prompting fears the defence pact could be scrapped under the Trump administration.
Last month during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the White House, President Donald Trump signalled AUKUS would endure.
Mr Trump’s Chief of Navy added there were plans to clarify “ambiguity” in the terms and “make it better” for all three signatories.
Mr Velez-Green, one of the most senior advisers to Under Secretary of Defence Policy Elbridge Colby who led the AUKUS review, was this week asked what the months-long probe had achieved.
“The Secretary of War (Pete Hegseth), directed the Under Secretary of Policy (Mr Colby) to lead this review to ensure it aligned with the President’s intent, which is for it to be as successful as possible, to be as successful as possible on a sustainable basis,” he said.
“Part of that was taking into account the submarine industrial base, production timelines, capacity issues, many of which, Sir, that you’ve led on fixing over many years, but continue to be a challenge.”
Mr Velez-Green said the review had focused on inter-agency collaboration including with Australian counterparts “with the goal of making this as strong and enduring as possible”.
“Because it is our view, this is in line with what the President and Prime Minister Albanese said recently, that this is our interest for this to work,” he said.
“We do gain significant benefit from it, because we want to make it as strong as possible.”
He said the review was now in its final stages.
Mr Velez-Green, during his nomination hearing to become the Deputy Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, was questioned over the Pentagon’s unilateral decision to launch the months-long review into AUKUS without the consultation of Congress.
“That’s really not the way it’s supposed to work,” Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, said while criticising the lack of consultation about the national defence strategy.
“And on the AUKUS review, I didn’t receive any consultation about engaging in a lengthy review which upset our friends in Australia and cast doubt on whether we were committed to this agreement,” Senator Wicker said.
Defence Minister Richard Marles was contacted for comment but did not respond by deadline.
Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor welcomed the Pentagon’s endorsement of AUKUS, but said industrial capacity and production timelines were among the biggest challenges to delivering the submarines.
“Australians deserve to know how these challenges will be managed and when real capability will be delivered,” he said.
“We are living through in the most dangerous and uncertain times since the Second World War, Australia’s focus must always be on deterrence and ensuring peace and stability in our region.
“AUKUS is about giving Australia the capability and confidence to defend our national interest, not to escalate conflict.”
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Originally published as ‘Strong and enduring’: Pentagon puts doubts around AUKUS alliance to rest amid secret review
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