NewsBite

Defence

Advertisement
Former prime minister Scott Morrison appeared at a congressional hearing on the Chinese Communist Party in Washington.

Turn AUKUS shipyard into joint naval base with the US, Morrison urges

The former prime minister, who signed Australia up to AUKUS in 2021, said the Trump administration was raising “legitimate issues” with the deal, but they could be resolved.

  • Michael Koziol

Latest

Defence Minister Richard Marles (left) said his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, gave him a heads-up about the AUKUS review.

Australia quietly pays US another $800 million for AUKUS despite review

The second payment, made in the second quarter of this year, takes Australia’s contribution to the US industrial base to $1.6 billion with no guarantee AUKUS will continue.

  • Michael Koziol
House push to build more ships has questioned Australia’s commitment to AUKUS and its readiness to help the US fight China.

‘Noticeably fickle’: Trump’s new submarine chief a critic of Australia

Jerry Hendrix, who leads a White House push to build more ships and submarines, has often questioned Australia’s commitment to AUKUS and its readiness to help the US fight China.

  • Michael Koziol
“I don’t identify as a member of the national security community”: Elbridge Colby says he maintains a maverick streak.

‘Bridge’ Colby: Who is the ‘maverick’ putting AUKUS through the wringer?

The China hawk, who is now third-in-charge at the Pentagon and is reviewing the submarine deal, has quickly courted controversy. So what does he want from Australia?

  • Michael Koziol
Australian ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, at the Aspen Security Forum.

Rudd pushes back on US claim that Australia needs to ‘step up’ on defence

“We’re pretty bullish about our contribution,” Australia’s ambassador to the US said amid calls for Canberra to increase defence spending as part of the AUKUS agreement.

  • Michael Koziol
AUKUS critic Elbridge Colby and Anthony Albanese.

He’s a sceptic. So what might Colby recommend to Trump on AUKUS?

Donald Trump’s defence undersecretary Elbridge Colby is reviewing the AUKUS pact and could suggest big changes, but defence experts say some of those ideas are non-starters.

  • Brittany Busch
Advertisement

More work needed on how money is spent on defence

Age readers respond on the best ways to defend the country, or if the money should be spent elsewhere.

A FA-18A Hornet, A21-022, is craned into the new Anzac Hall, scheduled to be completed in 2026. It is the first time the Hornet has been on permanent display at the Australian War Memorial.
Video icon0:53

Timelapse of Hornet plane being installed

A FA-18A Hornet, A21-022, is craned into the new Anzac Hall, scheduled to be completed in 2026. It is the first time the Hornet has been on permanent display at the Australian War Memorial.

Former PM Malcolm Turnbull has been critical of the AUKUS deal.

Any AUKUS pledges ‘won’t be worth paper they’re written on’: Turnbull

The former prime minister says it is impossible for Australia to promise nuclear-powered submarines for a hypothetical contingency.

  • Michael Koziol
Illustration by Simon Letch

Trump wants us to spend a bomb on defence. We should think twice

We’re told that our defence spending must be greatly increased. But if Trump and the gleeful defenceniks have their way, we’ll be poorer and no safer.

  • Ross Gittins

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/defence-5w8