Britain will focus on NATO, not AUKUS, says UK Defence Secretary John Healey

A panicked Europe, and Britain, are quickly recalibrating defence arrangements as the Trump administration reduces security of the continent, leaving future elements of the AUKUS deal in peril.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, and his British counterpart John Healey in Brussels. Picture: AFP

The future of Australia’s most significant defence deal, AUKUS, has been given a shake-up after one of the key partners, Britain, appeared to be recalibrating on the arrangement.

British Defence Secretary John Healey emphasised Britain’s main focus would be NATO and the defence of Europe, and not on the Indo-Pacific tilt, following the Trump administration’s pullback from providing security on the continent.

“The decisions we make right now … will define the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine, but the security of our world for a generation to come,’’ he told the Institute of Government in a major speech on Tuesday.

In announcing a significant revamp of the administrative roles of the Ministry of Defence to save $20bn, a commitment to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence and a pledge to “re-arm Britain”, Mr Healey emphasised Britain’s leadership role in NATO while downplaying his country’s future Indo-Pacific opportunities.

Britain is a core partner in AUKUS, the long-term $368bn trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US, which centres around providing Australia with the next generation of nuclear-powered submarines as well as other key defence capabilities, such as artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.

But US President Donald Trump’s demand that European countries double their defence spending to look after their own security arrangements and heavy criticism of Britain and the European Union’s “values” has quickly forced a re-prioritisation of defence spending and budgets.

Mr Healey said: “We are a nation that has made the commitment to NATO first. There is a recognition that European nations within NATO need to do more of the heavy lifting and that the European nations in NATO need some of the NATO-first and first in NATO leadership that the UK can provide.”

Mr Healey added that the defence tilt to the Indo-Pacific “had been delivered”. He said commitments and partnerships were profound in the Indo-Pacific from AUKUS to GCAP (a Global Combat Air Program involving UK, Japan, and Italy to develop a new fighter jet) and other arrangements.

He said the UK would contribute to the balance of regional security in the Indo-Pacific by providing support to allies but reiterated the main focus of Britain’s defence is in NATO.

In referencing that Indo-Pacific support, he said: “In particular to the United States and other allies, in a wide variety of ways from technology to industry to diplomacy and to military training we will provide a role, but fundamentally our first responsibility is in NATO and that’s where my focus is and that’s where the Prime Minister’s focus is.”

A spokesperson from the Australian High Commission to the United Kingdom told The Australian that as recently as December 2024 at an AUKMIN meeting in London, the Australian and United Kingdom defence ministers reaffirmed their enduring commitment to the AUKUS partnership, which is strengthening peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and pledged to ensure it fulfils its security potential, as well as delivering economic benefits.

The spokesman said: “Secretary Healey, members of the Starmer Government and its predecessor the Sunak Government have repeatedly reinforced the inseparable nature of the security and prosperity of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific, as well as their ongoing commitment to AUKUS”.

He added that Secretary Healey has regularly said that the UK defence and security policy approach is “NATO first but not NATO only” and noted that Secretary Healey had described the AUKUS partnership as “profound”.