Australia ‘confident’ Trump won’t sink Aukus submarine deal after review

Defence Minister Richard Marles downplayed the move, while ex-leader Scott Morrison said Canberra should ‘make the case again’ for the treaty

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Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles inspects honorary guards during a welcoming ceremony in Jakarta on June 5. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:33am, 12 Jun 2025Updated: 11:34am, 12 Jun 2025

Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday he was confident the Aukus submarine pact with the US and Britain would proceed, and his government would work closely with the US while the Trump administration conducted a formal review.

Australia in 2023 committed to spend A$368 billion (US$239 billion) over three decades on Aukus, the country’s biggest-ever defence project with the United States and Britain, to acquire and build nuclear-powered submarines.

A Pentagon official said the administration was reviewing Aukus to ensure it was “aligned with the President’s America First agenda”, on the eve of expected talks between US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

In an Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio interview, Marles said Aukus was in the strategic interests of all three countries and the new review of the deal signed in 2021 when Joe Biden was the US president was not a surprise.

“I am very confident this is going to happen,” he said of Aukus, which would give Australia nuclear-powered submarines.

“This is a multi-decade plan. There will be governments that come and go and I think whenever we see a new government, a review of this kind is going to be something which will be undertaken,” Marles told the ABC.

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