Defence minister Richard Marles has downplayed the Trump administration’s review into the Aukus submarines program, saying it was “natural” that the United States would examine the project but that he believed there was still strong support for the trilateral agreement in Washington DC. The former US ambassador and Liberal treasurer Joe Hockey, who enjoyed a close relationship with Donald Trump, said the president was “transactional” and urged the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to engage more deeply when the pair meet next week. The Pentagon overnight announced it had launched a review of the Aukus agreement to make sure it is aligned with Trump’s “America first” agenda, throwing the defence pact with Britain and Australia into doubt. The review may trigger more allied anxiety over the future of the trilateral alliance designed to counter China’s military rise. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email “The department is reviewing Aukus as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the president’s ‘America first’ agenda,” a Pentagon official said. “This means ensuring the highest readiness of our service members, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defence and that the defence industrial base is meeting our needs.” Marles travelled to the US earlier this year to meet his counterpart, Pete Hegseth, and make an $800m downpayment on the submarine project as part of an agreement to help increase the American submarine manufacturing capabilities. Concerns were raised about Trump’s commitment to Aukus in February when, after being asked by a reporter about it, the president replied: “What does that mean?” Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s under secretary of defence for policy, is leading the US review. Colby has repeatedly said he is “very sceptical” about Aukus and its benefits for the US. He has told the US Senate armed service committee that the US was not building enough submarines for its own defence and would not sell submarines to Australia if that might jeopardise American interests. Despite the review being announced overnight, Marles said he had experienced “clear and consistent support for Aukus” from the United States, and that Australia and the UK had been advised of the review. Albanese discussed Aukus twice in phone calls with Trump in February and May, and the two are expected to meet next week at the G7 in Canada. Marles has met Hegseth twice, including a meeting last week where the US defence secretary urged Australia to significantly increase its military spending. “We are committed to Aukus and we look forward to working closely with the US on the review,” Marles said on Thursday. “It is natural that the administration would want to examine this major undertaking including progress and delivery, just as the UK government recently concluded an Aukus review and reaffirmed its support including through the appointment of Sir Stephen Lovegrove as its Aukus adviser.” Marles said on Thursday the US, the United Kingdom and Australia were all “committed to ensuring Aukus meets national and trilateral objectives”. “Our engagement with the Trump administration and across the full political spectrum in the United States has shown clear and consistent support for Aukus,” he said. “We look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the Trump administration on this historic project.” Democrat congressman Joe Courtney, the co-chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus – and self-described as Congress’s “leading Aukus supporter” – said unilaterally abandoning Aukus would make the US an unreliable and untrustworthy ally. “To walk away from all the sunk costs invested by our two closest allies – Australia and the United Kingdom – will have far-reaching ramifications on our trustworthiness on the global stage and is a direct contradiction to the administration’s ‘America First, but not alone’ goal of countering aggression from China, Russia and other adversaries.” He said Aukus was in the US’s national interest, pointing to Australia’s US$3bn support to America’s shipbuilding industry. “To abandon Aukus – which is already well under way – would cause lasting harm to our nation’s standing with close allies and certainly be met with great rejoicing in Beijing,” Courtney said. Hockey was Australia’s ambassador to the US between 2016 and 2020, during Trump’s first term in office. He told Radio National that Albanese’s expected meeting with the president next week would be crucial. “I keep suggesting to the Australian government in various ways that you can’t ignore the Trump administration. You need to deeply engage with it,” Hockey said. “Ultimately, it is really important that the prime minister and the president, when they meet next week, have a detailed discussion about not just Aukus but the broader trade relationship as well. President Trump is transactional. Look, every politician is transactional. The thing is that Donald Trump is overt about it. “And we have something to trade on: Aukus.”
Author: Josh Butler and Ben Doherty