Australia confident U.S. will proceed with Biden-era submarine pact after review

Pentagon reviews AUKUS submarine treaty, Australia commits to $239.3 billion defense project, creating US and Australian jobs.

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday (June 12, 2025) he was confident the AUKUS submarine pact with the U.S. and Britain would proceed, and his government would work closely with the U.S. while the Trump administration conducted a formal review.

In an Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio interview, Mr. 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 U.S. 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," Mr. Marles told the ABC.

Australia in 2023 committed to spend A$368 billion ($239.3 billion) over three decades on AUKUS, Australia's biggest ever defence project with the United States and Britain, to acquire and build nuclear-powered submarines.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time next week on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Canada, where the security allies will discuss tariffs and a request from the United States for Australia to increase defence spending from 2% to 3.5% of gross domestic product.

Mr. Albanese had previously said defence spending would rise to 2.3% and has declined to commit to the U.S. target, saying Australia would focus on capability needs.