Hegseth Hosts AUKUS Meeting With Australia, UK Counterparts

By Matthew Olay

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth welcomed Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles and the United Kingdom's Defense Secretary John Healey to the Pentagon today for a meeting concerning a trilateral partnership between the three countries.

Announced in September 2021, the Australia, U.K. and U.S. trilateral security agreement, known as AUKUS, is a partnership intended to promote freedom, security, stability and openness in the Indo-Pacific region.  

The pursuit of those objectives involves two lines of effort, or pillars.  

Pillar one focuses on the rotational basing of nuclear-powered attack submarines in Australia, as well as Australia working to acquire its own nuclear-powered attack subs, and pillar two focuses on the collaborative development of multiple advanced capabilities.

AUKUS partners gather frequently throughout the year to manage the security pact through ministerial meetings and joint steering groups.  

"I can't count how many meetings we've had at this point, and I say that only out of goodness," Hegseth told his counterparts at the meeting's outset.

"Because the strength of our alliances … [and] trilateral relationships are as strong as they've ever been," he added.  

Hegseth went on to praise a recent Pentagon review of AUKUS that was endorsed by President Donald J. Trump with guidance for the program to carry on "full steam ahead." 

"You see through AUKUS and the review that we conducted a continued commitment to a pragmatic, practical application of hard power between our countries that reflects peace through strength, and also hard power — real capabilities — that demonstrate a deterrent effect that we all want," Hegseth explained.  

Under the AUKUS security pact, the U.S. is scheduled to begin selling a limited number of Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s. Following that, an entirely new class of nuclear submarines — the AUKUS-class — is planned to be delivered to the U.K.'s Royal Navy in the late 2030s and the Royal Australian Navy in the early 2040s. 

During his brief remarks, Marles spoke optimistically about the three AUKUS partners' ability to deliver on the program's stated goals. 

"This is a massive project, and there is so much more to do; and I think delivery is very much the focus of the conversation that we will be having today," Marles said. 

"I'm very excited about what we can do together, the progress that we're making [and] the challenges that we all need to grab hold of as we move forward," he added.  

Healey called AUKUS the most important military collaboration since the U.S. and U.K. agreed to share nuclear technology in 1958.

"The reviews are now done, and all three of us are now determined to reboot AUKUS with a new commitment and a new determination, in particular, to deliver," Healey said. 

"We need more subs in the Indo-Pacific and in the Euro-Atlantic. We need more burden sharing by America's closest allies in Australia and the U.K. And, as the U.K. steps up on European security, we know that each of the three nations have a role to play to protect our people, keep our citizens safe and to reinforce that global deterrence," Healey continued.

Increasing burden sharing between the U.S. and its allies and partners is one of the "four key lines of effort" that Hegseth laid out last week during a speech previewing the War Department's new National Defense Strategy. 

"We may lead our departments of war … but our goal is peace on behalf of the American people, the Australian people and the [people of the] U.K.; and we pursue that on behalf of our leadership," Hegseth told his counterparts.   

"So, it's a privilege to have you at the Pentagon [and I] look forward to talking more in-depth about AUKUS and our partnerships," he added.