By David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Australia’s ambassador to Washington said on Friday his country is working with the Pentagon on the U.S. Defense Department’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved.
Kevin Rudd made the comment at the Aspen Security Forum and stressed his close relationship with Elbridge Colby, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, who initiated the review, and the longstanding U.S.-Australia defense alliance.
“We’re working with Bridge and the team on the AUKUS review … and we are confident that we’ll work our way through each and every one of the issues which he has raised in the context of this internal Defense Department review,” Rudd said, referring to Colby.
“Bridge has been around my place a lot of times, and so we have known each other for a long period of time, and that’s why I’m confident, quite apart from the mature relationship within our two defense establishments … that we’ll work our way through this stuff.”
Rudd, a former Australian prime minister, said the U.S.-Australia alliance had endured through 15 presidents and 15 prime ministers from different parties.
In 2023, the United States, Australia, and Britain unveiled details of the AUKUS plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the early 2030s, part of efforts to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. It is Australia’s biggest ever defense project.
The Pentagon said in June it was reviewing AUKUS to ensure it was “aligned with the President’s America First agenda,” amid concerns about the ability of the U.S. to meet its own submarine needs and whether Australia’s vessels would be used in support of U.S. policy in the future.
On Sunday, Australia’s Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy responded to a report that the Pentagon has pressed Australia to clarify what role it would play if the U.S. and China went to war over Taiwan by saying Australia would not commit troops in advance to any conflict.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also rebuffed U.S. requests to commit to lifting defense spending from 2% to 3.5% of gross domestic product, saying instead Australia would spend what was needed for its defense.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Mark Porter and Rod Nickel)
