UK, Australia back embattled submarine deal with US

SYDNEY

(L-R) Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles stands in front of the Sydney Opera House with Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey, before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025.

Britain said on July 25 it will join Australia in a 50-year commitment to their nuclear-powered submarine pact with the United States, seeking to bolster a deal that Washington has thrown into doubt.

Britain touted its "historic" new treaty with Australia in a government statement but gave few details beyond saying it would help economic cooperation, and "underpin" the existing three-nation AUKUS pact.

"This historic treaty confirms our AUKUS commitment for the next half century," said Defense Secretary John Healey, who is visiting Australia along with Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

A U.S. defense official last month revealed that a review of AUKUS was underway to ensure it "aligned with the President's America First agenda" and that the U.S. defense industrial base was "meeting our needs."

The British statement repeated previously released figures that the AUKUS submarine program would lead to the creation of 21,000 U.K. jobs.

It said the submarine program was expected to be worth "up to" $27 billion in British exports over the next 25 years.

Under the 2021 AUKUS deal, Australia would acquire at least three Virginia-class submarines from the United States within 15 years, eventually manufacturing its own subs.

The US Navy has 24 Virginia-class vessels, but American shipyards are struggling to meet production targets set at two new boats each year.

In the U.S., critics question why Washington would sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without stocking its own military first.