Donald Trump’s administration will review U.S. participation in the submarine deal its predecessor signed with the UK and Australia, it was announced on Thursday, June 12th.
Under the terms of Aukus, Australia would secure its first nuclear subs, while the pact’s members would build a new, technologically advanced fleet from scratch. Now, for it to go ahead, the U.S. government must be satisfied that the deal represents value for money and can be squared with the ‘America first’ approach to foreign policy—similar to the pressure from Trump on NATO to pay its own way.
Aukus is a trilateral agreement worth $239 billion (€207bn). Canberra is scheduled to buy three pre-used U.S. Virginia-class submarines in the early 2030s, before the high-tech attack ships are available.
While U.S. defence secretary Pete Hegseth may need convincing that this represents the right deal, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte told the ‘Weimar+’ group in Rome that Europe “needs to ramp up our defence spending.”
The changing U.S. global role under President Trump—which VP JD Vance spelled out to European Union leaders—continues to make an impact on the world’s defence and security scene.
