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Aukus alliance

Aukus alliance
The United States, Britain and Australia announced a security pact, dubbed the "Aukus" alliance, in September 2021, which includes an agreement to help Canberra secure a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The move was seen as targeted at China, and has caused anger in France and India.
Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, is stepping down a year earlier than expected and is returning to lead the Asia Society think tank. Photo: TNS
United States

Not ‘Trump-compatible’? China expert Rudd exits Australia’s US ambassador role

Kevin ‌Rudd left his post a year ‍earlier than planned following criticism from US President Donald Trump at White House meeting in October.

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Australia

Why US review of Aukus submarine deal for Australia is kept secret

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United States

Rubio and Hegseth discuss Indo-Pacific security with Australian counterparts

Australia

Aukus deal to move ‘full steam ahead’ after surviving Trump review

The Pentagon said the five-month evaluation ‘identified opportunities to put Aukus on the strongest possible footing’.

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A US Navy’s Virginia-class submarine is docked at a naval base in Western Australia in February. Photo: AFP
United States

Opinion | Devil in the details as US agrees to a South Korean nuclear-powered sub

Will the Australian experience be shared? Will it be a Virginia-class vessel or an indigenous design? And where will funding come from?

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US-China relations

Modelling of Taiwan war shows US could recruit Australia, Japan for sanctions

‘Sanctions alone are unlikely to deter’ Beijing but economic tools should be part of ‘broader contingency planning’, Rand says.

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South Korea

Trump says South Korea has approval to build nuclear-powered submarine

The technology is widely regarded as some of the most sensitive and highly guarded information the US military possesses.

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US Navy officers stand aboard the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota in Rockingham, Australia, in February. Photo: AFP
Australia

Australia scores big win in US with critical minerals deal, Aukus commitment

The allies will invest US$1 billion in various critical minerals projects in a bid to cut their reliance on dominant supplier China.

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US-China relations

Trump denying China risk may leave Taiwan as bargaining chip

President Donald Trump’s suggestion that China is unlikely to invade Taiwan may put the US stance towards the island on the table in trade talks with President Xi Jinping.

US-China relations

Pentagon nominee hints at Aukus changes, says Taiwan should ‘pay its way’

US pick for Indo-Pacific security role tells senators that he strongly supports President Donald Trump’s ‘America first’ foreign policy.

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Australia has agreed to buy at least three Virginia-class submarines from the US under the Aukus agreement, which is currently under review in Washington. Photo: AFP
Australia

Aukus faces an ‘America first’ review. Will Trump’s agenda scupper the deal?

Australia’s huge financial commitment to the Aukus pact may work in its favour, but Trump’s deal-making approach means anything is possible.

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US Navy officers stand aboard a Virginia-class fast-attack submarine docked at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia on February 26. Australia is set to spend US$7.9 billion to upgrade shipyard facilities for a future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Photo: AFP
Japan

‘A logical next step’: why the US is backing Japan’s entry into Aukus

With its advanced defence technology, Japan can complement the US, the UK and Australia in the development of attack submarines.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Multipolar arms race takes ballistic missile threat to new levels

Cold War-era bilateral arms control treaties simply won’t work as more states emerge with deterrent capabilities, complicating calculations.

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United States

Biden adviser warns Trump against scrapping Aukus pact with Australia

A critic of the deal will lead the Pentagon’s assessment of the collaboration this autumn to ensure it aligns with Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda.

A Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine that Australia will acquire starting in the early 2030s through the Aukus deal. Photo: US Navy
Pacific nations

‘We must invest’: New Zealand seeks to shed its ‘pretty slack’ defence image

Analysts suggest Wellington’s new US$5.2 billion defence plan is a hedge against pressure from Donald Trump’s White House.

A New Zealand soldier stands guard during a ceremony in Wellington marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I in 2018. Photo: AFP
Australia

Japan wins US$6 billion deal to give Australia ‘a more lethal navy’

Australia’s deal for 11 new stealth frigates from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries marks its ‘biggest-ever’ defence agreement with Japan.

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US-China relations

Asian military spending

The US is urging its Asia-Pacific allies to raise defence spending because of a perceived ‘imminent’ threat from China, particularly against Taiwan.

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Australia

Trump review looms as Australia makes US$525 million Aukus payment

Australia sees the pact as crucial for defence against China’s rise, while the Trump administration wants it to align with its ‘America First’ policy.

The Aukus nuclear submarine deal is undergoing a formal review from US President Donald Trump’s administration. Photo: TNS
China-Australia relations

Albanese China trip shows ‘stiffening of Canberra spine’ in face of US pressure

Beijing rolled out the red carpet for the Australian leader this week and the two sides appeared to keep a lid on tensions.

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Australia

Opinion | How Australia’s China ties can help advance its national interests

Albanese must convince more Australians to accept that Canberra’s alliance with the US is important but not the defining feature of its foreign policy.

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Australia

In US-China tug of war, Australia puts itself first

With one eye on the past and the other on the Asia-Pacific’s future, Australia’s prime minister is championing sovereignty in an uncertain age.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Climate change

Opinion | Australia should leave politics out of climate collaboration with China

Seeing Beijing solely through a security lens undermines Canberra’s capacity to engage pragmatically on shared environmental interests.

Illustration: Craig Stephens
Defence

Will US actively join Israel against Iran? Pentagon chief stays mum

Defence secretary tells lawmakers his job is to ‘make sure the president has options’ as Democrats fret about China threat in Indo-Pacific.

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Defence

Opinion | Is the Aukus submarine deal dead in the water under Trump?

The US’ review of the agreement under which Australia was to receive nuclear-powered submarines is unlikely to have a good outcome for Canberra.

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Australia

Opinion | Why Australia should welcome collapse of lopsided Aukus deal

Aukus was a bad deal for Australia when it was signed and even more so now. A US review that could bring the deal to an end is happy news.

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Two Australian Collins class submarines at the HMAS Stirling Royal Australian Navy base in Perth, Western Australia, on October 29, 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE
US-China relations

Aukus pact up in the air but US to stay focused on countering China: analysts

The Pentagon is taking another look at its security agreement with Australia and the UK, but is not expected to do away with it entirely.

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Aukus is a partnership between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Pentagon chief assures lawmakers on review of US-Britain-Australia pact

‘Congress will be involved’ in 30-day assessment of Aukus alliance formed to counter Beijing’s regional clout, defence secretary testifies.

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China's military weapons

Trump puts submarine pact in rough waters as China touts strength

The Trump administration is reviewing the Aukus submarine accord with the UK and Australia, while Chinese aircraft carriers are charting new courses.

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