Did Trump just sink AUKUS Battleship?
Pentagon launches review of US-UK-Australia Aukus security alliance
The Pentagon has launched a review of the Aukus defence pact to make sure it is aligned with Trump’s “America first” agenda, throwing the $240bn agreement with Britain and Australia into doubt.
The review may trigger more allied anxiety over the future of the trilateral alliance designed to counter China’s military rise. Australia in particular is relying on Aukus to renew its entire submarine fleet.
The US president himself does not seem to have made a priority of the pact. Asked about Aukus during Keir Starmer’s visit in February, Trump appeared unfamiliar with the acronym, responding: “What does that mean?”
The review follows defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s demand last week that Australia increase military spending from 2% to 3.5% of GDP. The country’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has pledged only 2.4%, insisting Australia will set its own defense priorities.
If Trump walks away from AUKUS it will be the most scathing slap in the face to Britain and Australia.
China will not believe their luck.
I would have thought dumping AUKUS was an impossibility, but Trump’s gleeful ignorance and focus only on America seems to be at the price of every international ally.
The Australian’s and the British must be furious.
China will be laughing.
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Regardless of whether Trump walks away from AUKUS or not, the cuck Albanese will not move from his position of genuflection in front of Trump nor will the taste on his tongue improve.
Who would have thought USA as isolationists but the evidence is stark. Previous allies need to re-evaluate their allegiances as the USA are clearly not reliable – unless, of course, they benefit most from any alliance. USA treatment of Australia, and especially Canada, has been disgraceful and one hopes that Trumps influence is usurped sooner than later – preferably from within the country.
USA history has shown they are poor allies and are slow to get involved in another countries war until it effects them This was very true about the 2 World Wars. Trump is a particularly unstable person to be President but he is not the first President to be lacking in moral Fibre. but he appeals to the average American who travels little and neither knows or cares about the rest of the World .Europe is starting to realize they need to learn to build their own defense and not rely on American help and believe NZ needs to draw closer to Canada and Australia and other Asian countries
The only country we need to be close to is Australia as they’re in our backyard. Our economic reliance is with Asia not North Atlantic they’re on the other side of the world
Solid points Trevor.
The US establishment is anything but isolationist. The US military industrial complex relies on permanent conflict and expanding NATO and stoking tensions over Taiwan and China are both very much part of that plan.
Trump is actually quite out of step with the 70-year-long aims of his own nation’s foreign policy drivers.
It’s about the ONLY stance of Trump’s that I support, although I am deeply, deeply suspicious of his motivations for why he arrived at his “policies”. It won’t be for any lofty principles regarding international peace or concern for the wellbeing of any nation.
And despite recently doing good business in Ukraine and Gaza, USA’s military industrial front has opened a new earner in Iran by USA’s nod and wink greenlighting of Israel’s unprovoked attack.
Dumping a 300 billion deal that smuggles in tens of thousands of American troops onto Australian shores doesn’t strike me as bad. 8 extraordinarily expensive subs was to keep the Virginia class factories going for years cause they scrwed up the F35 purchase. The Aukus deal was just papering over all the mistakes now they’re forced to address the capabilities gaps properly can’t be a bad things.
China rise is unstoppable which is why the west is panicking. China isn’t a threat to Australia or NZ the only threat is to European exceptionalism greed.
The collapse of AUKUS would be very beneficial to our region. That deal was struck by Somo and not only did it fuck over a previous deal by France snd anger China it was something NZ was gonna get dragged into. Let’s hope he does scrap it or Australia has the wherewithal to do it for him now Trump is wavering.
best thing that could happen .How long before we were forced to build that Naval base in Whangarei harbour .
I’m with Paul Keating on the sheer stupidity of the AUKUS submarine purchases.