The Pentagon is taking a hard look at its role in the AUKUS alliance to make sure it fits squarely within the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda, according to a Department of Defense spokesperson.
“We’re reassessing AUKUS to ensure this carryover from the last administration aligns with the president’s priorities,” the spokesperson said.
Australia has rushed to say it's still on board with US defense cooperation, but according to The Australian, the Pentagon’s review is a “major blow” to Canberra.
The Financial Times earlier reported that Washington is weighing a full exit from the AUKUS pact with Australia and the UK.
Russia has criticized the trilateral security pact, which focuses on military cooperation and countering China in the Indo-Pacific, as undermining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by transferring nuclear submarine technology to Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon state.