America’s second highest-ranked diplomat says the US needs to give more assurances to partners Australia and the UK that the AUKUS project is going ahead.
| The US could do more to reassure partners Australia and the UK on the progress of AUKUS, says the country’s new deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who admitted more effort was needed to counter China’s “propaganda” on the trilateral nuclear-powered submarine deal.
Dr Campbell’s comments, his first to the media since being confirmed in his new role by the US Senate, come amid growing doubts about Washington’s capacity to deliver an initial three used US-made Virginia class submarines to Australia by 2032, a cornerstone of the AUKUS agreement. “At the heart of this is the largest increase in investment in the United States submarine program since its inception decades ago,” he told theThe US budget has set aside $US3.9 billion in 2025 and $US11.1 billion over five years to build up its submarine industrial base. A further $US3.3 billion is included in a so-called supplemental bill that could be passed within several weeks.
“There are bureaucracies around the US government that have to adapt to the new circumstances that are part of the AUKUS mission.” “China sees AUKUS as a direct threat, not just for what it represents militarily, but the potential to increase the level of allied deterrence in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
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