“I think it was always believed when AUKUS was launched,that at some point,we would welcome new countries to participate … and I think you’ll hear that we have something to say about that next week,” said Campbell,flagging a “historic” national security agreement that President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will announce in Washington.
“There will also be further engagement among the three defence ministers of the United States,Australia and Great Britain as they focus on this effort as well.”
Campbell’s comments come a year after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Biden met in San Diego to outline plans for AUKUS. The deal was first announced in 2021 as part of a broader strategy to counter China’s economic and military advances in the Indo-Pacific.
But the project has come under question recently,after the US Navy revealed itremoved an attack submarine from its 2025 spending plan,in a tacit recognition that American shipbuilding yards are struggling with the pace of producing and maintaining the national fleet.
The proposed cut prompted fears about the viability of AUKUS,which requires the US maintain a production rate of 2.33 submarines a year to have enough to sell any to Australia.
And in a further blow this week,an internal navy assessment found that the two types of Virginia-class submarines currently under construction in the US were running late by between 24 months and 36 months.