Australia and the UK will sign a 50-year treaty on Saturday to cement their partnership under the Aukus nuclear submarine pact, even as the US, the third partner, reviews its commitment. The treaty will be announced after the annual Aukmin talks in Sydney, with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles alongside UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey.
The US is not party to this bilateral treaty, which was planned before Donald Trump took office. Its signing reaffirms UK-Australia ties amid US tariffs and a Pentagon review of Aukus. The treaty is expected to cover cooperation in shipbuilding and other areas for developing Aukus-class nuclear submarines, the first built in the UK before production starts in Adelaide.
Lammy described the relationship as “like no other,” while Healey said the treaty would support “tens of thousands” of skilled jobs and build the most advanced attack submarines for both navies. Under existing Aukus agreements, Australia will pay about $4.6bn to support UK industry for nuclear reactor design and production, and a similar amount to the US for its shipbuilding.
The $368bn Aukus program includes Australia buying at least three Virginia-class submarines from the US from the early 2030s, but this sale is under review by the Trump administration to align with an “America first” agenda. The review, led by Pentagon official Elbridge Colby, who is “sceptical” of the deal, could demand more financial or political commitments from Australia.
Marles said the review was “a natural step” and that “work on Aukus continues apace.” Meanwhile, the UK carrier strike group led by HMS Prince of Wales arrived in Darwin for Talisman Sabre exercises, the first such visit since 1997. Wong and Marles will join UK counterparts in Darwin on Sunday.
