Australia and US leaders reaffirm AUKUS agreement two years on

The leaders of US, UK and Australia have reaffirmed their commitment to the AUKUS agreement amid ongoing questions about how it will be achieved.

Transcript

00:00 Members of Congress on both sides of US politics say there is bipartisan support for the goals of AUKUS,

00:08 but there's disagreement over how they're going to be achieved.

00:12 One of the elements of this plan would involve the United States selling Australia

00:18 at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the early 2030s,

00:24 while Australia starts to build its own nuclear-powered subs.

00:29 Some Republicans have raised concerns about the pressure that US shipyards are already coming under.

00:36 They argue that the United States is failing to meet its own submarine production targets,

00:43 and they want to see more money being spent to build up that capacity

00:48 before the US looks at transferring some of those subs to Australia.

00:53 Now, those concerns have meant that some of the legislation that is needed to progress AUKUS has been held up,

01:01 because Congress will ultimately need to sign off on the transfer of those submarines.

01:08 Legislation will also be needed, for example, to change export controls that would allow the sharing of sensitive technology.

01:17 On the other side of this argument, you have members of Congress like Democrat Joe Courtney,

01:22 he insists that these concerns, these challenges can be overcome,

01:27 and he's really urged his colleagues to act with urgency when it comes to passing that legislation.

01:34 It's a valid concern.

01:36 You know, the US Navy has its own needs in terms of its submarine fleet,

01:40 but I think with the investment that we're seeing and the lead time in terms of the demand signal,

01:46 you know, we can get that cadence production above two Virginias a year

01:51 and really satisfy both nations, navies, in terms of what they need.

01:58 Now, the leaders of the US, the UK and Australia have released a statement today

02:02 to mark exactly two years since AUKUS was first announced.

02:07 They have really used that statement to reaffirm their commitment to this plan,

02:12 which they've described as ambitious.

02:14 Of course, it's not just in Washington where AUKUS is being debated.

02:19 There have been plenty of questions raised in Australia about the merits and the cost of this deal,

02:26 with estimates that it could cost up to $368 billion.

02:31 The leaders have also pointed to some of those challenges that still lie ahead.

02:36 They have said that legislators in all three countries have an important role to play here

02:42 and that they're committed to working with them to bring this to fruition.

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