US Defence Secretary says Trump's 'supportive' of AUKUS deal

Hegseth said Trump was “supportive” of the $3 billion deal in a meeting with Australia’s Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles at the Pentagon on Friday (Local time).

The Albanese government made a $US500 million ($798 million) payment to Washington as part of the AUKUS deal ahead of the meeting between Marles and Hegseth.

The plan will provide Australia with three Virginia-class submarines from the US, which is supposed to boost America’s lagging rate of submarine production.

“The president is very aware, supportive of AUKUS and … the investment Australia is willing to make,” Hegseth said.

He also said the Trump Administration “sure hopes” to have them delivered on time, with the first one due by the early 2030s.

It’s the first time the administration has expressed the President’s opinions on the deal, which was made under Joe Biden’s presidency.

”We’re really pleased that the first payment in respect of that half a billion dollars we’ve been able to make in the first couple of weeks of the Trump administration,” Marles said ahead of the meeting.

“We’re really pleased to make it in the first week of your tenure as the Secretary of Defence.”

Australia, the US and Britain signed the AUKUS pact nearly four years ago, with the aim of maintaining a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, amid growing assertiveness by China in the region.

The deal meant Australia would purchase three submarines from the US and build five of a new AUKUS-class submarine in cooperation with Britain.

However, there were doubts that Australia would ever receive a submarine at all.

Concerns were sparked last year over the US’s ability to produce nuclear-powered submarines for its own military needs, aside from its deal with Australia.

However, Hegseth seems to have confirmed today that the Trump administration would hold up America’s end of the bargain.