U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has launched a formal review of a defense pact worth hundreds of billions of dollars that former President Joe Biden made with Australia and the United Kingdom, allowing Australia to acquire conventionally armed nuclear submarines, a U.S. defense official told Reuters, APA reports.
The formal Pentagon-led review is likely to alarm Australia, which sees the submarines as critical to its own defense as tensions grow over China's expansive military buildup.
It could also throw a wrench in Britain's defense planning. AUKUS is at the center of a planned expansion of its submarine fleet.
"We are reviewing AUKUS as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda," the official said of the review, which was first reported by Financial Times.
"Any changes to the administration's approach for AUKUS will be communicated through official channels, when appropriate."
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