Trump aware and supportive of AUKUS pact, U.S. defense secretary says
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump supported the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, after Australia on Friday confirmed its first $500 million payment under the defense pact.
"The president is very aware, supportive of AUKUS, recognizes the importance of the defense industrial base," Hegseth said in opening remarks of a meeting in Washington with his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, according to a transcript released Saturday.
Under AUKUS, Australia will pay the United States $3 billion to boost the capacity of the U.S. submarine industry, and Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s, while Britain and Australia will later build a new AUKUS-class submarine.
Australia transferred the first $500 million payment after a call between Marles and Hegseth on Jan. 29, Marles said Friday.
When asked, at the meeting with Marles, if the U.S. would deliver the nuclear submarines to Australia on time, Hegseth said: "We sure hope so."
"Part of what President Trump is committed to doing is cutting red tape, investing in the defense industrial base, ensuring that we stand by our allies and partners," he said.
Marles said Australia was "pleased with the progress that we're seeing in terms of the rate of production, both in terms of construction and sustainment," referring to the Virginia-class submarines.
Marles is the first foreign counterpart hosted by Hegseth since his confirmation in the role. The pair was expected to discuss security in the Indo-Pacific region and the growing U.S. military presence in Australia in addition to talks on AUKUS.
Formed in 2021, AUKUS is aimed at addressing shared worries about China's growing power and designed to allow Australia to acquire the nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asahi Shimbun
an hour ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Rubio hosts U.S. Indo-Pacific partners amid strained bilateral ties
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand together at the start of their meeting of the Indo-Pacific Quad at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on July 1. (REUTERS) WASHINGTON--U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted his Australian, Indian and Japanese counterparts on Tuesday, seeking to boost efforts to counter China even as trade and other bilateral disagreements introduce friction into the relationships. The four countries, known as the Quad, share concerns about China's growing power, but ties have been strained by President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive from which none of the members have been spared. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, nevertheless, said the meeting had been "very productive." "Today's gathering will strengthen strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and keep it free and open," he said on X. In welcoming his counterparts, Rubio called the Quad countries important strategic partners and said it was time to "deliver action" on specific issues. He said 30 or 40 companies from Quad countries would meet at the State Department on Tuesday to discuss cooperation, including diversification of the supply chain for critical minerals, which is a sector currently dominated by China. The meeting offered a chance to refocus attention on the region seen as the primary challenge for the U.S. after Trump was distracted by issues elsewhere, including the recent Israel-Iran conflict. In January, the Quad said it would meet regularly to prepare for a leaders' summit in India later this year. Rubio was also to hold bilateral meetings with Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, Jaishankar and Australia's Penny Wong. Wong said on X that what was the second Quad ministerial this year was "a signal of the importance of our partnership and the urgency of the challenges we face." "We agreed that it's never been more crucial to take concrete actions that support peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific," she wrote. Trump on Tuesday said Washington could reach a trade deal with India that would help American firms compete there and leave New Delhi facing far lower tariffs, although he cast doubt on a possible deal with Japan by a July 9 deadline for higher levies. Jaishankar said on Monday there were hopes of bringing the trade talks to a successful conclusion, which would require "give and take" to find middle ground. After the Quad meeting, Jaishankar went to the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he hoped India and the U.S. could build on their defense integration efforts. "We hope we can complete several major pending U.S. defense sales to India, expand our shared defense industrial cooperation and co-production efforts," Hegseth said. Other issues have put pressure on relations. India has differed with Trump's claims that his intervention and threats to cut off trade talks averted a major conflict between India and Pakistan after militants killed Indian tourists in the disputed Kashmir region in April. On Monday, Jaishankar restated India's position that trade was not a factor in bringing a ceasefire with Pakistan, while adding in reference to the U.S. that "relationships will never be free of issues," and "what matters is the ability to deal with it and to keep that trend going in the positive direction." TARIFF NEGOTIATIONS Japan, the key U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific, postponed an annual ministerial meeting with the U.S. State and Defense Departments that was supposed to be held on Tuesday. Press reports said this move followed U.S. pressure for it to boost defense spending further than previously requested. Nicholas Szechenyi, at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said U.S.-Japan ties appeared to have lost momentum since Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump hailed a new golden age in ties at a summit in February. "The tariff negotiations are all-consuming, and the Japanese appear exasperated by the administration's public lectures on defense spending," Szechenyi said. The Financial Times said last week the demands came from Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, whom analysts say has also recently created anxiety in Australia by launching a review of the massive AUKUS project to provide that country with nuclear-powered submarines.
Japan Today
3 hours ago
- Japan Today
Shifting to Asia, Rubio meets Quad and talks minerals
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) poses for a group picture with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (2nd left), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (2nd right)) and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar By Shaun TANDON U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Tuesday with counterparts from Australia, India and Japan, shifting focus to Asia after a tenure so far marked by crises elsewhere and domestic priorities. Rubio had welcomed the foreign ministers of the so-called Quad on January 21 in his first meeting after President Donald Trump's inauguration, seen as a sign that the new administration would prioritize engagement with like-minded countries to counter China. Since then, much of Rubio's attention has been on the Middle East, with the United States bombing Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israel; on Ukraine, as Trump unsuccessfully seeks a ceasefire in Russia's invasion, and on boosting Trump's domestic priorities such as mass deportations of migrants. Welcoming the three foreign ministers, Rubio did not directly mention military concerns over China but said he sought cooperation among business and on raw materials -- also key goals for the Trump administration. Rubio told them he was focused on "diversifying the global supply chain of critical minerals -- not just access to the raw material, but also access to the ability to process and refine it to usable materials." "It's critical for all technologies and for all industries across the board," Rubio said, voicing hope for "real progress" on the issue within the Quad. China holds major reserves of several key minerals including the vast majority of the world's graphite, which is crucial for electric vehicles. Beijing has sought to impose restrictions as leverage, as the United States in turn curbs its access to semiconductors and as Trump wields the threat of punishing tariffs on both friends and foes. Trump is expected to travel to India later this year for a summit of the Quad. The four-way partnership was first conceived by late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who saw an alliance of democracies around China -- which has repeatedly alleged that the Quad is a way to contain it. Trump has long branded China as the top U.S. adversary, but since returning to office has also saluted his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both the Indian and Japanese foreign ministers said that they wanted the Quad to focus on a "free and open Indo-Pacific" -- a phrasing that is a veiled allusion to opposing Chinese dominance in Asia. "We're all committed to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said. "It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security," he said. Jaishankar also made clear that India would raise its strikes last month against Pakistan in response to a major attack on mostly Hindu civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. "India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that," he said. Despite shared concerns on China, the Quad members have differed on other hotspots. India has maintained a historic relationship with Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine. Both India and Japan also have historically warm relationships with Iran, whose nuclear sites the United States bombed in June in support of an Israeli campaign. © 2025 AFP
The Mainichi
10 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Japan, US, Australia, India to boost cooperation on Indo-Pacific
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- The top diplomats of Japan, the United States, Australia and India will hold a four-way meeting on Tuesday to step up cooperation on ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. The meeting in Washington, hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is seen as part of efforts to lay the groundwork for a summit of the so-called Quad grouping that India is due to host in its capital New Delhi this fall. The Quad is not a security alliance, but it has often been regarded as a counterweight to China's growing influence in the region, with its areas of cooperation expanding rapidly, ranging from maritime security and infrastructure to health protection and emerging technologies. Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last met together in January, just a day after Donald Trump began his second presidency. At the time, they released a joint statement saying that the countries are "committed to strengthening regional maritime, economic, and technology security in the face of increasing threats, as well as promoting reliable and resilient supply chains." Without singling out any country, they also voiced strong opposition to any unilateral actions that attempt to change the status quo "by force or coercion." The birth of the grouping dates back to when the countries coordinated emergency responses and humanitarian aid following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The Quad was elevated to the foreign ministerial level in 2019, during Trump's first presidency, before being boosted to leader level in 2021 under his successor Joe Biden. Despite Trump's skepticism about tackling global and regional challenges multilaterally, he has consistently placed great importance on the Quad framework, and it is likely that his first trip to Asia during his second term will coincide with this year's four-way summit. On the sidelines of the meeting on Tuesday, Iwaya is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Rubio, Wong and Jaishankar.
