Latest news with #UnitedStatesStudiesCentre
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UK, Australia back embattled submarine deal with US
Britain and Australia said Friday they will sign a 50-year commitment to their nuclear-powered submarine pact with the United States, seeking to bolster a deal that Washington has thrown into doubt. The two countries cast their pledge as a historic treaty but gave few details beyond saying it would help economic cooperation and "underpin" the existing, three-nation AUKUS pact. "It is a profoundly important treaty that we will sign tomorrow," Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles told reporters after talks in Sydney between the two countries' defence and foreign ministers. A US defence official last month revealed that a review of AUKUS was underway to ensure it "aligned with the President's America First agenda" and that the US defence industrial base was "meeting our needs". Under the 2021 AUKUS deal, Australia would acquire at least three Virginia-class submarines from the United States within 15 years, eventually manufacturing its own subs. The US Navy has 24 Virginia-class vessels but American shipyards are struggling to meet production targets set at two new boats each year. In the United States, critics question why Washington would sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without stocking its own military first. "A new government undertaking a review is the most natural thing in the world," Marles said of the decision by US President Donald Trump's administration. - 'Symbolism is important' - Australia had already contributed US$1 billion this year to help boost production and maintenance of submarines in the United States, he said. "We are really confident that the production rates will be raised in America." Under AUKUS, Britain will eventually develop a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarines, the SSN-AUKUS, to enter service from the late 2030s. Australia would also build the SSN-AUKUS, with delivery expected to its navy in the early 2040s. British Defence Secretary John Healey said London welcomed the US review. "It's an opportunity for the new administration to renew America's commitment to the deep AUKUS partnership that our three nations have," he said. In a government statement, Britain repeated previously released figures saying that the AUKUS submarine programme would lead to the creation of 21,000 UK jobs. It said the submarine programme was expected to be worth "up to" 20 billion pounds (US$27 billion) in British exports over the next 25 years. Analyst Tom Corben from the United States Studies Centre in Australia said the new treaty between Canberra and London was an important show of solidarity. "The symbolism is important given everything else that is happening," he said. Britain's defence and foreign ministers were visiting Australia as their country's Carrier Strike Group and 3,000 personnel took part in annual Talisman Sabre military exercises across Australia and Papua New Guinea. djw/sft/amj Solve the daily Crossword
Sky News AU
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Sky News AU
‘Relatively cohesive': Donald Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill' will ‘reindustrialise the US'
United States Studies Centre Honorary Associate Harry Melkonian says US President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is 'relatively cohesive' with plans to 'reindustrialise the US'. 'This bill is so complex, they've taken away the special tax breaks for buying electric cars, but they have now granted deductions for auto loans for the purchase of any automobile that's made in the US,' Dr Melkonian told Sky News Australia. 'It's all relatively cohesive with his plan to reindustrialise the US.'
Sky News AU
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Enormous win': Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill analysed
United States Studies Centre Honorary Associate Harry Melkonian says it's a 'very big day' for US President Donald Trump amid the recent passing of the Big Beautiful Bill. 'It's been a very big day for Donald Trump and his team with their very big bill,' Dr Melkonian told Sky News Australia. 'It's an enormous win for the US President because he's basically done something, he's enacted his entire legislative program for four years in one bill, while he has a congressional majority.'
Sky News AU
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Trump and Putin are doing a ‘two-step' with each other amid Russia-Ukraine War
United States Studies Centre Honorary Associate Harry Melkonian says US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are doing a 'two-step' with each other amid the Russia-Ukraine war. 'If Trump is riding, let's say, riding high – I think that's all very possible,' Dr Melkonian told Sky News Australia. 'A lot is going to depend on what's happening in the Ukraine and the Middle East. 'Trump and Putin are doing a two-step with each other … I think the US is going to end up sending a lot more arms into the Ukraine.'
The Advertiser
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Australia's US tariff fixation 'missing bigger picture'
Australia has been urged to zoom out on its approach to the US relationship, instead of honing in on the nitty-gritty of tariffs. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces growing pressure to organise a face-to-face with US President Donald Trump after their scheduled June meeting was scuppered by events in the Middle East. With Mr Trump's tariffs continuing to dominate global economic discussions, the prime minister has hinted at ways his government could negotiate a carve-out. But United States Studies Centre research director Jared Mondschein said Australia should take a more long-term view on the US as trying to predict the Trump administration was "a bit of a fool's errand". "Instead of focusing - in my view - too myopically on the tariff side, I encourage the Australian government to focus instead on the broader conversation," he told AAP. "(Tariffs are) something unique to this administration, I can't imagine other administrations doing it similarly. "There's a lot of opportunity where Australia has more influence." Security, supply chains, space co-operation and critical minerals were all areas in which Australia could bolster ties to the US for years beyond Mr Trump's second term, Mr Mondschein said. Washington had shown a particular eagerness to get its hands on critical minerals as China had previously used its hold on rare earths to gain economic leverage. Mr Mondschein noted Beijing blocked exports to Japan in 2010, but in the 15 years since there had been "more rhetoric than substantive gains in any sort of calibrated response". "It's all the more important for allies and partners to start getting their act together," he said. Resources Minister Madeleine King on Tuesday said Australia would continue working with the US to invest in critical minerals to ensure the nation could become a "robust" part of the global supply chain, capitalising on its geological and geographical advantages. Mr Albanese was expected to meet the US president on the sidelines of the G7 summit in mid-June but Mr Trump left the event the night before their scheduled conversation to deal with escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The coalition has continued to pressure the prime minister over the relationship with Australia's key ally, with opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor saying the prime minister "has never had any great love for the US alliance". While Mr Albanese wasn't the only world leader to be stood up by the Republican president, the relative insignificance of Australia as a US trading partner has been raised as one obstacle to getting a rescheduled meeting. But Mr Mondschein did not believe missing a bilateral meeting was an existential challenge as Australia's relationship with the US had never been so consequential. The prime minister said Australia was an important ally for the US as it helped deliver peace and security in the Pacific region, and provided goods and services to the world, making it a significant economy. "Australia always pulls our weight," he said. Mr Albanese added he understood the president's decision to leave the G7, a move that eventually led to a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The G20 leaders meeting in November, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in June and the Quad meeting - which will occur some time in the year - all offer a second chance for the two to get together. Foreign Minister Penny Wong landed in the US capital Washington on Tuesday, Australian time, as Canberra tries to broker an exemption from America's 50 per cent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium imports and 10 per cent levies on other goods. She is set to attend a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with ministers from India and Japan. Australia has been urged to zoom out on its approach to the US relationship, instead of honing in on the nitty-gritty of tariffs. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces growing pressure to organise a face-to-face with US President Donald Trump after their scheduled June meeting was scuppered by events in the Middle East. With Mr Trump's tariffs continuing to dominate global economic discussions, the prime minister has hinted at ways his government could negotiate a carve-out. But United States Studies Centre research director Jared Mondschein said Australia should take a more long-term view on the US as trying to predict the Trump administration was "a bit of a fool's errand". "Instead of focusing - in my view - too myopically on the tariff side, I encourage the Australian government to focus instead on the broader conversation," he told AAP. "(Tariffs are) something unique to this administration, I can't imagine other administrations doing it similarly. "There's a lot of opportunity where Australia has more influence." Security, supply chains, space co-operation and critical minerals were all areas in which Australia could bolster ties to the US for years beyond Mr Trump's second term, Mr Mondschein said. Washington had shown a particular eagerness to get its hands on critical minerals as China had previously used its hold on rare earths to gain economic leverage. Mr Mondschein noted Beijing blocked exports to Japan in 2010, but in the 15 years since there had been "more rhetoric than substantive gains in any sort of calibrated response". "It's all the more important for allies and partners to start getting their act together," he said. Resources Minister Madeleine King on Tuesday said Australia would continue working with the US to invest in critical minerals to ensure the nation could become a "robust" part of the global supply chain, capitalising on its geological and geographical advantages. Mr Albanese was expected to meet the US president on the sidelines of the G7 summit in mid-June but Mr Trump left the event the night before their scheduled conversation to deal with escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The coalition has continued to pressure the prime minister over the relationship with Australia's key ally, with opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor saying the prime minister "has never had any great love for the US alliance". While Mr Albanese wasn't the only world leader to be stood up by the Republican president, the relative insignificance of Australia as a US trading partner has been raised as one obstacle to getting a rescheduled meeting. But Mr Mondschein did not believe missing a bilateral meeting was an existential challenge as Australia's relationship with the US had never been so consequential. The prime minister said Australia was an important ally for the US as it helped deliver peace and security in the Pacific region, and provided goods and services to the world, making it a significant economy. "Australia always pulls our weight," he said. Mr Albanese added he understood the president's decision to leave the G7, a move that eventually led to a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The G20 leaders meeting in November, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in June and the Quad meeting - which will occur some time in the year - all offer a second chance for the two to get together. Foreign Minister Penny Wong landed in the US capital Washington on Tuesday, Australian time, as Canberra tries to broker an exemption from America's 50 per cent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium imports and 10 per cent levies on other goods. She is set to attend a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with ministers from India and Japan. Australia has been urged to zoom out on its approach to the US relationship, instead of honing in on the nitty-gritty of tariffs. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces growing pressure to organise a face-to-face with US President Donald Trump after their scheduled June meeting was scuppered by events in the Middle East. With Mr Trump's tariffs continuing to dominate global economic discussions, the prime minister has hinted at ways his government could negotiate a carve-out. But United States Studies Centre research director Jared Mondschein said Australia should take a more long-term view on the US as trying to predict the Trump administration was "a bit of a fool's errand". "Instead of focusing - in my view - too myopically on the tariff side, I encourage the Australian government to focus instead on the broader conversation," he told AAP. "(Tariffs are) something unique to this administration, I can't imagine other administrations doing it similarly. "There's a lot of opportunity where Australia has more influence." Security, supply chains, space co-operation and critical minerals were all areas in which Australia could bolster ties to the US for years beyond Mr Trump's second term, Mr Mondschein said. Washington had shown a particular eagerness to get its hands on critical minerals as China had previously used its hold on rare earths to gain economic leverage. Mr Mondschein noted Beijing blocked exports to Japan in 2010, but in the 15 years since there had been "more rhetoric than substantive gains in any sort of calibrated response". "It's all the more important for allies and partners to start getting their act together," he said. Resources Minister Madeleine King on Tuesday said Australia would continue working with the US to invest in critical minerals to ensure the nation could become a "robust" part of the global supply chain, capitalising on its geological and geographical advantages. Mr Albanese was expected to meet the US president on the sidelines of the G7 summit in mid-June but Mr Trump left the event the night before their scheduled conversation to deal with escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The coalition has continued to pressure the prime minister over the relationship with Australia's key ally, with opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor saying the prime minister "has never had any great love for the US alliance". While Mr Albanese wasn't the only world leader to be stood up by the Republican president, the relative insignificance of Australia as a US trading partner has been raised as one obstacle to getting a rescheduled meeting. But Mr Mondschein did not believe missing a bilateral meeting was an existential challenge as Australia's relationship with the US had never been so consequential. The prime minister said Australia was an important ally for the US as it helped deliver peace and security in the Pacific region, and provided goods and services to the world, making it a significant economy. "Australia always pulls our weight," he said. Mr Albanese added he understood the president's decision to leave the G7, a move that eventually led to a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The G20 leaders meeting in November, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in June and the Quad meeting - which will occur some time in the year - all offer a second chance for the two to get together. Foreign Minister Penny Wong landed in the US capital Washington on Tuesday, Australian time, as Canberra tries to broker an exemption from America's 50 per cent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium imports and 10 per cent levies on other goods. She is set to attend a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with ministers from India and Japan. Australia has been urged to zoom out on its approach to the US relationship, instead of honing in on the nitty-gritty of tariffs. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces growing pressure to organise a face-to-face with US President Donald Trump after their scheduled June meeting was scuppered by events in the Middle East. With Mr Trump's tariffs continuing to dominate global economic discussions, the prime minister has hinted at ways his government could negotiate a carve-out. But United States Studies Centre research director Jared Mondschein said Australia should take a more long-term view on the US as trying to predict the Trump administration was "a bit of a fool's errand". "Instead of focusing - in my view - too myopically on the tariff side, I encourage the Australian government to focus instead on the broader conversation," he told AAP. "(Tariffs are) something unique to this administration, I can't imagine other administrations doing it similarly. "There's a lot of opportunity where Australia has more influence." Security, supply chains, space co-operation and critical minerals were all areas in which Australia could bolster ties to the US for years beyond Mr Trump's second term, Mr Mondschein said. Washington had shown a particular eagerness to get its hands on critical minerals as China had previously used its hold on rare earths to gain economic leverage. Mr Mondschein noted Beijing blocked exports to Japan in 2010, but in the 15 years since there had been "more rhetoric than substantive gains in any sort of calibrated response". "It's all the more important for allies and partners to start getting their act together," he said. Resources Minister Madeleine King on Tuesday said Australia would continue working with the US to invest in critical minerals to ensure the nation could become a "robust" part of the global supply chain, capitalising on its geological and geographical advantages. Mr Albanese was expected to meet the US president on the sidelines of the G7 summit in mid-June but Mr Trump left the event the night before their scheduled conversation to deal with escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The coalition has continued to pressure the prime minister over the relationship with Australia's key ally, with opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor saying the prime minister "has never had any great love for the US alliance". While Mr Albanese wasn't the only world leader to be stood up by the Republican president, the relative insignificance of Australia as a US trading partner has been raised as one obstacle to getting a rescheduled meeting. But Mr Mondschein did not believe missing a bilateral meeting was an existential challenge as Australia's relationship with the US had never been so consequential. The prime minister said Australia was an important ally for the US as it helped deliver peace and security in the Pacific region, and provided goods and services to the world, making it a significant economy. "Australia always pulls our weight," he said. Mr Albanese added he understood the president's decision to leave the G7, a move that eventually led to a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The G20 leaders meeting in November, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in June and the Quad meeting - which will occur some time in the year - all offer a second chance for the two to get together. Foreign Minister Penny Wong landed in the US capital Washington on Tuesday, Australian time, as Canberra tries to broker an exemption from America's 50 per cent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium imports and 10 per cent levies on other goods. She is set to attend a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with ministers from India and Japan.
