A bipartisan group of five U.S. congressmen has issued an urgent appeal to the Pentagon to salvage the trilateral AUKUS security agreement. The landmark 2021 pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States was established to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarine technology and foster joint production, but its future now hangs in the balance.
The initiative has been effectively paused by the Trump administration’s “America First” doctrine, with Washington citing a critical shortage of submarines for its own naval needs. In a letter to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, the lawmakers argued that the AUKUS alliance is indispensable for countering what they term “Chinese aggression” in the Indo-Pacific region.
This perceived aggression, as outlined by the U.S. legislators, refers not to direct military strikes but to Beijing’s assertive posture in the South China Sea. This includes the construction of militarized artificial islands and repeated instances of risky maneuvers by Chinese warships and fighter jets in close proximity to American forces. Furthermore, the persistent concern that China may use military force to reunify with Taiwan is a key driver behind the call to revive the pact.
The deal’s fate may rest with influential officials like Deputy Secretary of Defense Eldridge Colby, who has voiced deep skepticism. Colby questioned the strategic logic of transferring vital military assets when the U.S. itself faces a deficit, warning against placing American service members in a vulnerable position because a critical submarine is not where it is needed most.
The AUKUS pact’s inception in 2021 was fraught with diplomatic tension. Its announcement triggered a major fallout with France after Australia unilaterally canceled a pre-existing €56 billion contract for French submarines. Paris decried the move as a “stab in the back” and briefly recalled its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra before relations were slowly repaired.
From Beijing’s viewpoint, AUKUS has consistently been interpreted as a hostile move designed to strategically encircle China and maintain U.S. dominance in the region. Simultaneously, the agreement has fueled a growing debate within Australia about the risks of being drawn into U.S.-led conflicts. While Canberra has ruled out involvement in recent Middle East tensions, experts suggest that it would be nearly impossible for Australia to remain on the sidelines in a potential military confrontation over Taiwan.