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Defence Minister Richard Marles delivered a robust defence of Australia’s relationship with the United States on Tuesday, praising Ambassador Kevin Rudd’s performance and highlighting concrete outcomes from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s White House meeting with President Donald Trump.
Speaking in Adelaide following opposition criticism of the US-Australia relationship, Marles described the bilateral partnership as being “in a very good place” and credited Rudd as a “key part” in facilitating the high-stakes Oval Office meeting.
“He has done a fantastic job representing Australia in the United States as our ambassador,” Marles told reporters. “And we’ve been making this point consistently.”
The defence minister pointed to multiple indicators of the relationship’s strength, including a critical minerals deal signed during the visit, Australia’s status as having “the lowest tariff rate of any country” with the US, and Trump’s affirmation of AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership for nuclear-powered submarines.
“Our relationship with the United States is in a very good place and our ambassador to the United States deserves his share of credit for that,” Marles said.
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Trump Affirms AUKUS, Announces Review
Marles characterized Trump’s words on AUKUS as “very clear” and described the president’s statement as “a clear affirmation of AUKUS, of its benefit for the United States.”
The defence minister emphasized that AUKUS is underpinned by a trilateral treaty signed in Washington a year ago, which he signed on behalf of Australia alongside representatives from the US and United Kingdom.
“And so it is very clear,” Marles said. “Now, having said that, we’ve also been really clear that we welcome this review.”
Trump announced during the meeting that his administration would conduct a review of AUKUS, a move Marles framed as an opportunity for improvement rather than a cause for concern.
“Looking at how we can do AUKUS better is a process that we embrace,” Marles said. “It’s what we did when we came to government. It’s what the Brits did when they came to government in the middle of last year.”
The minister said Australia looks forward to the review as “an important body of work” that will inform how to better deliver the massive defense program.
“And however we can do better in terms of delivering AUKUS, we are keen to get after that,” Marles said.
Timeline and Commitments Remain Clear
Addressing questions about potential changes to Australia’s AUKUS commitments, Marles said all matters were “very clear and were clearly set out” when the optimal pathway was first announced in March 2023.
“So there’s no ambiguities there,” Marles said.
He acknowledged the scale of the undertaking, describing AUKUS as “just about the biggest industrial endeavour that our country’s ever engaged in.”
“Getting on the horse of operating a nuclear-powered submarine is a very significant step for a country to take,” Marles said. “And we are very open to making sure that we’re doing this in the best possible way, and we think that this review will be an important part of informing that.”
The minister said Australia’s starting position is to complete AUKUS “as quickly as we can” and expressed openness to any recommendations from the review that could accelerate the timeline.
“So if there are ways of moving this thing forward faster, we will always be open to that,” Marles said.
Complexity and Scale of Nuclear Submarine Program
Marles provided detailed context on the technical challenges of the AUKUS program, noting that nuclear-powered submarines are “the single most complex machine that humanity has ever built.”
Australia is not only acquiring these submarines but also establishing a production facility to build them domestically at Adelaide’s Osborne Naval Shipyard.
“It is going to take time,” Marles said. “So our best estimate is that those first submarines that will be built here at Osborne enter the water in the early 2040s.”
To close the gap before Australian-built submarines become operational, the government is focused on acquiring Virginia-class submarines from the US by the early 2030s.
“That is a really important step in the process,” Marles said.
The defence minister emphasized that the current government has already accelerated the program significantly.
“Relative to what we inherited when we came to government back in May of 2022, we’ve already brought forward the entry into service of the first nuclear-powered submarine by a decade,” Marles said. “So we’ve taken enormous steps forward in relation to that.”
Prime Minister’s AUKUS Leadership
Marles strongly defended Prime Minister Albanese’s commitment to AUKUS, describing him as “a huge champion” of the program.
“The Prime Minister was there in San Diego in March of 2023 announcing the optimal pathway, fundamentally announcing AUKUS,” Marles said. “And since then, I could not have wanted a better partner as the Defence Minister in the Prime Minister that we have today as an absolute champion for AUKUS.”
National Industrial Engagement
The defence minister emphasized that AUKUS represents a national endeavor that will engage industrial capabilities across all Australian states, not just South Australia and Western Australia where major facilities are located.
“We don’t get this done without engaging the industrial bases of those states,” Marles said, referring to Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Marles said he has been working with Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and state ministers to highlight AUKUS’s industrial significance beyond Adelaide.
“And it goes for Tassie and, of course, West Australia has its own story,” Marles said.
Western Australia will host the Submarine Rotational Force West at HMAS Stirling in Rockingham from 2027, where US and UK nuclear-powered submarines will operate.
“But it is absolutely right to say, yes, there is a lot of activity that occurs in South Australia and Western Australia, but we don’t get this done without engaging the entire national industrial base,” Marles said.
He described the end result as “a military capability which is there to keep every Australian safe.”
Evidence on the Ground in Adelaide
Responding to critics who question whether Adelaide-based submarine construction will happen or will be completed in time, Marles pointed to current developments at Osborne as proof of progress.
“I’ve been answering that question pretty consistently since becoming the Defence Minister back in 2022, and I suspect I’ll be answering that question for a number of years to come,” Marles said.
He directed critics to observe the graduate program at ASC, workers preparing to train at Barrow-in-Furness in the UK, and the development of the Skills and Training Academy.
“You can’t look at the development of the Skills and Training Academy without absolutely feeling, in the most palpable sense, AUKUS is happening,” Marles said. “Future nuclear-powered submarines are going to be built right here at the Osborne Naval Shipyard.”
The minister predicted the facility will become “the biggest and most complex industrial facility in the country.”
“So it matters less what I say. It is facts on the ground which actually answer that question,” Marles said.
China Relations and Military Interactions
Marles addressed a recent incident involving a Royal Australian Air Force P-8 aircraft and Chinese jets in the South China Sea, confirming Australia has raised concerns through diplomatic channels.
“Whenever I meet with my counterpart, we raise these issues,” Marles said. “And that has been the case when the Chief of the Defence Force was most recently in China.”
The minister emphasized that Australia has established “a very set procedure” for handling unsafe military interactions, noting that consistent behavior and messaging are crucial.
“There are a lot of interactions between the militaries of Australia and of China in places like the South China Sea,” Marles said. “And the vast majority of those you never hear about. And to be fair, the vast majority of those are safe and professional.”
However, when unsafe incidents occur, Australia follows a strict protocol.
“Where there are instances, and they have occurred, where there are occurrences which are unsafe and unprofessional, we walk through a process and a procedure now,” Marles said. “And we absolutely stick rigidly to that because consistent behaviours and consistent messaging in this moment is really important.”
The minister confirmed Australia made its position “very clear to China” through embassies in both Canberra and Beijing following the recent P-8 incident.
Regarding the specific encounter, Marles clarified that the Australian aircraft was conducting “a routine maritime surveillance patrol that happened in international airspace above international waters.”
“And at every moment, our crew was adhering to international law,” Marles said. “Let me be really clear about that.”
While noting that Chinese jets flying alongside Australian aircraft is “pretty routine,” Marles said the release of flares on two occasions at close range was problematic.
“Were unsafe and unprofessional,” Marles said.
European Defence Partnerships
Marles highlighted expanding defence relationships with European partners, noting recent growth in Australian defence exports and new partnerships with manufacturers including Norway’s Kongsberg, which is opening a missile manufacturing facility in New South Wales’s Hunter Valley.
“We are working very closely with European partners,” Marles said, citing collaboration with Spain, France, Germany and Norway.
The minister said his attendance at NATO meetings, including one in June, revealed a shared understanding among allies that challenges to the international rules-based order in one region affect security globally.
“Where it is under pressure in one part of the world, it’s on trial in every part of the world,” Marles said. “And we all have a shared interest in maintaining it.”
While emphasizing the strength of the US-Australia relationship, Marles acknowledged the value of newer European partnerships.
“And as strong as our relationship is with the United States, and I genuinely believe it’s never been stronger, it would also be true to say that there are a whole lot of newer relationships with European countries, which are fantastic, to be honest, for Australia’s national interest,” Marles said.
The minister’s comments come as Australia navigates complex geopolitical relationships while advancing its largest-ever defence procurement program amid domestic political debate over the government’s management of key international partnerships.
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