Opposition Leaders Demand Answers on Pentagon AUKUS Review as Political Pressure Mounts

Credit: Sussan Ley FB page

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor on Thursday called for urgent answers about a Pentagon review of the AUKUS defence agreement, questioning whether the Albanese government was caught unprepared by the announcement and demanding an immediate meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump.

Ley said the Coalition was "concerned about the Pentagon reviewing AUKUS" and criticized what she called the government's "bystander approach" to managing the critical defence partnership.

"I feel there's something of a bystander approach from Anthony Albanese," Ley told Sky News. "This does look as if the government has been caught somewhat flat-footed by the announcement of this review."

The trilateral AUKUS agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, signed in 2021, centers on Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines and sharing advanced defence technologies. The partnership is considered crucial to Australia's defence strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.

Taylor, speaking at a press conference in Canberra, said the US review "came out of the blue" and raised a series of pointed questions about the government's handling of the situation.

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