The long-awaited Pentagon review has backed the AUKUS agreement and endorsed US President Donald Trump’s call for it to proceed “full steam ahead.”
However, the review, conducted by Pentagon Under Secretary Elbridge Colby, did identify some areas where change was needed to put it on its "strongest possible footing."
But since the review has not been released and may never be, those areas aren’t yet known.
"We are in receipt of the AUKUS review now. We're working through the AUKUS review, and we very much thank the United States for providing it to us," Defence Minister Richard Marles told reporters on Thursday.
"What's really important here is the United States is completely supportive of AUKUS."
"Consistent with President Trump's guidance that AUKUS should move 'full steam ahead,' the review identified opportunities to put AUKUS on the strongest possible footing," said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement to the media.
The review has reached the Australian government just in time for the annual Australia-US Ministerial (AUSMIN) meeting to be held in Washington next week.
This is the highest-level defence and security talks between the US and Australia and will be the first AUSMIN for the current Trump administration. Attending will be Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
It has traditionally been held alternatively in the US and Australia. With the 2024 AUSMIN held in Annapolis in the US, AUSMIN 2025 should have been held in Australia.
The AUKUS agreement was launched in 2021, with a primary focus on providing nuclear powered but not nuclear armed submarines to Australia.
Under the 2023 Optimal Pathway, starting in the 2030s and pending Congressional approval, the US will sell Australia three Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines, with an option for two more if needed.
In the late 2030s, the UK Royal Navy will receive the first SSN-AUKUS, an all-new design. The Royal Australian Navy will take delivery of the first Australian-built SSN-AUKUS in the early 2040s.
The Pentagon announced the AUKUS review in mid-year, accompanied by speculation that the Trump administration, with its US first agenda, was not completely supportive of the agreement.
That was mostly allayed by President Trump’s assurances to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during their meeting in October that all was well.
However, there remain concerns.
One is that the US submarine builders just aren’t making SSNs fast enough to meet US Navy requirements, let alone Australia. Current production is around 1.3 boats per year, when output needs to be 2.3 boats per year.
In order to build US shipbuilding capacity, Australia has provided $1.6 billion in funding, with more to come.
Another US concern is that Australia is not spending enough on defence as the country currently only spends two per cent of GDP when the US would like to see much more.
A concern from the Australian end is what controls might the US seek to exert over use of Australian SSNs, for example, in supporting US actions against China.
In order to operate SSNs, Australia needs to stand up suitably skilled uniformed and civilian workforces, a regulatory system and infrastructure.
One US politician who has seen the Pentagon review is Joe Courtney, a Democrat member of the House Armed Services Committee.
He noted that AUKUS had so far survived three changes of government in all three nations and still stood strong.
"The statutory authority enacted by Congress in 2023 will remain intact, including the sale of three Virginia-class submarines starting in 2032,” he said.
"The report correctly determined that there are critical deadlines that all three countries have to meet. Therefore, maintaining disciplined adherence to schedule is paramount."