AUKUS spats show the US that Australia still has some explaining to do

June 4, 2026 — 3:30pm

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What a difference a year makes.

It was almost exactly 12 months ago that the Pentagon launched an ominous “review” into AUKUS, the defence pact with Australia and the UK signed in 2021 by president Joe Biden. With a declared AUKUS sceptic, Elbridge Colby, at the helm, and recently re-elected US President Donald Trump’s position unknown, it seemed like the US was on the brink of backtracking on the deal.

Now, after Trump declared it was “full steam ahead”, the Americans are lock-stock behind AUKUS (strategically, at least), and it is Australia where the political commitment is being tested.

For now, the hubbub Down Under – a “public inquiry” into AUKUS led by Peter Garrett, some grumblings from Labor MPs and a media mini-frenzy over whether the Virginia-class submarines will be new or “second hand” – has barely registered in Washington.

But it feeds into a disquiet in the AUKUS community – and a concern among some officials and policymakers – that Australia has not done enough to sell AUKUS to the public, and that the political consensus around the agreement is still not strong enough.

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© Brisbane Times