The Trump administration has pressed Australia to lift defence spending from two per cent to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product, as the Pentagon also conducts a review of the trilateral AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership.
In 2023, the United States, Australia, and Britain unveiled details of the plan to sell Australia US nuclear-powered attack submarines from the early 2030s, and later build submarines, to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.
