The British parliament’s defence committee has launched an inquiry to examine whether the AUKUS partnership is on track under “the impact of geopolitical shifts”.
Experts say no evidence has been seen at this time that the inquiry is likely to recommend that the United Kingdom withdraw from the AUKUS program.
But what does this inquiry mean to Australia, and how has the Australian government reacted?
Let’s find out.
What do parliament committees do?
It’s important to note up-front what role the defence committee plays.
Parliamentary committees are a long-standing means of scrutinising government decisions, providing detailed reviews, and holding inquiries to ensure key strategies and policies are fit for their purpose.
“It is entirely reasonable and appropriate that the defence committee seek to exercise its rights to conduct a review into AUKUS, three and a half years after it was announced,” said David Andrews, a senior policy adviser at the National Security College of the Australian National University.
Why has the UK launched this inquiry?
Mr Andrews said this was an important opportunity for the UK to take the pulse of the $368 billion AUKUS project.
AUKUS is a trilateral security agreement between Australia, the US and the UK that was announced in 2021.
The deal, comprised of two pillars, will see Australia end up with a total of eight new nuclear-powered submarines named SSN-AUKUS.
Five of the eight SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered subs will be delivered by the middle of the 2050s, with the final three delivered in the 2060s.
Mr Andrews said the inquiry would help identify areas where greater progress needs to be made and consider the risks to the program’s success.
“Some areas of public policymaking are subject to frequent reviews, like Australia’s intelligence community, which has had a new review every 7-10 years since the 1970s,” he told the ABC.
“This is reflective of the policy and legal complexity that relates to that topic, as well as its significant implications for national security and public support in the good operation of an inherently secretive function of government.”
Mr Andrews added that the consideration of the inquiry given to “changes in the geopolitical situation” was one of several focused areas.
“The inquiry also focuses on the question of whether the UK government processes and accountability structures are appropriate for managing AUKUS, and the impact of export control law reforms on technological innovation between the partners,” he said.
Will AUKUS deal be at stake?
Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, and Rishi Sunak at the launch of the AUKUS deal in the US. (Supplied: Defence Images)
Mr Andrews said he could see no direct connection between the Trump administration’s tariffs policies and the commissioning of the inquiry, which may have been in development for some time.
“My interpretation of this inquiry is that it is actively focused on ensuring the most effective and efficient delivery of AUKUS, given how invested the UK is in the success of the program, while being mindful of the emergent geopolitical risks,” he said.
“Both [UK] Conservative and Labour governments have expressed their support for AUKUS, including because of its touted economic benefits, so it is in their interests to ensure the program delivers on that promise.
“To achieve that end, it is appropriate, and indeed necessary, to hold regular reviews of this sort.“
Mr Andrews highlighted that the UK was also concurrently developing its new Strategic Defence Review and a separate report into AUKUS led by Sir Stephen Lovegrove, who was appointed as the UK government’s AUKUS adviser.
“So this is just one of several means of reviewing the program,” he said.
What has been the reaction?
Here is what the Australian Submarine Agency told the ABC.
AUKUS is an ambitious initiative that relies on significant effort across all three partner countries to implement.
The UK is focused on how it is positioned to deliver AUKUS, and ensure it maximises the benefits of AUKUS as a whole-of-nation endeavour.
The UK’s AUKUS adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove has been exploring these matters for the UK government over recent months.
We welcome the additional insights the Defence Select Committee can provide to this, including through its broad public engagement remit.
We value the strong and enduring bipartisan support across the UK for the strategic benefits of the AUKUS partnership.
What happens next?
The committee has called for written evidence submissions for the inquiry, with the deadline scheduled for May 30.
After that, Mr Andrews said he expected hearings would be held based on those initial submissions.
“The committee would then compile a report, and the government would, in turn, publish a response to the committee’s findings and potentially act on those of the committee’s recommendations that it endorses,” he said.
