UK and Australia sign Aukus treaty to build nuclear submarines as Lammy downplays US doubts
The GuardianSaturday, July 26, 2025 at 7:27:42 AM
The UK and Australia have officially inked a 50-year deal under the Aukus pact to collaborate on designing, building, and operating cutting-edge nuclear-powered submarines. The signing took place in Geelong, with defense ministers from both countries sealing the agreement. However, the deal isn’t without its wrinkles—there’s lingering uncertainty due to a pending US review of the broader security pact, and UK shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has tried to brush off concerns about American skepticism.
Editor’s Note: This isn’t just another military handshake—it’s a decades-long commitment that solidifies Western allies’ push to counterbalance China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. Nuclear subs are a big deal: they’re stealthier, more powerful, and signal a major shift in Australia’s defense strategy. But the US hesitation lurking in the background raises questions about how smoothly this high-stakes partnership will run. If the Aukus plan holds, it could reshape regional power dynamics; if it stumbles, it might expose cracks in allied coordination. Either way, it’s worth watching.
— Curated via WP Now’s
