U.S. President Donald Trump backs the $368 billion U.S.-Australia submarine deal and is committed to ensuring off-the-shelf boats are delivered on time, his top defence official says.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hosted Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles in Washington on Saturday in his first meeting with a foreign counterpart since being appointed on Jan. 29.
The pair primarily discussed the trilateral AUKUS alliance, including the nuclear-powered submarines deal that amounts to Australia’s largest capital purchase in history.
Hegseth offered the first indication of Trump’s support for the AUKUS deal in the absence of any comment from the returning president….