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Australia concerned with Trump potentially ending AUKUS cooperation — The Washington Post

According to the experts interviewed, there is also a strong likelihood that the US president-elect will impose new demands on Australia, rather than withdrawing from the partnership

WASHINGTON, November 8. /TASS/. The AUKUS military alliance, comprising Australia, the UK, and the US, which was established during Joe Biden's presidency, now faces uncertainty following the victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump in the US presidential election, The Washington Post reported, citing Australian analysts.

"Under Trump, there is a significant risk that he’ll scrap AUKUS, not because he’s advised to by his military but just because he doesn’t like allies," Hugh White, a defense analyst at the Australian National University, told the newspaper.

According to the experts interviewed, there is also a strong likelihood that the US president-elect will impose new demands on Australia, rather than withdrawing from the partnership. "Trump will inevitably want Australia to do more, to pump up its defense spending," Charles Edel, the inaugural Australia Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, remarked. Australian officials refer to the trilateral alliance as the largest industrial project in the nation’s history. The country has already committed billions to the initiative, with costs projected to reach $250 billion to acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines.

Edel also emphasized that while there are people in both Australia and the US, who support the continuation of the partnership, that alone is not "a guarantee that Trump will be automatically supportive of AUKUS." The newspaper notes that Trump has not yet publicly commented on the matter of AUKUS.

AUKUS is a strategic defense alliance between the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, established in September 2021 with the goal of advancing joint defense initiatives. One of the primary initiatives is focused on assisting Australia in acquiring a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The second initiative aims to foster collaboration in the development of military technologies across eight key areas, including underwater systems, quantum technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, electronic warfare, hypersonic aircraft, innovation, and information-sharing systems.

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