- AUKUS partnership “full steam ahead” as US review concludes
and focus shifts to delivery.
- UK has committed £6 billion to AUKUS in the last 18 months
alone, bolstering Britain's security and driving growth.
- Continuous UK submarine building under AUKUS set to deliver
up to 12 new attack submarines and support over 20,000 British
jobs.
Attack submarines and advanced military technology will help
protect the UK, US and Australia as all three nations fully
commit to the historic partnership, with the work set to create
more than 7,000 UK jobs.
Following the conclusion of the United States' AUKUS review, the
partnership is “full steam ahead” for delivery of cutting-edge
equipment which will help deter adversaries in the Indo-Pacific
and Euro-Atlantic regions.
Defence Secretary joined his counterparts, US
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Australian Defence Minister
Richard Marles, at the Pentagon today to collectively shift the
focus of the AUKUS partnership to delivery – declaring that
business as usual is "not an option".
With global instability rising, the three nations agreed that
AUKUS must now move at pace to translate plans into hard
capability. The meeting marked a decisive shift towards delivery
for submarine development and turning advanced military
technology projects into frontline warfighting capabilities under
Pillar II.
The UK is backing this commitment with action, investing £6
billion under the current government into critical infrastructure
at Barrow and Derby that will realise the ability to construct a
new AUKUS submarine every 18 months.
SSN-AUKUS will be the most powerful attack submarines ever
operated by the Royal Navy, creating more than 7,000 new jobs
across the UK supply chain and backing 21,000 jobs at peak
production, making defence an engine for growth and supporting
the government's Plan for Change.
That benefit is already being felt, with more than 3,000 new jobs
across key UK sites for nuclear work have been created since July
2024, with an additional 4,400 construction roles expected to be
created over the coming years.
Defence Secretary MP said:
"This is full steam ahead for AUKUS. Our reviews are done. Now,
we deliver.
“In this new era of threat, with adversaries who are increasingly
cooperating, business as usual is not an
option.
“AUKUS is too significant and the stakes are too high for it to
be allowed to drift. Our driving focus now is overcoming any
barriers to delivery. And the UK is all in.
“With billions being invested in UK infrastructure, this
programme demonstrates defence as an engine for growth – boosting
our shared security, keeping our people safe and creating good
jobs across our three nations."
The work builds on the UK leadership as part of the Coalition of
the Willing for Ukraine, and the UK's move to be at the leading
edge of innovation in NATO, including through the pioneering
hybrid Navy approach announced earlier this week. Britain is also
providing increased technical and military assistance to
Australia through the Geelong Treaty to accelerate Australian
capability to operate nuclear-powered submarines.
AUKUS will deliver significant economic benefits for communities
across the UK. The partnership will expand Britain's submarine
fleet with up to 12 attack boats, supported by continuous
production delivering a new submarine every 18 months.
The wider Defence Nuclear Enterprise is projected to support
around 65,000 UK jobs by 2030. These are highly skilled,
well-paid positions, with nuclear sector salaries averaging
£45,500 – 20% above the national average. This investment is
bringing prosperity to areas of Britain with the greatest need,
demonstrating how defence spending delivers real benefits to
working people across the country.
