Australia to get nuclear subs faster as Trump seeks to accelerate AUKUS timeline

The United States wants to accelerate the equipping of Australia with nuclear submarines as part of the trilateral agreement between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom to strengthen the Australian submarine force aimed at countering Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.

Under the deal, known as AUKUS, the United States will sell Australia up to five Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines, scheduled for delivery as early as 2032. Additionally, Australia and the United Kingdom will then coordinate to build additional attack submarines for the Australian fleet.

But President Donald Trump told reporters he was considering a faster timetable, when asked if he wanted to speed up the process.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is interviewed for a breakfast show in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Tuesday September 16, 2025. Papua New Guinea is celebrating 50 years of independence. (Image Mick Tsikas/AAP via AP)

“Well, we’re doing that, yes…we’re moving them forward very, very quickly,” Trump told reporters Monday while meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House.

Despite this, Trump also said he did not believe AUKUS was necessary to deter China, touting his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he is expected to meet in South Korea later in October.

“I don’t think we’re going to need it,” Trump said of the trilateral deal. “I think everything will be fine with China. China doesn’t want to do this. First of all, the United States is by far the strongest military power in the world. It’s not even close, not even close. We have the best equipment. We have the best of everything, and no one is going to interfere. And I don’t see that with President Xi at all.”

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The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788) is seen during the commissioning ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London in 2018. (Dana Jensen/The Day via AP, File)

Meanwhile, the AUKUS deal is not on very stable footing as the United States faces its own challenges in shipbuilding capabilities.

A reduced workforce and insufficient supply chain in the U.S. shipbuilding industry could thwart deals, according to a Congressional Research Service report released in March. The report also warns that the U.S. Navy will suffer a 20-year shortage of attack submarines.

Although the Navy has ordered two boats per year for the past decade, U.S. shipyards have only been able to produce 1.2 Virginia-class submarines per year since 2022, according to the report.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the White House on October 20. (Image Mick Tsikas/AAP via AP)

Trump and Albanese also signed a crucial minerals deal during their meeting on Monday. The agreement will require the two countries to invest more than $3 billion over the next six months in critical mining projects, according to a White House fact sheet.

The agreement also requires the War Department to invest in an advanced 100 tonne per year gallium refinery in Western Australia to support “self-reliance in the processing of critical minerals”, according to the fact sheet.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.