Sentiment regarding the AUKUS treaty is largely mixed, with many Australians expressing skepticism about dependence on foreign military alliances and concerns over the treaty's cost and implications for national autonomy. While some view it as a vital step for national security, others criticize the potential erosion of domestic military independence.

Australian Government

UK Government

US Government

Australia and the UK have tended to be politically aligned, if working together lessens US military dependence we should do it.

Jealous-Hedgehog-734

I could’ve sworn that just yesterday this sub was talking about how stupid AUKUS is, and that we should pull out of it right away.

EternalAngst23

ELI5 why couldn’t we just buy the nuclear version of the French sub we had already paid for? 

The sub was designed to be nuclear powered, but they retrofitted a diesel motor specifically because we asked them to. Wouldn’t it have been easier, cheaper and quicker to just buy the ‘off the shelf’ model of what we were already committed to? I don’t have an issue with AUKUS as a concept, but it’s wasting a huge amount of money on something decades in the future.

AnyClownFish

If we are to defend our waters, and project power up into the China sea etc, we will need nuclear subs. 

It's very expensive, and it's gonna take years to come online, but the conflict in Europe shows what happens when you let military spending slide.

Brilliant-Gap8299

Decent news.

With the way America is behaving i can see this being just a two party deal in the not to distant future and the US bit will be dropped from the acronym making it just AUK. Perhaps Canada might want to join if and when the US backs out.

LuckyErro

Its aim is to specifically tie Australia to US/Britain war against China. Why would we want to that

ApartmentCorrect9206

We’re never gonna see these subs would of been better to just get some nukes from the US and called it a day like around 5-10

01benjamin

So is Australia replacing their subs or not?

Ariliescbk

j_thebetter

Gotta love it, we're just signing up to give them 40 billion while we will get fucked.

lifendeath1

How deep is the PM's tongue up Trump's arse?

Unindoctrinated

This is great, but most of the money is flowing one way, from Australia to the UK. I would love to see the UK buy some Australian equipment. We make some wicked radars, like JORN and CEAFAR. Plus the bushmaster is a great vehicle as well, proven in combat.

jp72423

Such a relief to see this is continuing, despite the US messing everyone about, AGAIN

PlanktonLeft5868

AUKUS is an abomination. It’s merely a way of ensuring Australia remains a US regional deputy and expeditionary warfare partner when the US inevitably confronts China. It’s an incredible waste of money for a capability that does very little to be useful to the ADF in any other context than the above. 

Australia should absolutely strengthen alliance with the UK but the US will do nothing but lead us into another pointless war along side the war mongers in Washington. AUKUS should be scrapped yesterday.

timmyfromearth

This article may be paywalled. If you encounter difficulties reading the article, try [this link](https://archive.is/?run=1&amp;url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/25/australia-uk-50-year-defence-treaty-aukus) for an archived version.


*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unitedkingdom) if you have any questions or concerns.*

AutoModerator

Personally, I am not a fan of how our PM is handling our internal politics, but he's been handling our foreign affairs (minus Trump) with surprising competency

DangerousCap2473

When there was a time, requiring a treaty just to defend a dominion such as Australia would have been unheard of. I feel weird about this treaty, not that Britain shouldn't defend Australia, but that has the decolonisation process reached to such level that defending Australia won't be a given, unless it is guaranteed bya treaty?

doolittle_Ma

After the surrender of Singapore is it a good idea...

AncientFerret119

**Greetings humans.**

**Please make sure your comment fits within [THE RULES](https://www.reddit.com/r/AustralianPolitics/about/rules) and that you have put in some effort to articulate your opinions to the best of your ability.**

**I mean it!! Aspire to be as "scholarly" and "intellectual" as possible. If you can't, then maybe this subreddit is not for you.**

A friendly reminder from your political robot overlord

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AustralianPolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*

The only reason we even approached the US is that we needed the *Virginia* class subs until the 2040s when the *AUKUS* class British subs were ready.

If the British had the capacity to build and sell us their current *Astute* class boats I have no doubt we would have just bought from them.

Edit: while we’re here, you think we could buy into the *Tempest* stealth fighter program between the UK, Italy, and Japan? It would be a good replacement for the F35 in a couple decades.

mbrocks3527

&gt;The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Euan Graham told the ABC he saw the new AUKUS treaty less as a signal to the Trump Administration, and "more of a reflection that AUKUS has always been a 3-way arrangement, and that the UK-Australia side of the triangle is vital to its success".
&gt;
&gt;"The UK Labour government has affirmed its strong commitment to AUKUS, and sees it partly as a way to generate economies of scale that will enable the Royal Navy to expand its own submarine force, from seven to 12 boats," he said.

Basically, this is a "worse-case plan" for both Australia and the UK if the US completely tears up AUKUS or proves to be so unreliable, the UK would then be the recipient of Australia's funding for backup subs.

I'm not the biggest defence nut, but I think at one point we were going to go with off-the-shelf Japanese subs, just the deal failed cause they would have been maintained in Japan, meanwhile we are still trying to confirm delivery of any subs now...

MentalMachine

50yrs of repayments and a handful of subs

hopefully the chinese will learn their lesson at the end

i wonder if scott's kids will get his aukus residuals atfer he goes... i mean tbf being his kids, they probably earned it

TonyJZX

They'll go to any length to stay in Eurovision.

throw667

From the [UK Government](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-on-australia-uk-ministerial-consultations-aukmin-july-2025):

&gt; 8 . Ministers announced their intent to sign a bilateral AUKUS treaty between the UK and Australia on Saturday, 26 July. The Treaty is a landmark agreement, which will underpin the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I.        
&gt;              
&gt; 39 . The Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of our SSN-AUKUS submarines; support the development of the personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory systems required for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program; and realise increased port visits and the rotational presence of a UK Astute Class submarine at HMAS Stirling under Submarine Rotational Force – West.        
&gt;              
&gt; 40 . The Treaty will enable our two countries to deliver a cutting-edge undersea capability through the SSN-AUKUS, in conjunction with our partner the US. Through working together we are supporting stability and security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond for decades to come, creating thousands of jobs, strengthening our economies and supply chains, building our respective submarine industrial bases and providing new opportunities for industry partners.        
&gt;              
&gt; 41 . Ministers welcomed the significant progress made towards delivering Pillar I, including the entry into force of the AUKUS Naval Nuclear Propulsion Agreement between Australia, the UK and US on 17 January 2025 and the progress in design of the SSN-AUKUS submarines that will be operated by the RN and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).        
&gt;              
&gt; 42 . Ministers welcomed the UK’s June commitment, in its Strategic Defence Review, to build up to 12 SSN-A submarines, and continuous submarine production through investments in Barrow and Raynesway that will allow the UK to produce a submarine every 18 months, and recognised the UK’s additional investment to transform the UK’s submarine industrial base.        
&gt;              
&gt; 43 . Ministers reaffirmed Australia and the UK’s strong and ongoing commitment to the delivery of the AUKUS Optimal Pathway. Reflecting the UK’s enduring dedication to this partnership, and long-standing engagement in the Indo-Pacific, Ministers welcomed the planned deployment of a RN submarine to undertake a port visit to Australia in 2026, delivering a varied programme of operational and engagement activities. The visit will support preparations for the establishment of the Submarine Rotational Force – West from as early as 2027, and represents another step forward on the shared path towards the delivery of SSN-AUKUS - ensuring our navies are ready, integrated, and capable of operating together to promote security and stability in the region.        
&gt;              
&gt; 44 . Ministers underscored the importance of ensuring Australia’s acquisition of a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability sets the highest non-proliferation standard, and endorsed continued close engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

There's a suggestion in the article that Australia might seek to have the first boats for the RAN built in the UK, but this is utterly impractical. There's only one shipyard capable of building nuclear boats here and given the decision to increase the SSN force to 12 boats instead of 7 they're going to be very busy for a very long time.

tree_boom

Fair winds and following seas!! 

🌊🇦🇺🇬🇧🇺🇸🌊

ButMuhNarrative

Chester_roaster

Biggest problem I see aside from an impressive chunk of money is that Oz may very well have no subs if the Collins class can't be kept afloat untill the new subs arrive.  It looks very much like the US can't deliver Virginia's to bridge the gap or will have ridiculous new demands.

hmtk1976

Australia and the UK are set to sign a 50-year cooperation treaty focused on building nuclear-powered submarines in response to concerns over China's military expansion.

AUKUS Defense Treaty between Australia and UK

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

Parties Involved

What the people want