Pentagon official and former Aukus sceptic says deal is ‘full steam ahead’, echoing Trump
Elbridge Colby, a US under secretary of war, says he is ‘very pleased’ with the nuclear submarine program’s progress Elbridge Colby, the third-highest-ranking official at the Pentagon and formerly an avowed Aukus sceptic , has mirrored his president’s language on the nuclear submarine deal, saying it is “full steam ahead”. Colby, a US under secretary of war, was the author of the Trump administration’s review of the Aukus deal, which would see the US sell three in-service Virginia-class submarines to Australia, before the development of Australia’s domestically built Aukus-class submarines. The original draft of Colby’s review was understood to be sceptical about the Aukus agreement’s prospects of success, but was re-written - on some accounts twice - to more closely align with the president’s position that Aukus was “full steam ahead”. Colby told an Asia-Pacific press briefing on Thursday “we’re very pleased to say that Aukus is - as the president said - full steam ahead”. US boat-building rates have remained stubbornly laggard.
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And there are significant concerns the US cannot build enough submarines for its own needs, let alone any for Australia. • Second, by the “late 2030s”, according to the "optimal pathway" outlined in Australia’s submarine industry strategy , the UK will launch the first specifically designed and built Aukus submarine for Britain’s Royal Navy.
