Colin Clark

Canberra and Washington "have an unparalleled opportunity to fashion broader, stronger, and multilayered partnerships," writes Evan Feigenbaum of the Carnegie Foundation. "But this, in turn, will require self-reflection, not just cheerleading."

Canberra and Washington "have an unparalleled opportunity to fashion broader, stronger, and multilayered partnerships," writes Evan Feigenbaum of the Carnegie Foundation. "But this, in turn, will require self-reflection, not just cheerleading."

"Japan has an excellent chance of success in this program, particularly if the broader technological partnership it will enable is understood clearly at government level in both nations," wrote Michael Shoebridge, founder of Strategic Analysis Australia.

"Not only will this allow the Philippines access to higher capabilities and big-ticket items from the United States, it will also open opportunities to pursue similar agreements with like-minded nations," Philippine Defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong said according to local media.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said categorically that "we expect that Japan will join AUKUS Pillar Two at some point in the not-too-distant future to work on specific projects that have yet to be named."

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said categorically that "we expect that Japan will join AUKUS Pillar Two at some point in the not-too-distant future to work on specific projects that have yet to be named."

"Defence continues to enhance the size and lethality of Navy’s surface combatant fleet, as directed by Government in February 2024, and is progressing the acquisition of Australia’s general purpose frigate by engaging with exemplar platform nations and tenderers," an Australian DoD spokesman told Breaking Defense.

Australia "has been a little bit slow off the mark" in communicating with the public about AUKUS," Tracey Hanley, one of Australia's tiny group of nuclear-qualified people, told Breaking Defense at the conference.

"I am sure some companies will seriously consider the business case for dealing with defense as a customer in the future, which I worry will mean our warfighters will miss out on homegrown innovations that can make a difference on the battlefield,” Jeremy Hallett, head of the Space Industry Association of Australia, said in a statement.

"If our Collins class SSKs are non-operational in 2024, I really doubt that they will be a credible force through the remainder of this decade, let alone into the next one," Malcolm Davis, a defense expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said.