The Sydney Morning Herald logo
The Sydney Morning Herald logo

AUKUS

Advertisement
The Chinese government showed off its growing military capabilities at a lavish parade in 2025.

China’s ability to strike targets in Australia is ‘real and growing’

The rapid expansion of China’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet and long-range missile stockpile is fuelling its growing ability to hit targets in Australia, a new report warns.

  • Matthew Knott

Latest

Anthony Albanese is getting ready to meet Donald Trump.

Truth submerged? AUKUS will cost us $368 billion, so this is no time for secrecy

Secrecy in policy development is rarely justified – and it certainly isn’t for AUKUS, our eye-wateringly expensive defence deal with the US and UK.

  • Carmen Lawrence
Australia’s ambassador to the US, Greg Moriarty in a formal ceremony to present his credentials to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last month.

Trump, subs and the Iran war: Australia’s replacement for Rudd has arrived in DC

Australia’s new ambassador to the United States, Greg Moriarty, says the US is fully committed to AUKUS and believes there is a way around the latest round of tariffs imposed on Australia by the Trump administration.

  • Michael Koziol
Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese in September.

Shorten’s Trump fears on AUKUS revealed

The former Labor leader raised concerns about the prospect of Donald Trump being elected and compromising the AUKUS deal in a cabinet meeting in 2023.

  • Paul Sakkal and Matthew Knott
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles are expected to meet again at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore..

Let’s not pretend that new – or old – submarines are what AUKUS is really about

Some say Australia’s new deal is akin to forfeiting a deposit on a new Renault to get a top-of-the-range Tesla, but receiving a second-hand model with 200,000 kilometres on the clock.

  • Clinton Fernandes
Dionne Gain

The big, unspoken issue that drives our strong feelings about second-hand submarines

There is a fundamental frustration that AUKUS seems to be something that just happened. We woke up one morning and there it was. A surprise to the Australian people, a surprise to France, a surprise to Labor.

  • Waleed Aly
Advertisement

Disunity is death, but here’s why more friendly fire might help the PM

The “sheep” on Labor’s backbench will become lambs to the slaughter if they can’t find their voice before the next election.

  • James Massola
A Virginia-class fast attack submarine off the coast of Western Australia this year.

AUKUS spats show the US that Australia still has some explaining to do

The media frenzy over Australia getting “second-hand submarines” from the US shows successive governments haven’t done enough to sell the deal.

  • Michael Koziol
Getty

Would you buy a used submarine from Pete Hegseth? First, a history lesson

Australia’s record of buying used naval boats is chequered, to say the least. Its decision to acquire three second-hand nuclear-powered submarines carries real risks.

  • Clive Williams
Net zero policy: One Nation’s Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce.

Parties that don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it

Democracies are weakened when parties seek power without showing understanding or the ability to govern responsibly.