Reuters
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump supported the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, after Australia on Friday confirmed its first $500 million payment under the defense pact. "The President is very aware, supportive of AUKUS, recognises the importance of the defense industrial base," Hegseth said in opening remarks of a meeting in Washington with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, according to a transcript on Saturday. Under AUKUS, Australia will pay the United States $3 billion to boost the capacity of the U.S. submarine industry, and Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s, while Britain and Australia will later build a new AUKUS-class submarine.