UK "All In" on AUKUS submarine and tech delivery as partnership powers full steam ahead
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-10)

The Defence Secretary met with his US and Australian counterparts in the United States to discuss the progress on AUKUS.

AUKUS partnership “full steam ahead” as US review concludes and focus shifts to delivery.

UK has committed £6 billion to AUKUS in the last 18 months alone, bolstering Britain’s security and driving growth.

Continuous UK submarine building under AUKUS set to deliver up to 12 new attack submarines and support over 20,000 British jobs.

Attack submarines and advanced military technology will help protect the UK, US and Australia as all three nations fully commit to the historic partnership, with the work set to create more than 7,000 UK jobs.

Following the conclusion of the United States’ AUKUS review, the partnership is “full steam ahead” for delivery of cutting-edge equipment which will help deter adversaries in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions.

Defence Secretary John Healey joined his counterparts, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, at the Pentagon today to collectively shift the focus of the AUKUS partnership to delivery – declaring that business as usual is “not an option”.

With global instability rising, the three nations agreed that AUKUS must now move at pace to translate plans into hard capability. The meeting marked a decisive shift towards delivery for submarine development and turning advanced military technology projects into frontline warfighting capabilities under Pillar II.

The UK is backing this commitment with action, investing £6 billion under the current government into critical infrastructure at Barrow and Derby that will realise the ability to construct a new AUKUS submarine every 18 months.

SSN-AUKUS will be the most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, creating more than 7,000 new jobs across the UK supply chain and backing 21,000 jobs at peak production, making defence an engine for growth and supporting the government’s Plan for Change.

That benefit is already being felt, with more than 3,000 new jobs across key UK sites for nuclear work have been created since July 2024, with an additional 4,400 construction roles expected to be created over the coming years.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

This is full steam ahead for AUKUS. Our reviews are done. Now, we deliver.

In this new era of threat, with adversaries who are increasingly cooperating, business as usual is not an option.

AUKUS is too significant and the stakes are too high for it to be allowed to drift. Our driving focus now is overcoming any barriers to delivery. And the UK is all in.

With billions being invested in UK infrastructure, this programme demonstrates defence as an engine for growth – boosting our shared security, keeping our people safe and creating good jobs across our three nations. The work builds on the UK leadership as part of the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine, and the UK’s move to be at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, including through the pioneering hybrid Navy approach announced earlier this week. Britain is also providing increased technical and military assistance to Australia through the Geelong Treaty to accelerate Australian capability to operate nuclear-powered submarines.

AUKUS will deliver significant economic benefits for communities across the UK. The partnership will expand Britain’s submarine fleet with up to 12 attack boats, supported by continuous production delivering a new submarine every 18 months.

The wider Defence Nuclear Enterprise is projected to support around 65,000 UK jobs by 2030. These are highly skilled, well-paid positions, with nuclear sector salaries averaging £45,500 – 20% above the national average. This investment is bringing prosperity to areas of Britain with the greatest need, demonstrating how defence spending delivers real benefits to working people across the country.

ENDS