Australia should be talking to Trump about AUKUS: ex-security chief Michael Rogers
Andrew Tillett - Mar 19, 2024
Australia needs to sell the benefits of the AUKUS pact for the US to Donald Trump to prevent the planned sale of nuclear-powered submarines being knocked off course, a former US security chief who served in the Trump presidency says.
Former US National Security Agency head Michael Rogers said in an interview with The Australian Financial Review that Australian officials should reach out to Mr Trump and his campaign ahead of November’s presidential election to shore up the trilateral deal between Australia, the US and UK.
“AUKUS talks about strategic investments both in the submarine manufacturing arena as well as the broader tech arena. My argument would be those are in the best interests of both nations and provide benefits to both,” said Mr Rogers, who was appointed head of the NSA under Barack Obama in 2014 and whose term ended four years later during the Trump presidency.
The Australian and British governments are expected to announce on Friday that British shipbuilder BAE Systems will build nuclear-powered submarines in Adelaide.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles will host their UK counterparts David Cameron and Grant Shapps in Canberra on Thursday before heading to Adelaide for the annual AUKMIN joint talks.
Mr Marles and Mr Shapps are also expected to announce new measures boosting cooperation between the Australian and British militaries.
BAE Systems has long been touted as the builder of the submarine. It builds the Royal Navy’s submarines in England and has a big presence in Adelaide, where it is about to start building frigates for the Australian navy.
“In an increasingly complex strategic environment, the United Kingdom remains a critical partner in support of a rules-based global order,” Mr Marles said.
Under AUKUS, Australia and the UK are developing a next generation nuclear-powered submarine. The UK expects to deliver the first of its submarines in the late 2030s, while the first Australian built submarine will arrive in the early 2040s.
But before that, the AUKUS agreement calls for the US to transfer to Australia at least three and up to five Virginia class submarines.
However, concerns have been raised that the unpredictable Mr Trump and his “America First” mantra may not honour the deal if he returns to the White House.
Mr Rogers, who is visiting Australia in his role as a member of cybersecurity firm CyberCX’s global advisory board, said it was crucial for Australian officials to educate Mr Trump about Australian concerns, walk him through the AUKUS process and emphasis the important role the US president has to play in delivering the program.
“One of the points to make is AUKUS talks about investment in US infrastructure and US shipbuilding technology,” Mr Rogers said.
“There is a definite component to this that helps the United States in addition to helping Australia and the UK.
“Don’t wait until you have a winner … because remember when you are elected as president of the United States, you are trying to prepare for a whole lot of different issues. Lots of people want a piece of your time, lots of people want your attention.”
Mr Rogers said there was strong institutional support for AUKUS, pointing out the Pentagon’s past two budgets made specific references to the pact. He also downplayed that AUKUS was at risk after the most recent budget included funding to build only one new submarine in 2025.
“Let’s see what the Congress decided. If I was a betting man, we’re going to fund two Virginia class submarines in 2025, would be my guess,” he said.
Mr Rogers said the Turnbull and Morrison governments’ successful management of relations with Mr Trump during his first term in office offered pointers for how the Albanese government should handle him.
“I would argue that during President Trump’s term of office, he ultimately had a stronger relationship in many ways with Australia for example than he did with the United Kingdom which we traditionally talk about as the ‘special relationship’,” he said.
''“My recommendation to my Australian teammates would be is there is a lot to learn from the past. I would step back and ask ‘How did you manage to put the US-Australian relationship in such a strong position during President Trump’s term’?”''
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/australia-should-be-talking-to-trump-about-aukus-ex-security-chief-20240319-p5fdhn
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