US Revealing More on AUKUS than RAN Ever Will

Here’s an interesting AUKUS Review offering:

Any details resulting from the AUKUS Review activity announcement BELOW may provide opportunities for Australian Senate Estimates, APDR, bloggers and the Press to try and squeeze information out of our gagged RAN Admirals and part time Defence Minister Marles.

In coming weeks after this AUKUS Review we may also learn more about the state of AUKUS from the publically forthcoming US side (Congress, US DoD and the USN) than our gagged RAN Admirals and other AUKUS staff who labour under undemocratic secrecy parameters. The fact is Australia must simply rely on US goodwill as we have no bargaining power over when, or even if, we receive Virginias.

Hence the RAN is prevented from contributing to an ASPI or Parliamentary Library report of the calibre of the Congressional Research Service's (CRS) output. In that regard see the CRS's 2023 reports to Congress on Virginia procurement shortages and the AUKUS impairing USN Virginia availability. 

One can never ask "Will the US reimburse Australia, for the $Billions we are  donating to the US Virginia industrial base, if the US cancels its Virginia offer?"

Anyway. See US DoD Media Release of 7/8 November 2023

at https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3582952/performing-the-duties-of-deputy-under-secretary-of-defense-for-policy-dr-mara-k/

“…Performing the Duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Mara Karlin will lead a senior interagency delegation to Australia this week for a series of high-level trilateral engagements to advance the AUKUS defense and security partnership to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The delegation comprises officials from across the Department of Defense, representatives from the National Security Council staff, the Department of State, and the Department of Energy.

In Canberra, Dr. Karlin will co-chair, alongside her United Kingdom and Australian counterparts, the trilateral governance bodies for the two Pillars of AUKUS
– conventionally-armed, nuclear powered submarines (Pillar I) and advanced capabilities (Pillar II).

The AUKUS Submarine Executive Group will review progress in Pillar I to support Australia’s acquisition of a sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability…”

More at https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3582952/performing-the-duties-of-deputy-under-secretary-of-defense-for-policy-dr-mara-k/