State Department Official Mum About Future of AUKUS but Says It Has Support
A senior State Department official declined to say this week whether the Trump administration is considering withdrawing from the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) security partnership, but she said the administration is generally in favor of the partnership.
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Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, speaking during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing June 23, said both President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have “expressed support” for AUKUS. But Rep. Gabe Amo, D-R.I., said he’s concerned the Defense Department’s ongoing review of the agreement means that the administration isn’t fully committed (see 2506130048).
Asked by Amo whether Hooker is “willing to commit to us right now that the administration will not pull out of AUKUS,” Hooker said: “That is not within my authority to be able to do today for you.”
She declined to speak about what aspects of the partnership the Pentagon may be reviewing. “I will reiterate, the president and the secretary of state have expressed support for AUKUS,” Hooker said. “That's the leadership that I follow.”
Amo said he hopes the administration is able to “preserve this essential partnership for our national security and our priorities to our defense industrial base here, and so much more that is positive from international agreements which have been challenged by this administration.”
As part of the AUKUS deal, the U.S. has created new exceptions for certain defense-related exports controlled under both the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the Export Administration Regulations (see 2412040044).