In a landmark address to the United States Congress — the first by a British monarch in more than 30 years — King Charles III has publicly thrown his support behind the trilateral AUKUS security partnership, framing the ambitious $368 billion submarine initiative as a cornerstone of collective long-term security for the three allied nations.
The rare joint address to American lawmakers saw the monarch highlight deep existing defense cooperation between the United Kingdom and the United States, noting that thousands of service members and their families from each country are stationed across the other’s territory. Beyond the joint production of F-35 fighter jets, King Charles centered his remarks on AUKUS, the security pact between the UK, US and Australia that he called “the most ambitious submarine program in history.”
As the reigning sovereign of Australia, the King emphasized personal pride in the partnership, stressing that the collaboration is not rooted in mere sentiment. “We do not embark on these remarkable endeavours together out of sentiment,” he told the assembled legislators. “We do so because they build greater shared resilience for the future, so making our citizens safer for generations to come.”
King Charles’ endorsement of the pact comes just one day after a British parliamentary inquiry released a critical assessment warning that the ambitious $368 billion program faces significant risk due to a lack of consistent, high-profile political leadership. The inquiry’s report called on new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step into a more public, active role in advancing the initiative, warning that ongoing political drift could ultimately derail the project.
But top Australian officials have moved quickly to push back on these concerns, reaffirming that AUKUS remains on track and enjoys unified support across all three partner nations. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra this week that overwhelming backing for the pact exists from Starmer’s British government and UK defense leadership alike. Echoing a phrase used by former US President Donald Trump, Albanese declared: “AUKUS is … full steam ahead. And I’m very confident that it will be so.”
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles echoed this confidence, noting that recurring bipartisan and cross-national scrutiny of the initiative is a healthy, normal part of the process. Marles pointed out that the UK parliamentary review was ultimately broadly supportive of AUKUS, and emphasized that strong support for the program holds across all three member states. “That the program is put under constant scrutiny again in all three countries is an important thing to happen as well, and this is a part of that,” Marles told Sky News. He added that Australian officials are fully comfortable with the program’s current trajectory, and expect the UK government will act on the inquiry’s recommendations to keep the initiative moving forward.
Under the terms of the AUKUS agreement, Australia will acquire three nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines from the United States, with an option to acquire two additional modified boats if needed, as part of a broader plan to build up Western Indo-Pacific defense capabilities.