WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01), Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in response to today’s conference on the path forward for AUKUS:
“First, I commend our three countries for their focus on continuing to realize the promise of AUKUS. At its core, the security framework is an agreement between the United States and the incredibly close friends and allies we find in Australia and the United Kingdom to enhance and advance our shared security priorities in the Indo-Pacific. We must never lose sight of that. AUKUS is far from a zero-sum game, and the success of the framework is critical to deepening our relationship with our allies, expanding our industrial base, and building a more stable Indo-Pacific region. China is watching our actions in the Indo-Pacific very closely—Beijing’s own military ambitions grow by the day. AUKUS at its inception and today reflects a landmark moment for our countries to demonstrate resolve, alignment, and commitment to peace and strength in this era of Great Power Competition.
“I believe that done properly, AUKUS will be a win-win and serve as a critical opportunity to fully leverage our shared resources and grow our industrial base to support both US and Australian submarine construction. As I have consistently said, US support of Australia in their submarine construction cannot be at the expense of the US imperative to build at least 2 Virginia-class submarines per year and ultimately field 66 attack submarines in the US fleet. AUKUS will not realize its full potential if the overall number of submarines crewed by AUKUS members in the Pacific does not increase above current shipbuilding plans over the next decade—our shared strategic environment demands nothing less. We must, and will, continue to invest in our combined industrial bases in order to reach the full potential of AUKUS.”
