Australia is all in on AUKUS. In Donald Trump's America, it's more complicated
In Washington on Monday, Anthony Albanese made something clear once again: Australia is all-in on AUKUS.
But clarifying what US powerbrokers think of the defence pact remains complicated.
Some big commitments have been welcomed by the deal's supporters, however, and uncertainty regarding Donald Trump's support for AUKUS, for example, was erased.
The president had seldom spoken about the pact since returning to the White House in January, but on Monday the commander-in-chief said it was "full steam ahead".
Despite Mr Trump's strong words, some question marks remain.
Navy Secretary John Phelan signalled during the meeting the US would be looking to clear up ambiguities and deliver improvements, but he did not provide specifics.
AUKUS is also the subject of a Pentagon review, the findings of which are due to be handed down before the end of the year.
"What's in that review is unclear," said Mallory Shelbourne from the independent not-for-profit US Naval Institute.
"But I think the president coming out and saying and voicing support for the security pact is important."
Mr Trump's endorsement has allayed anxieties among AUKUS supporters about the Pentagon review and whether it could recommend sweeping changes to the deal.
"This thing was really kind of operating under the cone of silence," Congressman Joe Courtney said of the review.
The Democrat is the co-chair of the Friends of Australia caucus in Congress and a member of the Armed Services Committee.
He attended a breakfast with Mr Albanese in Washington DC the morning after the White House talks.
According to Mr Courtney the mood in the room was bullish after the president's words.
"I think for a lot of sceptics and a lot of observers, certainly a lot of people who are pretty close to this enterprise, I think that was a moment that people weren't sure was actually going to materialise, but it did," he said.
AUKUS backers have been buoyed by this week's developments, but critics argue we still do not have specifics.
Will Australia get what it's paying for?
Mr Trump also seemed to promise Australia would get the three submarines it is paying the US billions for as part of the deal.
That might sound rudimentary, but it is a point analysts have consistently highlighted as no sure thing due to the pact's parameters.
Mr Trump said, "Oh no, they're getting them", when asked about the boats on Monday, although how much weight should be given to his words is up for debate.
"The president does a lot of off-the-cuff speaking — that's how he interacts with the press and a lot of foreign dignitaries," Ms Shelbourne told the ABC.
"This is just President Trump's style. What that means for how it moves forward is a little unclear."
Australia is supposed to get nuclear-powered submarines like this British one as part of the AUKUS deal. (British Ministry of Defence: LA Will Haigh)
As part of the first pillar of AUKUS, Australia is supposed to get its Virginia-class nuclear submarines from the US in the early 2030s.
But to actually achieve that production must be increased substantially.
The US Navy needs to build two Virginia-class submarines each year to maintain its fleet.
The US industrial base is currently only producing one.
Australia is contributing billions of dollars under the AUKUS agreement to infuse the US base with money to build more.
Congress has also appropriated billions in recent defence budgets to upgrade shipbuilding facilities and address a worker shortage, among other things.
John Noh, who has been nominated to become the top Pentagon official for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, told his confirmation hearing earlier this month that there may need to be "common sense" modifications to make the plan "more sustainable".
Could rhetoric like that, coupled with the review already underway, mean an AUKUS recalibration to the detriment of Australia?
Mr Albanese does not think so.
"Don't look for something that's not there," the PM said on Tuesday, when asked about that possibility.
"There's been enough of that."
The AUKUS deal was announced in March 2023 and since then there have been changes of governments in all three countries.
"When I became prime minister, we inherited what was essentially a media release and a concept," Mr Albanese said.
"We built on that. We did a review, the UK did a review. The United States is doing a review. There's nothing unusual about that when there's a change of government."
Mr Courtney said naval officials have been working on ways to improve production outputs in the US and that tech companies were working on innovative methods such as using artificial intelligence to speed up production.
His said the Pentagon review could suggest a modified timeline. The US is due to transfer the first submarine to Australia in 2032.
"Whether or not there's going to be maybe even a consideration of change of schedule … remains to be seen," Mr Courtney said.
"Personally I think it's really premature for any of us to try and judge what the industrial base is going to look like five years from now."
Estimates have suggested the AUKUS partnership could cost Australia $368 billion.
"Shipbuilding is extremely expensive," Ms Shelbourne said.
"You can't just spend a billion dollars and start pumping out ships a year later.
"It takes sustained investment over a long period of time."