Sydney: Prior to talks between the defence and foreign ministers of the two countries on Friday, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his confidence that a deal for the US to sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia was on track.

The sale of three attack submarines to Australia as part of the so-called AUKUS partnership, according to 25 US Republican lawmakers, would "unacceptably weaken" the US fleet if there was no clear replacement strategy in place.

The annual AUSMIN dialogue, where progress on the nuclear-powered submarine deal, regional security, and clean energy will be the focus, is taking place in Queensland state with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in attendance.

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When asked about the Republican letter, which stated that while the AUKUS agreement was "vitally important," it shouldn't weaken the US fleet, Albanese responded, "I am very confident.

Australia will purchase nuclear submarine technology from the United States under the terms of the three-way AUKUS defence agreement, which the United States, Britain, and Australia announced in 2021.

Republicans and Democrats he spoke with outside of a NATO summit in Lithuania this month, according to Albanese, struck him with "their unanimous support for AUKUS."

The US, which is Australia's main security ally, and Britain announced in March that the US would sell Australia three nuclear-powered submarines of the US Virginia class in the early 2030s before Britain and Australia jointly develop the SSN-AUKUS class in the following decade.

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Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles stated in an interview with Sky television that although there was "pressure on the American industrial base," AUKUS was "on track." Australia has agreed to invest $3 billion in US submarine facilities.

He continued, "We will develop an industrial base in this country which will contribute to the net capability of Australia, the UK, and the US. This is why this arrangement is going to be so advantageous for all three countries.
Over the course of two days of talks, the security allies will also discuss China's security aspirations in the Indo-Pacific.

Before meeting with Marles on Friday, Austin stated, "We've seen troubling (Chinese) coercion from the East China Sea to the South China Sea to right here in the Southwest Pacific, and we will continue to support our allies and partners as they defend themselves from bullying behaviour.

In response to China's military buildup, Australia is restructuring its defence capabilities and intends to increase its long-range strike capability, domestic missile production, and interoperability with the US and other regional militaries.
Austin stated that efforts to include Japan in joint force posture initiatives as well as strengthening defence ties would be discussed.

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At the beginning of a meeting with his US counterpart, Marles said, "Now is the time to be working closely with friends, and Australia has no better friend than the United States of America."

The northern city of Darwin in Australia welcomes a rotation of US Marines every year. This week, more than 30,000 soldiers from the US, Japan, and ten other nations are participating in war exercises in Queensland