Changes may be on the horizon for two key U.S. partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, as a Pentagon official suggested the Trump administration is considering redefining defense deals with Taiwan and altering the AUKUS security arrangement with Australia and the UK to make it more “sustainable.”
John Noh, currently the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he would advocate for strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. Noh, nominated to become the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, appeared before the committee for his confirmation hearing.
Concerns Over Arms Provision to Taiwan
Noh faced skeptical lawmakers, including Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who expressed concern about the provision of arms to Taiwan. Wicker highlighted a Washington Post report that Trump canceled $400 million in military aid to Taiwan in the form of a presidential drawdown.
Wicker questioned whether it would be „good policy” to return those weapons to defense stock and then require Taiwan to pay for them, saying that „This would be contrary to Congressional intent, and would require Taiwan to purchase these items that have already been authorized as PDA.”
Noh said he believes Taiwan needs to „do its part and to pay” and increase its defense spending. He referenced President Trump’s previous suggestion that Taiwan should spend up to 10 percent of its GDP on defense.
AUKUS Review Sparks Debate
Senators also voiced concerns about the ongoing DOD review of AUKUS, which Wicker said came as a „surprise” to Congress and Australia.
Noh confirmed that the review started in July and should be completed this fall. While he refrained from providing specifics ahead of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, he suggested potential ways to alter Pillar I of the arrangement.
Noh stated that there are things that can be done to strengthen AUKUS and Pillar I to ensure it is more sustainable, stating that his “personal view is that there are things that we — as in both the United States and Australia, with the United Kingdom — can do to strengthen Pillar I and make it more sustainable.”
AUKUS Pillars and Potential Changes
AUKUS is divided into two pillars: Pillar I involves the sale of U.S.-made Virginia-class submarines to Australia, followed by the creation of SSN AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines for the UK and Australia. Pillar II focuses on co-development of new technologies among the three nations and potentially other partners.
The prospect of the U.S. selling Virginia-class submarines has raised concerns among U.S. seapower advocates, as the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base is already struggling to meet the U.S. Navy’s demand.
