Is AUKUS Pillar II a solution in need of a problem?

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications and effectiveness of AUKUS Pillar II in the context of advanced military capabilities.

The Trump administration recently completed its AUKUS review, including a directive from President Trump to proceed “full steam ahead” on AUKUS Pillar I. But even after securing the Trump stamp of approval, there has been comparatively little information on how the review handled Pillar II and experts have raised concerns about the growing scope of advanced capabilities it now includes. Is AUKUS Pillar II fit for purpose? Which advanced capabilities can deliver the best return on investment in the near term? Is AUKUS Pillar II a “solution in need of a problem”? USSC Non-Resident Fellow Sophie Mayo and USSC Research Fellow Tom Corben joined USSC Director of Impact and Engagement Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss these questions. Both experts have recently published on AUKUS Pillar II: Impact and effort: A menu of AI and autonomy options for AUKUS Pillar II – Sophie Mayo AUKUS Pillar II under pressure – Tom Corben Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

People in this episode

Host: Mari Koeck

Guests: Sophie Mayo, Tom Corben

Topics covered

• AUKUS
• Pillar II
• advanced capabilities
• investment
• US politics
• defense strategy

Keywords

• AUKUS
• Pillar II
• advanced capabilities
• investment
• defense
• US politics
• Trump administration

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United States Studies Centre, Trump administration, AUKUS

Books & works: Impact and effort: A menu of AI and autonomy options for AUKUS Pillar II, AUKUS Pillar II under pressure

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