Jun 11, 2026 – 8.56amLondon | Senior ministers strongly pushed back on growing concerns Britain will struggle to keep up its end of the AUKUS bargain, brushing off embarrassing revelations that the Royal Navy is unable to send any of its five nuclear-powered attack submarines to sea.Meeting their British counterparts in London on Wednesday (Thursday AEST), Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles expressed some exasperation over the ongoing criticism and debate over AUKUS, saying the $366 billion acquisition was not an “academic exercise”.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles