Key Trump adviser confident Australia would join US ‘in a good fight’

September 14, 2026 — 5:01am

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Washington DC: A few months ago in Honolulu, the Trump administration’s point man for AUKUS – who rarely speaks publicly – gave a broad-brush appraisal of why Donald Trump strongly supports the agreement.

AUKUS, which marks its five-year anniversary this week, was more than a one-off deal, Adam Korzeniewski told the audience. It was “a mentality”, a way of thinking that could be applied with other partners.

“AUKUS is the spearhead, it’s the canary in the coalmine, it’s the future model of interoperability between different allies,” he said. “If we can’t figure this out with Australia and the UK, then what are we doing?”

Trump believed AUKUS was “completely in line with his national security strategy”, Korzeniewski said. That document, rewritten in November 2025, stipulates the US will build a military capable of denying aggression anywhere in the First Island Chain around China.

But it won’t do this alone. The strategy says America’s allies must step up: spend “much more” on collective defence, allow the US greater military access to their ports and other facilities, and invest in capabilities that deter aggression. AUKUS ticks all of those boxes.

As for the question of what the US would expect of Australia in the event of a conflict with China, Korzeniewski had little doubt that Canberra would play its part. “Australia joined us in the Vietnam War,” he said. “I’m not really that concerned about Australia’s willingness to join in a good fight if one comes up.”

Korzeniewski is an AUKUS liaison officer in the State Department, who moved to the role in February. A political appointee of the Trump........

© The Age