Didier Rafi

I already got the main outcomes of Albanese’s meeting with Trump here. More insights on the global outcome of the 🇦🇺🇺🇸 discussions here: ⬇️⬇️⬇️

open.substack.com/pub/theaukus...

And well, Trump supports the sub deal with Australia. And makes the deal better now. For details, it is "moving along rapidly and very well".

Critical minerals first: Australia and USA sign an agreement as the first main outcome of the visit.

Australia accuses China of 'unsafe' military jet manoeuvres - BBC News A Chinese jet allegedly dropped a flare close to an Australian plane over the South China Sea.

Welcome to the White House, Prime minister 🇦🇺

www.bbc.com/news/article...

#NATOGATE Trump Pulls Plug On Major NATO Corruption Probes – Top Suspects Walk Free

#investigation by @simonvandorpe.bsky.social and @jesse-pinster.bsky.social @ftm.eu, together with media partners @lalettre.bsky.social, @lesoir.be, @knack.be and others

💥 www.ftm.eu/articles/us-...

Critical minerals, submarines, missiles, industrial cooperation, money: Albanese due to Washington D.C. with his luggage full of wonders - and issues Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives in Washington D.C.

We can expect major announcements on critical minerals or maybe industry cooperation to top the agenda of Albanese ´s meeting with Trump. And at least a glimpse at the results of AUKUS review. We will know tomorrow. Some insights on this meeting ⬇️⬇️

open.substack.com/pub/theaukus...

que nombre de ses politiques et idées posent les ferments de la guerre aux 🇺🇸 et dans le monde à court et moyen terme, que ses soit disants accords de paix sont soit factices, soit marqués par la corruption, et donc aussi solides que les investissements immobiliers et commerciaux du magnat américain.

Je suis atterré par les efforts des uns et des autres pour trouver les éléments de langage visant à calmer un Donald Trump qui mériterait le prix Nobel de la paix. La réalité est qu’il ne le mérite pas …

Aus has signed important agreements

A defence alliance with PNG and today a new agreement with Singapore --- of interest

more access for defence forces at each other's bases -- expanded for Aust at regional SIN base and SIN gets more access to Aus training bases

www.pm.gov.au/media/joint-...

Other possible recommendation: greater industrial cooperation to build more and faster on US sub projects

First thing must be producing those d… subs as planned. More seriously, adapting delivery schedule could be on the line, capping the number of subs delivered and dropping this « 3 to 5 » target to a secured 3, lowering this target. The question could become not whether, but how, how much or by when

Trump's Pentagon nominee flags possible 'commonsense' AUKUS changes The AUKUS submarine pact may need "commonsense" action from both Australia and the US to make it more "sustainable", according to Donald Trump's nominee to oversee US defence strategy in the Indo-Paci...

« Commonsense things » 🇬🇧🇦🇺🇺🇸 can do to make AUKUS more sustainable. John Noh, nominee for US DoD assistant sec for IndoPac Sec Affairs is optimistic about AUKUS future, with hints at adjustments to meet Pillar 1 targets www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

Can More British and French Nuclear Cooperation Help Deter Russia? As Europe continues to come to terms with both the Russian threat amid the war in Ukraine as well as the uncertainty surrounding the U.S. commitment to

Nuclear cooperation between France and the United Kingdom is no longer symbolic. It could reshape Europe’s deterrence posture.

Brothers in arms: Spanish defence merger raises conflict questions EM&E’s co-founder seeks deal with aspiring national champion Indra — whose chair is his elder sibling

Movement in the Spanish defence industry

on.ft.com/3VQViqQ
Brothers in arms: Spanish defence merger raises conflict questions

AUKUS survives Pentagon review, with US submarine sales to proceed Washington to conclude evaluation ahead of Australian PM's visit on Oct. 20

Just rumors, indiscretion, wishful thinking or lobbying stunt. Whatever it is, the media announce that AUKUS pillar 1 arrangements may survive the Pentagon review asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/tr...

Thumbs up from Trump, as White House releases official photo with Albanese A photo of a smiling Donald Trump, alongside Anthony Albanese, his fiancée Jodie Haydon and US First Lady Melania Trump, has been released by the White House.

Some chitchat, a nice picture and finally a date for the long awaited meeting between Albanese and Trump. On 20th October. Potentially the date for the formal results of the AUKUS review www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Australia’s MQ-28 on the hunt for key production decision Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat, Australia's first domestically designed combat aircraft since the Second World War, has demonstrated its capabilities in its first public flight at the Woomera test facility.

Case use for the Ghost Bat, looking to develop block III and sell it to 🇦🇺. RAAF « describes MQ-28s positioned, at the ready, along Australia’s vast northern coastline for the defensive counter-air mission ». www.flightglobal.com/military-uav...

US will have access to new AUKUS nuclear submarine shipyard, Australia says | CNN Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Sunday that the United States would be able to use planned defense facilities in Western Australia to help deliver submarines under the AUKUS nuclear...

Just as planned. If the plans don’t change of course… edition.cnn.com/2025/09/13/a...

Government makes $12bn downpayment on WA shipyard to help prepare it for Aukus submarine era Henderson defence precinct to be used to build surface vessels and maintain submarines

AU$12bn of investments for Henderson’s shipyard for shipbuilding, sustainment and maintenance of both surface and sub fleets announced today + AU$8bn planned of HMAS Stirling already in the pipeline. AUKUS getting more money in Australia this time www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Inside the plan to station 1,200 Americans and their subs near Perth The head of Australia's submarine agency says planning is so far advanced to settle the American soldiers that quarantine arrangements for their pets are underway.

1,200 US and UK personnel and their families to be posted to Perth to support the operation of SRF-West once operational, on or near the HMAS Stirling base, from 2027 on. A glimpse of what the sub rotational force would look like, if all goes as planned www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Not everything can be done with them but this is a good promise of force multiplication for some applications in a context of scarcity and uncertainty with the Collins LOTE program or AUKUS Pillar 1.

Sharks for filling the moat: what Anduril’s autonomous submarines can do for Australia | The Strategist Autonomous submarines that Australia has launched into production are likely to relieve operational pressure on the country’s crewed submarines, undertake the most dangerous undersea missions, and pre...

Interesting description of potential use cases for the Ghost Shark newly acquired by 🇦🇺RAN. It challenges the Navy to develop new ways to operate but it will be a good thing for them to find alternative ways to fill some of its sub missions. www.aspistrategist.org.au/sharks-for-f...

The Ghost Shark is often presented as a model of innovation and modern cooperation to develop new capabilities for Defence. This multi-year contract for $1.7bn is a new milestone and will definitely demand 🇦🇺 Defence to do the same in other domains

www.minister.defence.gov.au/media-releas...

Europe makes up an increasing share of global VC defence investment

Europe’s defence tech start-ups attract investment surge Russia’s war in Ukraine and fears over US security relationship drive wave of VC funding

“Companies in the sector have raised €2.4bn since the start of 2022 including €1.4bn in the first seven months of this year alone, up from just €30mn in 2020 and €150mn in 2021”

on.ft.com/3VJiU0d

House Passes Rep. Young Kim’s ARMOR Act to Strengthen AUKUS - Congresswoman Young Kim Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed the AUKUS Reform for Military Optimization and Review Act (ARMOR) Act (H.R. 4233), a bipartisan bill led by East Asia and the Pacific Subcom...

The bipartisan ARMOR Act (AUKUS Reform for Military Optimization and Review Act) has passed the US House of Representatives to streamline again arms transfer regulations between the USA, the UK and Australia youngkim.house.gov/2025/09/02/h...

Support AUKUS: It’s China’s Worst Nightmare The Department of Defense should continue to embrace AUKUS as a bulwark of Indo-Pacific security.

Lobbying at full speed to preserve AUKUS's future nationalinterest.org/feature/supp...

PM says he had 'warm and constructive' conversation with Trump The prime minister says the pair had a "warm and constructive" conversation about trade, critical minerals and shared security interests.

Another phone call. A potential visit to the States but another no-show at the White House?

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Don’t Abandon AUKUS The case for recommitting to—and revitalizing—the alliance.

A plea to recommit everybody in a partnership seriously shaken by Trump's politics, Albanese's caution/dislike/disdain... for it (how do you turn it?) and Starmer's middleman.

www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...