By Lewis Jackson
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia Defence MInister Richard Marles said on Wednesday Canberra is confident a re-elected Donald Trump will back the AUKUS security alliance and associated nuclear submarine sales after talks with his camp
The possibility of a Trump victory in the November presidential election has U.S. allies around the world scrambling to divine and prepare for his diplomatic agenda, including his take on the A$368 billion ($243 billion) AUKUS deal to help Australia acquire nuclear powered submarines and deter China in the Pacific.
The deal includes the sale of three to five U.S. nuclear-powered Virginia Class submarines in the 2030s, a time when the U.S. fleet will shrink to a historic low. Some fear Trump's America First stance could hew to voices in Congress who want the submarines reserved for the U.S. navy instead.
But conversations with the Trump camp had given Australia confidence he would honour the deal should he win the presidency again, Marles said in an interview on Sky News.
"Every engagement we've had with the Trump camp in the normal process of speaking with people on both sides of politics in America, there is support for what is playing out in relation to AUKUS," he said.
"We do have a sense of confidence, irrespective of what occurs in November of this year, we can firstly look forward to the alliance being as strong as ever and secondly that the equities that we have in that alliance, AUKUS front and center, will be maintained"
Marles also pointed to the passage of AUKUS legislation last December, which he said was supported by Republicans, including those associated with Trump. ($1 = 1.5168 Australian dollars)