What Has AUKUS Pillar II Achieved Over 5 Years?
Five years after AUKUS was announced, Pillar II’s progress is difficult to judge because no agreed metric for success exists. Activities have included a jointly developed AI algorithm for reconnaissance aircraft, defense trade exemptions covering about 80 percent of U.S. defense exports to Australia and the U.K., and the first Pillar II signature project announced in May 2026 to jointly produce UUV payloads and systems by 2027.
Why it matters: This bears on the theme of technology competition, since Pillar II is intended to close a reported gap with China in critical technologies.