The United States said Tuesday that it aims to complete a review of its AUKUS security partnership with Britain and Australia by the fall, buying Canberra more time to convince Washington of the pact¡¯s importance.

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby said Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth has directed his office to lead the review of the deal, which involves the sale of U.S. nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.

The review, Colby¡¯s office wrote on the X social media platform, will be a ¡°department-wide process¡± that will aim to provide a ¡°fact-based and rigorous assessment¡± of the initiative and its ¡°alignment¡± with U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s ¡°America First¡± approach.