Pentagon official and former Aukus sceptic says deal is ‘full steam ahead’, echoing Trump

Elbridge Colby, a US under secretary of war, says he is ‘very pleased’ with the nuclear submarine program’s progress

Elbridge Colby, the third-highest-ranking official at the Pentagon and formerly an avowed Aukus sceptic, has mirrored his president’s language on the nuclear submarine deal, saying it is “full steam ahead”.

Colby, a US under secretary of war, was the author of the Trump administration’s review of the Aukus deal, which would see the US sell three in-service Virginia-class submarines to Australia, before the development of Australia’s domestically built Aukus-class submarines.