AUKUS needs trust and an 8C framework can build it

Defence and security leader Adrian Garnero introduces an 8C framework to continue to build trust, mobilise industry, and deliver a legacy of trilateral capability across the AUKUS enterprise.

Australia’s shipbuilding and conventional submarine capabilities are well-established but remain largely legacy systems. Without significant investment and modernisation, they risk falling short of the strategic demands posed by an increasingly complex threat environment and evolving defence posture.

When it comes to nuclear-powered submarines, Australia faces a steep learning curve and capability ramp-up, complicated by a limited sovereign skills base, a nascent supplier ecosystem, and an emerging regulatory framework for nuclear propulsion.

Image credit: UK Ministry of Defence, published under the terms of the OGL (Open Government License).

The AUKUS partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US aims to accelerate Australia’s ambition to create a world-class shipbuilding industry that delivers secure, modern, and innovative infrastructure aligned with future naval capability needs. However, a critical enabler remains underdeveloped: trust.

Trust between governments, industry partners, and the public is fragile, undermined by export controls, IP restrictions, security protocols, and regulatory uncertainty. Without trust, progress will stall. With it, AUKUS can become a benchmark for trilateral cooperation and sovereign capability-building.

Yet, trust is difficult to establish and easy to erode, especially in the face of shifting reviews, unclear commitments, and inconsistent signalling.

That’s why we propose the 8C Framework: a practical starting point for continuing to build that trust.

The 8 Cs: a blueprint for AUKUS success

Drawn from our experience delivering complex global nuclear and defence programs, the 8C Framework outlines practical actions across four strategic themes:

• Confidence and Commitment: establishing the groundwork for trust.
• Cohesion and Coordination: building a unified delivery model.
• Commercials and Consistency: creating the right conditions for industry.
• Credibility and Capability: delivering a legacy of sovereign strength.

These are not final answers, but a starting point for deeper collaboration and enterprise-wide leadership.

Confidence and Commitment: establishing the groundwork for trust

AUKUS has undergone two reviews this year, each driven by changes in government. These shifts create uncertainty in the market, sending “on-again, off-again" signals that stall mobilisation and deter long-term investment in skills and infrastructure.

To restore confidence, the AUKUS enterprise must commit to clear, multi-year delivery timelines and performance milestones. Industry needs a capability roadmap that defines the long-term support that Australia expects and needs from AUKUS partners and how it will be used to build sovereign capability.

Critically, this must be supported by an enterprise-wide coordinating function that connects strategic intent with on-the-ground delivery, aligns stakeholders, and ensures accountability through measurable performance steps. The bridge between top-down ambition and bottom-up execution is currently missing, and without it, efforts risk fragmentation and inefficiency.

When governments provide certainty – shielded from political and budgetary cycles – industry can invest with confidence and catalyse aligned, sustained progress.

Cohesion and Coordination: building a unified delivery model

Skills shortages, regulatory delays, siloed procurement, and disconnected supply chains hamper AUKUS delivery. Programs are duplicating effort, with each managing requirements, resources, change, supply chains, and commercial models in isolation. This lack of cohesion increases cost, complexity, and risk.

To enable coordinated delivery, the AUKUS enterprise must first align on shared understanding of technologies, processes, and strategic intent. This demands structured learning pathways, embedded expertise, and deliberate planning across all AUKUS partners.

Instead of competing for scarce nuclear talent, industry should collaborate on skills development, knowledge transfer, and joint problem-solving. Initiatives like Mott MacDonald’s Project Re-Tern and BMD Group’s Learn and Return show how targeted international upskilling can build sovereign capability at home.

Supply chain inefficiencies, driven by regulatory burden and slow procurement, must be addressed through a cohesive, interoperable model. Common standards, integration protocols, and agile procurement systems are essential, along with secure platforms for intelligence and data sharing.

A central coordinating function is critical to bridge strategic ambition with operational delivery, align stakeholders, and drive accountability. As AUKUS matures, coordination must evolve into shared delivery, integrating global resources and synchronising across borders.

Commercials and Consistency: creating the right conditions for industry

Nuclear programs demand commercial frameworks that are fit for purpose, share risk appropriately, incentivise delivery, and enable momentum. Models like the US’s Price-Anderson Act demonstrate how indemnities and flexible terms can accelerate progress.

Australia must evolve its commercial architecture to not just catch up but lead within AUKUS. This means shifting from transactional procurement to long-term, trust-based partnerships that reflect the scale, complexity, and strategic importance of the mission.

Consistency across contracts, procurement, regulation, program direction, workforce development, and information systems is key. Repeatable success depends on coordinated approaches across AUKUS nations, enabling sustained investment, long-term planning, and enterprise-wide alignment.

Credibility and Capability: delivering a legacy of sovereign strength

Credibility is trust made visible. It’s earned through transparency, performance, and accountability and it underpins every other element of the 8C Framework.

Building credibility begins with public understanding that strengthening Australia’s nuclear sovereignty is a long-term investment in national security. As Defence Minister Richard Marles noted, a fleet whose location and activities are unknown “provides a genuine question mark in any adversaries’ mind”. In other words, we’re not building nuclear-powered submarines with the intention of using them, but with the hope that we never have to.

Credibility also means meeting modern nuclear safety standards and addressing environmental impacts. Ethical, sustainable, and low-carbon principles must be embedded into submarine production from the outset.

Capability is the outcome of sustained investment in skills, systems, and sovereign infrastructure. AUKUS is not a one-off infrastructure project but a multi-generational opportunity to build enduring strength through knowledge transfer, workforce development, and community empowerment.

To recap: building AUKUS with trust

AUKUS is a test of trilateral trust. Trust that governments will stay the course, that industry will deliver, and that Australia can rise to the challenge. Trust underpins every decision, and without it, the program risks stalling under the weight of its own complexity.

The 8C Framework offers a practical starting point for continuing to build that trust:

• Commitment: long-term, multi-year government commitments with clear milestones give industry the certainty to invest.
• Confidence: Australia must define the support it needs from partners and outline a capability roadmap to build sovereign skills.
• Cohesion: agile procurement and interoperable supply chains require common standards and secure information sharing.
• Coordination: structured learning pathways and embedded expertise can address nuclear skill shortages and foster collaboration.
• Consistency: unified frameworks for procurement, governance, and change management sustain progress and reduce fragmentation.
• Commercials: contract models must share risk, include nuclear indemnities, and incentivise long-term partnerships.
• Credibility: transparent delivery, nuclear safety, environmental responsibility, and public engagement are essential to earning trust.
• Capability: a national roadmap for skills, sustainability, and knowledge transfer will ensure enduring sovereign strength.

AUKUS is an undertaking of unprecedented scale and complexity. Australia is well-positioned to lead commercial efforts, foster trust between nations, and secure public support for sovereign defence investment. We have the talent, the capital, and the strategic imperative. What’s missing is a phased coordination model, starting with knowledge and skills transfer and evolving towards integrated delivery through joint training, embedded teams, and shared systems.

By reframing our approach, we can continue to build trust across the trilateral partnership and deliver on the critical aims of AUKUS, build trust across the trilateral partnership, and deliver on the critical aims of AUKUS.