Former Ambassador Says Elon Musk Could Help Untangle AUKUS Submarine Logjam

‘The question now ... is to work out how they [DOGE] can streamline and better produce the submarines,’ said former Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos.

Elon Musk looks on during a Cabinet meeting hosted by President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on March 24, 2025. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Arthur Sinodinos, the former Australian ambassador to the United States, expects tech giant Elon Musk to play a bigger role in streamlining the trilateral AUKUS partnership.

The comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at revitalising the U.S. shipbuilding industry, with the tech billionaire assigned to review the country’s submarine construction on April 10 (AEST).