The Trump administration is reviewing whether a deal to equip Australia with nuclear submarines is “aligned with the president’s America First agenda,” sowing doubt on the future of the landmark agreement between the United States, Britain and Australia, which is meant to counter China’s rise in the Asia Pacific.

       News of the Pentagon’s review of the security pact dominated headlines on Thursday in Australia, which has made the deal the centerpiece of its defense in the coming decades and has already invested heavily in the industrial base and training needed to maintain and build the submarines.

       The decision to review the accord, which was reached in 2021 during President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s administration, appeared to reinforce President Trump’s skeptical and transactional approach to longstanding alliances, including demands that allies spend more on their own defense.

       Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told his Australian counterpart last week that the country should increase defense spending to 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product, echoing demands that the Trump administration has been making of allies in Europe. Asked about the request, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia said this week: “I think that Australia should decide what we spend on Australia’s defense. Simple as that.”

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       A Pentagon official said on Wednesday that the Trump administration wanted to ensure that the deal, known as Aukus, met “common-sense, America First criteria,” including guaranteeing that U.S. forces are at “the highest readiness,” that allies are doing their part, and that “the defense industrial base is meeting our needs.” The move was first reported by The Financial Times.

       Australia’s defense minister, Richard Marles, said that both Australia and Britain had been notified about the review and that all three nations were still committed to the deal.

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