U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby said AUKUS was moving "full steam ahead" but declined to guarantee the transfer of three secondhand Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia by 2032 per the agreed timeline, the Australian Financial Review reported on Aug. 13. Asked whether U.S. production would be sufficient, Colby said Washington remains "optimistic but cleareyed" and that both countries still had difficult targets to meet.