Kevin Rudd at the Hunter Defence Conference 2024

US ambassador Kevin Rudd said during a recorded video interview with former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon that both sides of American politics had committed to support the AUKUS defence pact in the lead-up to the general election in November.

"Whatever the political outcome, the AUKUS program is going to be in strong and solid shape," the former prime minister said.

He said US regulations building on AUKUS legislation passed through the US Senate and House of Representatives last year would come into effect in the next few months, opening an "increasingly seamless" strategy and technology relationship between Australia, the US and the UK.

"Now that AUKUS is under way, and particularly given the reforms made to the regulatory network making an increasing quantity of activity licence-free and regulation-free, enabling British and Australian and US firms to work seamlessly, that opens up the door in a big way to SMEs in Australia to get a slice of the action."

Mr Rudd said new defence technology across the three AUKUS nations took about 12 years to "get in the hands of a war fighter", as opposed to about two years in China, "to pick a country out of the air".

"We need to adjust to the strategic environment," he said.

"I think this will become a new and dynamic environment for Australian businesses to operate in."

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