Aukus will cost Australia $368bn. What if there was a better, cheaper defence strategy?

As questions swirl around the nuclear submarine deal, some strategists are pushing for an alternative, echidna' policy that focuses less on offensive capability

• Wilkie accuses Labor and Coalition of drinking Aukus Kool-Aid'

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As Australia's nuclear submarine-led defence strategy threatens to fray, strategists say it's time to evaluate whether the military and economic case of the tripartite deal still stacks up.

The defence tie-up with the US and UK, called Aukus, is estimated to cost up to $368bn over 30 years, although the deal could become even more costly should Donald Trump renegotiate terms to meet his America first" agenda.