U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump supported the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, after Australia on Friday confirmed its first $500 million payment under the defense pact.

Within hours of his inauguration, Mr. Trump began to pull security details from nearly a half-dozen people who had served in his first term, most of them under threat for enforcing his Iran policy.

President Trump has revoked the security detail for former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, adding him a slew of others who have had their security provisions taken away after being critical of the commander in chief.

President Donald Trump of the United States has revoked the security detail for Mark T. Esper, a former defence secretary. Esper is among several officials who are facing threats from Iran due to the actions they took on behalf of Trump during his first term.

Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has become the latest ex-official from President Trump’s first term to lose their security detail, according to a report. The Pentagon revoked Esper’s taxpayer-funded security detail on Tuesday night,