AUKUS delays cannot be assigned to one partner alone

Is the United States holding back the AUKUS submarine program?

Not by itself; American political hurdles matter, but Britain and Australia also have constraints that make AUKUS a shared implementation problem.

The United States alone is not holding up AUKUS. American design and shipbuilding ability must still pass through political approvals, budget negotiations, and industrial coordination before plans become hulls. Britain and Australia face their own decision and procurement problems as well. AUKUS is a three-country implementation challenge rather than a single national failure.