Who can participate
There will be significant opportunities for Australian industry to be part of Australia’s conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine program – from the delivery of the Submarine Construction Yard in Osborne, South Australia and infrastructure works at HMAS Stirling, Western Australia to the build of our SSN-AUKUS submarines, their operation, sustainment and eventual disposal. There will be a range of opportunities for involvement in the supply chains of our AUKUS partners by contributing to the maintenance of their submarines and manufacturing components for their production lines.
Australian industry will have opportunities to contribute right from the beginning, working with ASC Pty Ltd (ASC) as the Sovereign Submarine Partner for sustainment, as well as with ASC and BAE Systems as the Sovereign Submarine Partner for the build of our SSN-AUKUS submarines.
Defence Industry Vendor Qualification
AUKUS partners launched the Defence Industry Vendor Qualification (DIVQ) Program in January 2024, to streamline and accelerate the qualification of Australian companies to provide components and services into trilateral supply chains. DIVQ supports Australian suppliers to understand, navigate and execute to the necessary quality, security, and resilience standards of our trilateral partners.
DIVQ is initially targeting qualification of Australian suppliers into the United States’ submarine supply chain across five waves of product families, using a government-to-government (G2G) model for waves one and two, and then a shipbuilder-led business-to-business (B2B) model for wave three onwards. ASA will work together with ASC to administer future waves, noting their role as the Government Sovereign Submarine Partner for future SSN sustainment and build activities.
The Australian Government has established an In-Country Qualification Team (ICQT) where United States shipbuilders work in Australia to support Australian businesses in their qualification efforts through DIVQ. The ICQT is sharing specific know-how on NPS qualification with ASC and the Australian shipbuilding enterprise to grow this capability in Australia.
Planning is underway for a similar program of work to qualify vendors for the United Kingdom’s supply chain. The first phase of United Kingdom qualification is expected to focus on Australian electrical components, battery suppliers, and other components where demonstrated Australian industrial capability can alleviate constraints in the United Kingdom supply chain. Subsequent phases will transition to the anticipated needs of the SSN-AUKUS build program in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification
In order to increase the overall pace and quantity of Australian supplier qualification, the Australian Government is piloting the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) Program which will see Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Australia deliver supplier and product qualification services for HII’s United States supply chain.
The program will use a B2B model, enabling HII Australia to work directly with Australian businesses to qualify both the businesses and their products, and subsequently assist them to tender for supply into the US programs.
This activity will complement the DIVQ program, providing additional opportunities for Australian industry to access US supply chains.
Accelerating pre-qualification
Streamlining the pre-qualification process for suppliers through the Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) and the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) requirements, to reduce industry barriers in supplying products and services to Defence.
For more information, see the following: