22 August 2025
Senior leadership from ASA attended the Submarine Institute of Australia’s national conference in Perth this week, engaging with industry to foster collaboration on Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine enterprise.
Themed ‘Nuclear Submarines in Australia’, the conference provided the submarine community and industry with insight on how to support the greatest whole-of-nation industrial endeavour Australia has ever undertaken.
ASA staff provided updates on AUKUS Pillar 1 and participated in panel discussions focusing on nuclear stewardship and commercial initiatives that will generate jobs and build infrastructure in the decades ahead.
ASA Deputy Director-General, Tim Hodgson, said engagement with industry is at the forefront of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine enterprise.
‘Collaboration underpins ASA’s nuclear mindset and is essential for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine acquisition. Everything we do at ASA is guided by nuclear mindset principles,’ said Mr Hodgson.
‘We are unwavering in our commitment to protect the health and safety of the community and the environment, which requires enterprise-wide ownership and accountability for the safe and secure management of reactors and naval nuclear propulsion technology.’
‘The SIA conference was an excellent chance to further this effort and ensure Australia becomes a responsible nuclear steward and operates at the highest level of safety,’ added Mr Hodgson.
Head of Nuclear Submarine Capability, Rear Admiral Tom Phillips, provided the conference with insight about the strategic advantage nuclear-powered submarines will bring to the Australian Defence Force.
‘Australia must be able to deter aggression. Deterrence is most effective when underpinned by credible, high-end capabilities that can deny an adversaries’ aims,’ said Rear Admiral Phillips.
‘Our partnership with the US and UK provides access to capabilities, operational expertise and industrial strength that would be impossible for Australia to develop alone in the required timeline.’
‘It accelerates our acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines by decades.’
Under AUKUS Pillar 1, Australia will obtain conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability, with three Virginia-class submarines being delivered from the United States in the early 2030s.
Australia will also collaborate with the United Kingdom in the design and build of SSN-AUKUS, with construction due to commence by the end of the decade.
Head of SSN Construction, Ms Kate van Hilst, highlighted the various opportunities for Australia’s submarine industrial base to uplift capability and contribute to the build and sustainment of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines, as set out in Australia’s AUKUS Submarine Industry Strategy.
‘The nuclear-powered submarine program will support thousands of jobs and underpin $30 billion in investment in industry uplift, including shipyard infrastructure, workforce uplift and other enablers,’ said Ms van Hilst.
‘To streamline and accelerate the qualification of Australian companies, we are concurrently running the Defence Industry Vendor Qualification (DIVQ) Program, which streamlines and accelerates the qualification of Australian industry to access trilateral supply chains.
‘Complementary to the DIVQ Program, the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification Pilot Program (AUSSQ) is creating additional pathways and opportunities for Australian businesses to be qualified into the US supply chain.
‘These initiatives will support hundreds of Australian suppliers to invest in their own capabilities to meet the high standards of nuclear-powered submarine build and sustainment activities in Australia and our AUKUS partners.’
The SIA conference was also the first opportunity for the ASA’s inaugural AUKUS advocate, Mr Paul Myler, to serve in his new role leading engagement with local communities, businesses, and governments to build awareness and foster further collaboration on Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program.
ASA Director-General, Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, also provided an update to the conference, reinforcing the agency and its work in delivering Australia’s nuclear submarine capability is being met.
‘The Optimal Pathway remains on track. Every milestone has been met. AUKUS is real and is happening right now.’
Learn more about the event via the SIA website(Opens in a new tab/window).