Australian government establishes submarine procurement office

By Baird Maritime - July 5, 2023.

MARITIME SECURITY WEEK

The US Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Delaware pierside at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, prior to getting underway, March 26, 2022 (Photo: US Navy/Chief Petty Officer Joshua Karsten)

The Australian government has established a new office that will be responsible and accountable for the management and oversight of the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

The Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) will be led by a Director-General. Appointed to this post is Royal Australian Navy Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, chief of the AUKUS Nuclear-Powered Submarine Taskforce.

The ASA has over 350 staff from the Australian Defence Force and Australian Public Service, including many who have transitioned from the Nuclear-Powered Submarine Taskforce and others who have joined since the government’s announcement of the formation of the ASA in March 2023. The government expects this number to almost double to more than 680 staff over the next year.

The agency will be headquartered in Canberra, with personnel located across the country and overseas in AUKUS partners the United States and United Kingdom.

The ASA, which has been established by Executive Order, is a non-corporate Commonwealth entity within the Defence portfolio and will report to the Minister for Defence.

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