Visit to the United States to support Australian defence industry

This week I will travel to the United States to meet with key officials and defence industry leaders, building on the significant momentum of the AUKUS partnership over the past year.

The acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines will be the biggest leap in Australia’s military capability, with significant opportunities to grow jobs and exports in Australia’s Defence industry.

Our recent announcement of the build and sustainment partners for Australia’s conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines marked an important milestone for the development of supply chains and workforce with the United States and United Kingdom, building our collective industrial capacity and more robust and resilient supply chains.

This follows the passage of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act through the US Congress in December last year, which demonstrated unprecedented support for the AUKUS partnership, including through scientific, technological and industrial cooperation.

The visit to the United States will augment this recent progress.

I will visit the HII shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. HII is the largest military shipbuilder in the US and one of two US companies that designs and builds US nuclear-powered submarines.

I will also attend the Sea-Air-Space Exposition which serves as a crucial meeting point for leaders within the US defence industrial base, private-sector, and key US military decision-makers. While at the expo, I will participate in an Australian industry roundtable focused on doing business in the US, and a panel discussion that will provide an update on AUKUS.

This year’s event will see more than 60 companies exhibit at the Australian Pavilion. The Sea-Air-Space Exposition is one of the largest defence expositions in the US and presents a valuable opportunity for Australian companies to showcase their goods, services, technology and solutions to government and industry officials from across the US.

I will also meet key counterparts in the Biden Administration, Congress, and the World Bank to further progress our cooperation on international development, particularly in the Pacific.