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Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has announced that he is visiting the United States this week, reviewing the Virginia Class shipyard and providing an update to industry on the AUKUS partnership.
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The announcement comes as the United States continues to battle with industrial backlog in the delivery of its nuclear-powered Virginia Class submarines.
It was revealed last week that the United States is likely two years behind schedule, with the US unlikely to produce two submarines per year until 2029.
Minister Conroy explained that he expects his visit to the United States to further deepen AUKUS collaboration which includes the delivery of Australia’s first nuclear-powered submarines.
His visit will include a visit to the HII Virginia Class shipyard.
In a recent release, the minister downplayed concerns over the delay in Virginia Class construction.
“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,” the minister’s office released.
“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 defence industry minister has also added the Sea-Air-Space Exposition to his US itinerary, joining a roundtable on how businesses can undertake work in the United States and providing updates on the AUKUS initiative. His trip will also include visits to members of the Biden administration, Congress, and the World Bank to support development in the Pacific.
Sixty companies are expected to exhibit at the Australian Pavilion at the exposition.
In March, Minister Conroy applauded the growth of Australia’s defence sector, following the release of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on the economic benefits from the defence industry as part of the Australian Defence Industry Account.
The satellite account measures the direct economic contribution and direct employment headcount of the defence industry to the Australian economy, including production of goods and services invoiced to the Department of Defence.
In 2022–23, the Australian defence industry contributed $10.6 billion (0.44 per cent) to Australia’s gross value added (up 4.1 per cent from the previous year), employed 64,100 persons (up 6.3 per cent from the previous year), and consisted of 5,544 Australian businesses, according to the data.
