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The chiefs of navy for Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have signed a statement of intent for lethality in a major strengthening of naval ties.
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Australia’s Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AO, RAN, hosted his international counterparts, the US Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and the UK First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ben Key KCB CBE ADC, at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia and signed the document ahead of the Indian Ocean Defence and Security 2024 Conference in Perth this week.
The signed statement of intent for lethality documents the three navies’ collective commitment to the enhanced lethality of their surface combatant and submarine fleets.
The visit is the first time Admiral Franchetti and Admiral Key have visited HMAS Stirling, which will play a role in Australia’s future fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.
The three chiefs received a tour of the base’s facilities, followed by a meet-and-greet with Australian submariners onboard a Collins Class submarine.
The visit finished with a showcase of the Royal Australian Navy’s most contemporary and cutting-edge autonomous systems capabilities.
“Today, my counterparts and I reaffirmed our philosophy of putting our partnership into action and continue to build on the historic friendship between our navies," Chief of the Royal Australian Navy VADM Hammond said.
“Our navies operate on shared behaviours, shared values, and a shared commitment to the success and security of the Indo-Pacific region.
“Working together is how we get the best outcomes for our navies and nations, through personnel exchange programs and operational interchangeability at sea. Only this month, we had our first Royal Australian Navy officers graduating from the Royal Navy’s Nuclear Reactor Course.
“This year our technicians have been training and learning unique skills with the US Navy in Guam and embedded onboard the US Submarine Tender, USS Emory S Land (AS 39).”
AUKUS is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring together the exceptional capabilities of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to US Navy Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Franchetti.
“We will continue to build on our relationship, strengths, and interoperability, while at the same time uplifting the industrial bases of our three countries,” Admiral Franchetti said.
“We will bring to bear the innovative spirit of our three nations while significantly bolstering our posture in the Indo-Pacific, contributing to security and stability, and maintaining the rules-based international order in this critical region and around the globe.”
The progress AUKUS has made builds on longstanding, deep-rooted relationships, reflecting the unique level of trust and cooperation between the three countries, according to UK Royal Navy’s First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Key.
“We celebrate the success of AUKUS thus far and look forward to continue the collective delivery on our commitment," Admiral Key said.
“AUKUS is a strategically important capability collaboration, allowing us to pool expertise to accelerate the development of cutting-edge defence capabilities in a way that we could not do alone.
“Alongside the USN, the RN is committed to ensuring the RAN can build on its proven experience of operating conventional powered submarines to be nuclear capable as well. We have recently welcomed RAN personnel onto our nuclear courses and to serve in our Astute Class submarines and we look forward to sharing the next generation of SSNs in a collaborative build program which will shape our partnership for many decades to come.”
