The responsibility of Australia’s maintenance workforce at HMAS Stirling, Western Australia, will expand in their efforts to sustain USS Vermont (SSN 792).
According to an Australian government release, Australian personnel will maintain the Virgina Class nuclear-powered attack submarine without a tender – or support – ship this year, unlike previous maintenance periods.
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This means that Australian personnel will be limited to their own shore-based resources to maintain the platform on site, widening their skill set to be able to prepare to operate their own nuclear-powered submarines under the first pillar of the AUKUS pact.
“I can’t overstate the value of training and working with AUKUS counterparts, and applying that training at our base while testing our infrastructure and systems,” commented the director general of the Australian Submarine Agency, Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead. “It strengthens our ability to operate and sustain nuclear-powered submarines in Australia.”
Working alongside US personnel from Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, 19 ASC international military students and a further two from Raytheon and Thales are currently being trained at the latter facility in Hawaii.
They have returned to Australia for the submarine maintencane period to help deliver the majority of the maintenance effort.
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By GlobalDataThis will contribute to sovereign technical uplift and facilitating knowledge transfer in line with an agreed phased capability plan leading up to the 2027 Initial Operational Support milestone with the commencement of Submarine Rotational Force – West.
This year’s SMP involves a larger and more complex package of work that more closely reflects the type of maintenance that will be required when Submarine Rotational Force – West begins operations at HMAS Stirling in 2027.
The visit of USS Vermont is a practical training opportunity but also an opportunity to test and strengthen Australia’s nuclear stewardship systems, drawing on the operational experience and world-leading safety standards of our AUKUS partners.
The first instance of a submarine maintenance period at HMAS Stirling was in 2024, when Australian personnel supported the maintenance of USS Emory S. Land.
