HII hosts Australian defence industry minister at Newport News Shipbuilding’s Charleston operations

Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy visited HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations in Goose Creek, South Carolina, on Monday, meeting with company leaders and touring the production facility in support of the trilateral Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) partnership.

Discussions covered HII’s distributed shipbuilding initiative aimed at increasing shipbuilding throughput to meet rising demand. Under HII’s ownership, the Charleston site has boosted production by more than 50% as it ramps up in support of U.S. Navy programs.

“It was a pleasure to tour this facility and see firsthand the capability established here, and the impact it is already having on the U.S. submarine industrial base,” Conroy said.

“I look forward to seeing Australian-made parts coming through this, and other U.S. facilities, demonstrating the strength of the AUKUS partnership and our shared commitment to industrial uplift.”

NNS Charleston Operations spans 45 acres along the Cooper River, with more than 480,000 square feet of covered manufacturing space. The facility has barge and rail access, room to expand, and growing access to South Carolina’s skilled maritime trades workforce.

“We are honored Minister Conroy chose to invest time with us at HII during his trip to the United States,” said Matt Needy, NNS vice president of Charleston Operations. “We value the opportunity to share best practices from our expanded operations, here in South Carolina, to help accelerate AUKUS momentum.”

HII is supporting a range of initiatives under AUKUS, including the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) Program, which accelerates the identification, development and qualification of Australian suppliers for integration into the United States submarine industrial base. The company is also working with Australian industry and academia to develop a skilled workforce to support Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine enterprise across its lifecycle, including the education and training of engineers, maritime specialists, nuclear tradespeople and other professionals.

A cornerstone initiative under AUKUS Pillar I, AUSSQ is strengthening Australia’s sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability by qualifying Australian small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the U.S. and U.K. nuclear submarine supply chains. The program covers seven critical work packages supporting construction and sustainment of Virginia-class submarines and the future SSN-AUKUS platform. To date, AUSSQ has qualified 13 Australian suppliers, creating a pathway into U.S. and U.K. programs and embedding Australian industry into AUKUS submarine production and sustainment.