Chairman Trent Kelly and Ranking Member Joe Courtney of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee have called for swift action regarding Australia’s recent $500 million investment in the U.S. submarine industrial base. This development is part of the AUKUS agreement, an international security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The investment was facilitated by a provision in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which both Kelly and Courtney supported. The law permits the U.S. to accept financial contributions from Australia, but requires Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to notify Congress on how these funds will be allocated.
“We look forward to receiving the required notifications detailed in the FY24 NDAA so that funding may be expeditiously made available for obligation to the U.S. submarine industrial base,” wrote Kelly and Courtney to Secretary Hegseth. They emphasized that “this funding should not be used to offset any current or future cost growth” in U.S. submarine procurement but should instead supplement ongoing efforts to increase production.
This initial investment marks Australia’s first contribution under its $3 billion commitment aimed at bolstering the U.S. submarine industrial base and expanding construction capabilities. The announcement came before Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles’ inaugural meeting with Secretary Hegseth. Additionally, both Kelly and Courtney met with Marles last Friday to discuss congressional support for the US-Australia alliance and this significant investment.
