Key Developments
On 29 July 2026, the Minister for Defence said Australia had appointed Leidos Gibbs and Cox Australia to design a submarine contingency dry dock in Western Australia. The same day, the Minister for Defence said Australian-made submarine steel would be supplied for US Navy Virginia-class submarine construction.
Key Statistics
- A$12 billion in investment was linked by the Minister for Defence to the Western Australian submarine infrastructure program.
- 10,000 direct jobs over 20 years were forecast by the Minister for Defence for the dry dock and related work.
- US$2 million was the approximate value of the Bisalloy Steel purchase order cited by the Minister for Defence.
- Historical: A$8.5 billion was the total Osborne submarine yard investment cited by the Minister for Defence.
- Historical: 1,100 workers were already employed on the Osborne yard program, according to the Minister for Defence.
Main Body
On 29 July 2026, the Minister for Defence said the Albanese Government had appointed Leidos Gibbs and Cox Australia to lead preliminary design work for a submarine contingency dry dock in Western Australia. On the same day, the Minister for Defence said Australian-made submarine grade steel would be used for the first time in US Navy Virginia-class submarine construction.
The Minister for Defence said the dry dock work was intended to support future maintenance of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet in Western Australia. Separately, the Minister for Defence said Bisalloy Steel had received an approximately US$2 million purchase order from General Dynamics Electric Boat to supply HY80 steel plate for Virginia-class submarines.
The announcements followed a 24 July 2026 statement in which the Minister for Defence said Australia had lifted total investment in the Osborne Nuclear-Powered Submarine Construction Yard to A$8.5 billion, as GPS previously reported. The Minister for Defence also said on 25 July 2026 that the Defence Minister was travelling to the United States for shipyard, training and industry engagements tied to AUKUS.
Together, the measures mattered because the Minister for Defence linked the dry dock to readiness for critical submarine maintenance, while the Minister for Defence presented the steel order as evidence of Australian industry joining allied submarine supply chains. The Minister for Defence said the work would strengthen cooperation with the United States and United Kingdom in the Indo-Pacific.
