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HII Hosts Australian Minister for Defence Industry at Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations

HII
  • HII hosted Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy at its Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations site in South Carolina on July 27, 2026.
  • The visit supported the AUKUS trilateral partnership, focusing on Australia's acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines & advanced capabilities.
  • Under HII ownership, the Charleston site has increased production by over 50% to support U.S. Navy programs & increase shipbuilding throughput.
  • NNS Charleston Operations spans 45 acres with 480,000 square feet of covered manufacturing space, located within South Carolina's maritime ecosystem with barge & rail access.
  • HII was awarded the contract for the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) Program to accelerate the integration of Australian suppliers into the U.S. submarine industrial base.
  • The AUSSQ program has qualified 13 Australian suppliers across seven work packages supporting Virginia-class & future SSN-AUKUS submarine construction & sustainment.
  • HII is collaborating with Australian industry & academia to train thousands of engineers, maritime specialists, & nuclear tradespeople for Australia's nuclear-powered submarine enterprise.
  • Minister Conroy highlighted the facility's impact on the U.S. submarine industrial base & the strength of the AUKUS partnership in industrial uplift.
  • HII is America's largest shipbuilder with a 140-year history, a 45,000-person workforce, & is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy.