Established by Executive Order, the Commonwealth detailed that the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) will "enable" policy, legal, non-proliferation, workforce, and safety arrangements, and will be responsible for directing the following areas in the “cradle-to-grave management” of the capability:

• acquisition;
• delivery;
• construction;
• technical governance;
• sustainment; and
• disposal.

Despite the creation of the Agency, the Deputy Prime Minister's office confirmed that Navy will still oversee the training of submariners, and the operating the nation's nuclear-powered submarines.

It is expected that the Agency will be headed by a yet-to-be announced director general, with the Nuclear-Powered Submarine Taskforce set to transition to the Agency on 1 July 2023.

As part of the announcement, the government has also established a new independent statutory regulator.

Dubbed the Australian Nuclear-Powered Safety Regulator, the body will regulate nuclear safety, radiological protection, and infrastructure. The federal government has confirmed that it will be independent of the ADF's chain of command and directions from the Department.

“The Albanese government is delivering on its commitment to the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, which is the single biggest investment in our defence capability in our history,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles explained.

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“The establishment of the Australian Submarine Agency and the Australian Nuclear-Powered Submarine Safety Regulator are critical elements of delivering this game-changing capability and will ensure the safe and successful implementation of the pathway for Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

“The ASA will be responsible and accountable for delivering the ambitious program to acquire Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines.

“A specialised and dedicated regulator — which will be independent of Defence and the Australian Defence Force — will ensure we have the highest standards of nuclear safety and radiological protection across the lifecycle of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines.”

Liam Garman

Author

Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media

Liam began his career as a speech writer at New South Wales Parliament before working for world leading campaigns and research agencies in Sydney and Auckland. Throughout his career, Liam has managed and executed international media and communications campaigns spanning politics, business, industrial relations and infrastructure. He’s since shifted his attention to researching and writing extensively on geopolitics and defence. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney and a Masters in Strategy and Security with Excellence from UNSW Canberra, with a thesis on post-truth, postmodernism and disinformation operations.

 

Reach out to Liam via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn. 

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