U.S. Navy opens support activity in Western Australia

June 11, 2026

2–3 minutes

Summary

The Navy established Naval Support Activity Stirling as AUKUS partners prepare submarine rotations in Western Australia.

Why this matters

The move expands U.S., U.K., and Australian defense coordination under AUKUS and supports planned submarine rotations in the Indo-Pacific. It also coincides with new AUKUS work on uncrewed undersea systems, reflecting broader military cooperation in the region.

The U.S. Navy established a naval support activity in Western Australia on May 30, part of the first pillar of the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) security pact.

Naval Support Activity Stirling will provide “services and programs for U.S. service members, civilian personnel, contractors and their families” assigned to Submarine Rotational Force-West, according to a Navy release.

Submarine Rotational Force-West is expected to be fully operational in 2027. It will support rotations of U.S. and British nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines at Australia’s HMAS Stirling near Perth. The detachment is expected to support submarine deployments by expanding maintenance options and sustainment infrastructure in the region.

“Establishment of NSA Stirling with our AUKUS partners demonstrates our command mission to support the fleet, warfighter and family,” Vice Adm. Scott Gray, commander of Navy Installations Command, said in the release. “By providing essential services to U.S. personnel and their families, NSA Stirling will enhance rotational submarine force readiness.”

The first U.S. personnel assigned to Submarine Rotational Force-West are expected to begin rotating through HMAS Stirling in late 2026, according to a Pentagon release issued May 30. The United Kingdom has also committed to a rotational presence.

“We are currently in the early stages of establishing NSA Stirling,” said Rear Adm. Ian Johnson, commander of Navy Region Japan, which began the process of standing up the activity in October 2024. “While there is still much work ahead, we are confident in our ability to accomplish this task through strong collaboration with our AUKUS partners.”

The activation came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met May 30 at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles and U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey.

The officials said key AUKUS milestones remained on schedule, with Australia on track to acquire a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine in the coming years. They also announced the first signature project under AUKUS Pillar II, focused on developing and delivering uncrewed undersea vehicle technology starting in 2027.

“This project is intended to significantly enhance AUKUS partners’ ability to protect critical national seabed infrastructure; deploy cutting edge surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities; conduct logistics operations; and bolster superiority in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, mine countermeasures, electronic warfare and contested littoral maneuver,” the Pentagon release said.

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