For the first time, Defence and the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) have worked together as a unified Australian presence at a major international defence trade event.
The collaboration of Team Defence Australia and the ASA at the Sea-Air-Space 2026 Conference in the United States, from April 19 to 22, signalled the Australian defence industry's commitment to strengthening sovereign industrial capability, deepening alliance integration and accelerating export pathways.
Sea-Air-Space is the largest maritime exposition in the United States, bringing together defence industry leaders, global primes and senior military decision-makers from across the maritime, aerospace and integrated domains. The conference provided an important platform for Australian defence companies to engage directly with international partners and showcase sovereign capability to global markets.
More than 70 Australian defence industry companies were supported to participate in the joint pavilion, highlighting capability across shipbuilding, sustainment, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies, while promoting opportunities within United States, United Kingdom and other allied supply chains.
First Assistant Secretary Industry Engagement Michael Howell said Sea-Air-Space offered a structured and supported environment for Australian companies to build export pathways, strengthen international partnerships and engage directly with global primes and military decision-makers.
"The 2026 National Defence Strategy and the 2024 Defence Industry Development Strategy highlight the importance of exports, which are vital to growing the resilience of the Australian defence industrial base by providing diversity in revenue sources, in turn increasing both industrial capability and capacity to support Defence," Mr Howell said.
He noted Australian companies, particularly small and medium enterprises, continued to achieve strong export outcomes in the United States, reinforcing confidence in Australia's quality, innovation and reliability as a defence partner. These outcomes were supported through participation in international trade events such as Sea-Air-Space.
'The 2026 National Defence Strategy and the 2024 Defence Industry Development Strategy highlight the importance of exports.'
Recent United States export successes include PWR Advanced Cooling Technology, which secured a record A$13.5 million United States government contract for advanced cooling solutions; Operator XR, which has been awarded a contract valued at up to A$5.71 million with the Texas Department of Public Safety for Australian-made virtual reality training systems; and AML3D, which received a A$2.6 million order from the United States Navy to manufacture critical submarine components using its ARCEMY additive manufacturing technology.
First Assistant Director General Workforce, Industry and Supply Chain at the Australian Submarine Agency, Kate van Hilst, said the opportunities for Australian companies were continuing to grow, with the Australian Government recently announcing a $14 million expansion of the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) program to support Australian businesses to join Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding supply chains in the United States.
"These investments in the AUSSQ program complement the Defence Industry Vendor Qualification program, which enables Australian businesses to be included in the Virginia-class Submarine Supply Catalogue, and strengthens the collective Australian and US supply chains in a highly supportive environment," Ms van Hilst said.
"Major investments in these programs enable Australian businesses to compete for opportunities in the US nuclear-powered submarine and aircraft carrier industries, strengthening supply chains and heightening the quality of competition in both nations' defence industries."
