Director-General of the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead has advised the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence that he will step down from his role in mid-2026.
Vice Admiral Mead has made an enormous contribution to the development of the AUKUS optimal pathway, which will see Australia acquire a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability. He led the Nuclear-Powered Submarine Taskforce from September 2021, before becoming the inaugural Director‑General of the ASA upon its establishment in July 2023.
Over the next six-months, Vice Admiral Mead will remain with the ASA while it approaches the next phase of the optimal pathway with the establishment of Submarine Rotational Force-West from 2027, allowing for continuity within the organisation.
The Albanese Government is deeply grateful to Vice Admiral Mead for his outstanding contribution and leadership over the past four and a half years.
The Government will consider the next head of the ASA in due course.
