Defence Chief Mark Hammond declares US will have ‘enduring access’ to Australian submarine base

Australia’s new Defence Chief has declared US nuclear-powered submarines will have “enduring access” to Perth’s HMAS Stirling naval base, comparing their impending arrival to America’s naval presence here during World War II.

In one of his first major public appearances since assuming the ADF’s top job last month, Admiral Mark Hammond has also praised Ukraine’s rapid technological production as he warns this country must also prepare for conflict.

American officials last week sought urgent assurances from the Albanese Government over plans for Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) after Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy suggested the arrangement would be limited to five years.

Under the AUKUS partnership British and American submarines are scheduled to begin regular rotations out of WA from next year, before the Royal Australian Navy is expected to begin receiving its own fleet of second-hand US boats in the early 2030s.

Defence Minister Richard Marles on Friday clarified Minister Conroy’s comments saying the US nuclear-powered boats would have an “enduring presence” out of Western Australia and stressing that “has been the position of the government from the outset”.

On Tuesday when launching the 2026 Defence Innovation, Science and Technology Strategy, Admiral Hammond was also questioned about the SRF-West program.

“It will be enduring access. I think the government has clarified that towards the end of last week. It is enduring access,” Admiral Hammond told reporters in Adelaide, echoing Minister Marles’ statement last week.

“This isn’t new. This is also an evolution. In World War II we had SRF-West 1.0. More than 300 US submarine combat patrols were launched out of Fremantle during World War II. More than 500 (patrols) from continental Australia.”

“There was a rotational force of submarines operating in Brisbane in World War II. And after WWII we had a rotational force of British submarines operating from Sydney until our Oberon submarines arrived,” the former submarine officer explained.

“So, in the context of the conversation around Submarine Rotational Force-West here is a degree of evolution not just revolution there as well.”

During an earlier speech to the Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research Summit, Admiral Hammond also praised Ukraine’s success in fighting Russia’s attempted invasion that began in 2022.

“For some examples of how innovation, science and technology supports the modern warfighter, we should look to Ukraine,” he told his Adelaide audience.

“Ukraine’s approach to connecting industry directly with frontline operators, allowing industry to receive constant feedback directly from end users and even observe their products in action, has allowed them to shrink their innovation cycle significantly.”

“It is a model that offers much opportunity,” Admiral Hammond said, noting that the replacement period for battlefield technologies was roughly seven months at the start of Russia’s invasion, and had now decreased to barely four to six weeks.

At the summit the Defence Chief also dodged questions about a senior naval officer who will soon face a military court martial, saying the matter first revealed by The Nightly is now subject to a suppression order.

The Nightly last month detailed how a star-ranking officer is facing several charges relating to the awarding of lucrative military contracts at Western Australia’s Henderson shipyard.

“What I can tell you is that that case is subject to a suppression order ordered by the Chief Judge Advocate,” Admiral Hammond said of the case which is scheduled to go to trial in September.

“The Chief Judge Advocate, (the) director of military prosecutions sit outside of the chain of command of the Australian Defence Force. They are statutory appointments that report directly to government.”

“Given that there is suppression order in play, and there are legal proceedings underway I have no further comment,” Admiral Hammond added.