US Navy stands up naval support activity in Western Australia

The U.S. Navy has established a naval support activity in Western Australia, the service announced, the latest move designed to enhance security cooperation between Australia , the United Kingdom and the United States.

Stood up on May 30, NSA Stirling — part of the Pillar I segment of the trilateral AUKUS pact — 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 service release .

Expected to be fully operational in 2027, SRF-West will support a rotation of U.S. and British nuclear-powered fast attack submarines aboard Australia’s HMAS Stirling installation near Perth.

The detachment is expected to assist submarine deployments by enabling expanded 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 SRF-West are expected to begin rotating through HMAS Stirling in late 2026, according to a May 30 Pentagon release .

The U.K. has also committed to a rotational presence with SRF-West.

“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 NSA Stirling 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 NSA activation, meanwhile, came as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended a May 30 meeting at the U.S. embassy in Singapore alongside Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles and U.K. Secretary of State for Defense John Healey.

The three officials affirmed key AUKUS milestones continue to be met on schedule, with Australia on track to acquire a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine in the coming years.

The Singapore meeting also yielded the announcement of the first signature project of Pillar II of the AUKUS agreement, which will focus on developing — and delivering, starting in 2027 — cutting-edge tech for uncrewed undersea vehicles, or UUVs.

“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 stated.

J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.

美国海军宣布，已在西澳大利亚设立海军支援基地，这是旨在加强澳大利亚、英国和美国之间安全合作的最新举措。

根据一份军方新闻稿，NSA Stirling 于 5 月 30 日成立，是三方 AUKUS 协议第一支柱的一部分，将为分配到西部潜艇轮换部队的美国军人、文职人员、承包商及其家属提供“服务和项目”。

SRF-West 预计将于 2027 年全面投入运营，届时将支持美国和英国的核动力快速攻击潜艇在澳大利亚珀斯附近的斯特林海军基地进行轮换部署。

该分遣队有望通过扩大该地区的维护选择和保障基础设施，为潜艇部署提供帮助。

海军设施司令部司令斯科特·格雷中将在新闻稿中表示：“与我们的AUKUS合作伙伴共同建立斯特林海军安全保障中心，体现了我们司令部支持舰队、作战人员及其家属的使命。斯特林海军安全保障中心将为美国人员及其家属提供必要的服务，从而提升轮换潜艇部队的战备水平。”

根据五角大楼 5 月 30 日发布的消息，首批被分配到 SRF-West 的美国人员预计将于 2026 年底开始轮换到 HMAS Stirling 基地。

英国也已承诺与SRF-West进行轮换驻军。

“我们目前正处于建立斯特林海军安全局的早期阶段，”日本海军司令部司令伊恩·约翰逊少将表示。日本海军于2024年10月启动了斯特林海军安全局的筹建工作。“虽然前方还有很多工作要做，但我们相信，通过与AUKUS合作伙伴的密切合作，我们有能力完成这项任务。”

与此同时，美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯 (Pete Hegseth) 于 5 月 30 日在新加坡美国大使馆与澳大利亚副总理兼国防部长理查德·马尔斯 (Richard Marles) 和英国国防大臣约翰·希利 (John Healey) 举行了会议，美国国家安全局 (NSA) 也因此启动。

三位官员确认，AUKUS项目的关键里程碑仍在按计划推进，澳大利亚有望在未来几年内获得一艘常规武装的核动力潜艇。

新加坡会议还宣布了 AUKUS 协议第二支柱的第一个标志性项目，该项目将专注于开发——并从 2027 年开始交付——用于无人水下航行器 (UUV) 的尖端技术。

五角大楼发布的消息称：“该项目旨在显著增强 AUKUS 合作伙伴保护关键国家海底基础设施的能力；部署尖端监视、侦察和打击能力；开展后勤行动；并增强反潜和反水面作战、水雷对抗、电子战和近岸对抗机动方面的优势。”

JD Simkins 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的总编辑，也是参加过伊拉克战争的海军陆战队老兵。