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4d ago

U.S. Navy Establishes NSA Stirling and Reactivates Submarine Squadron 3 in Western Australia

This creates a logistics and training base to host U.S. and U.K. nuclear attack submarines on rotation, accelerating Australia’s maritime sustainment capability.

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US officials have said the base near Perth, where the rotating submarines will be located, gives its navy closer proximity to the South China Sea

Overview

  • The Navy formally stood up Naval Support Activity Stirling on May 30, 2026, to provide administration, family services, public affairs and other support for personnel tied to Submarine Rotational Force‑West.
  • Rear Adm. Chris Cavanaugh reestablished Submarine Squadron 3 to operate from HMAS Stirling and to integrate with Royal Australian Navy teams to manage maintenance, logistics and operational support for rotational U.S. and U.K. fast‑attack submarines.
  • Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility will deploy a maintenance and logistics detachment to Western Australia in mid‑2026 to perform intermediate‑level repairs and continue on‑the‑job training for Australian maintainers.
  • Training is underway in Hawaii with about 20 Australian civilian maintainers and 25 RAN divers having finished courses and roughly 230 more Australians currently in instruction, with the first U.S. personnel rotations through Stirling expected to begin in late 2026.
  • The basing and sustainment moves set up Submarine Rotational Force‑West to begin rotations in 2027, ease pressure on U.S. shipyards by shifting some work to the region, and support Australia’s long‑term plan to acquire and maintain nuclear‑powered attack submarines under AUKUS Pillar I.