by Andrew Greene and Jessica Page : The Nightly 29th June 2026 : Credit: Kelsey Reid/The West Australian
Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead has agreed to stay on heading up Australia’s massive AUKUS project. The senior naval officer in charge of Australia’s massive AUKUS project will remain in charge of the fledgling Australian Submarine Agency despite last year announcing his retirement, because the federal government is yet to find a suitable replacement. Confirmation that Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead has agreed to stay on in the high-profile role came as former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds told an unofficial AUKUS inquiry that China already had the ability to shut down Australia’s critical infrastructure.
In November last year Admiral Mead confirmed plans to step down as the inaugural Director-General of the ASA in “mid 2026”, but The Nightly can reveal he told staff last week he would now be staying for the foreseeable future. On Monday Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed the Government was still searching for a replacement to Admiral Mead, who has run the ASA since its establishment in July 2023. “Vice Admiral Mead has made an enormous contribution to AUKUS and the Government extends its sincere thanks to him for agreeing to stay on as Director-General until his successor is confirmed,” a spokesperson for Mr Marles said.
In a separate and subsequent statement, the ASA said: “Vice Admiral Mead has been asked to stay on as the Director-General of the ASA for a transition period from 1 July 2026 until the next Director-General has been confirmed”. Earlier this year The Nightly revealed Labor was considering appointing Admiral Mead as Australia’s next High Commissioner to New Delhi, to eventually replace Philip Green who has been in the senior diplomatic post since 2023.
On Monday government and military sources said the overseas posting was still a possibility, although others in defence industry believe Admiral Mead could instead move to the private sector to work for a defence company. In 2024 former Defence Department Secretary Dennis Richardson was tasked with conducting a confidential review of the ASA amid reports of widespread dissatisfaction inside and outside the newly formed government organisation.
The Nightly has confirmed Mr Richardson recommended that the next head of the ASA should possibly be from outside Australia, with sources saying former US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John M Richardson was initially considered for the job. The Albanese government will instead continue a global search to find the “right person” to run the ASA, while it also prepares for US and British nuclear submarine rotations to begin at Western Australia’s HMAS Stirling naval base next year.