Australia’s ‘no fail’ submarine mission set for shake-up as admiral in charge exits – Jane Norman 7th November
Vice Admiral Jonathan Mean, the first head of the Australian Submarine Agency – photo ABC news Luke Stephenson
The first boss of the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) Vice Admiral (VADM) Jonathan Mead, has announced he will retire in mid-2026, one year before the first US nuclear-powered submarine is due to be deployed to Western Australia. VADM Mead was recruited to the then-secret Nuclear-Powered Submarine Task Force in February 2021, seven months before the AUKUS submarine pact was unveiled.
“The US has total support and believes Australia is on the right pathway,” Vice Admiral Mead told the ABC. “We’ve met all the milestones, we’re ready for 2027. The final stage of the program will see Australia build its own fleet of SSN AUKUS submarines in South Australia, a task Vice Admiral Mead said was “more complicated than building a space shuttle”.
The government is spending billions of dollars transforming both HMAS Stirling and the neighbouring Henderson shipyard, which will be home to Australia’s future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, but there has been almost no public discussion about options for an east-coast base. Previously, Port Kembla in Wollongong was thought to the Defence Departments’ preferred option, with Brisbane and Newcastle also short-listed.
Mr Marles, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence insists Labor is still committed to establishing a base on the eastern seaboard, and is “open-minded” about the location, but has delayed making a decision until “around 2030” — well after the next federal election. “It’s important that our submarines, in the fullness of time, are able to operate from both sides of our continent,” Mr Marles said. “But it’s a decision for a long way down the track and we’re not going to rush into decisions ahead of time.”
In an interview with Vice Admiral Mead, Mr Marles paid tribute to the out-going submarine boss revealing he was “at the heart” of the decision by the US government to sell its Virginia class submarines to Australia, and helped convince the UK to help develop the SSN AUKUS fleet. “They are gigantic decisions of both of those governments and yet are absolutely key to Australia being able to acquire this capability,” Mr Marles said. “And then to, of course, stand up the Australian Submarine Agency itself. Jonathan was the first employee and today there are 900. “This is a huge contribution to Australia, and the truth of the matter is, we owe Jonathan a debt of gratitude.”
Vice Admiral Mead was recruited to the then-secret Nuclear-Powered Submarine Task Force in February 2021, seven months before the AUKUS submarine pact was unveiled by then Prime Minister Scott Morrison alongside his US and UK counterparts Joe Biden and Boris Johnson. “I thought I’d seen a lot in 37 years, the enormity of that task was breath-taking,” he said, recalling the moment he was tapped on the shoulder. “I knew how monumental this step would be for Australia: a generational leap in capability.”
Four years later, the task force has now grown at a rapid pace to become the Australian Submarine Agency, overseeing one of the biggest and most complex endeavours the country has undertaken. The submarine boss said he had consulted Mr Marles about the timing of his departure and believed by stepping down mid-next year, he would give his successor enough time to settle in before Perth received the first US submarine in 2027.
While acknowledging it is a massive and complicated task, Vice Admiral Mead describes AUKUS as an “absolute high priority”. “It’s a no fail mission for us,” he said. “The region around Australia is changing and in order to meet that change we need a defence force that is capable of defending itself and if need be, project itself.”
As he prepares to leave the agency — and the “most demanding, challenging and satisfying” job of his defence career — Vice Admiral Mead has his sights set on another gruelling endeavour: competing in next year’s Boston Marathon. “Sometimes I wonder if doing a marathon under arduous conditions harder than leading the nuclear-powered submarine agency? You could toss a ball there,” he said.