Courtney Applauds First Australian Steel Support for Virginia-class Submarine Construction

NORWICH, CT - Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Ranking Member of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Friends of Australia Caucus, applauded Electric Boat's $2 million steel plate order to Australian supplier Bisalloy Steel, which was announced last week. This is the first time Australian-made steel will be used in the construction of U.S. Navy Virginia-class submarines.

"This is a groundbreaking steel order that our two countries and two navies have worked to achieve since Congress first passed AUKUS authorities in 2023," Courtney said. "This steel order is the first of many that will help develop Australia's submarine industrial base while expanding production capacity across the U.S submarine industrial base. In 2026, AUKUS collaboration is in high gear with joint training of U.S. and Australian submariners, and Australian investment of $3 billion into U.S. submarine construction. The Bisalloy Steel order is another demonstration of Australian commitment to manufacture components meeting rigorous NAVSEA standards for submarine construction. This milestone is a win for both countries and another important step in strengthening our shared undersea industrial base for decades to come."

Last Wednesday, the U.S. Navy officially executed historic Block VI Virginia-class and Build II Columbia-class construction contract awards, which will support construction of nine Virginia-class fast attack submarines and five Columbia-class ballistic submarines. Congress authorized the Block VI contract in 2023 and the Columbia-class Build II contract in 2025. The legislative language for both authorizations originated in the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.

In a statement following the announcement of the contract awards, Ranking Member Courtney said, "These multiyear commitments by Congress and the Navy secure work at submarine shipyards and thousands of supply chain companies well into the late 2030s, further boosted by the AUKUS security agreement and the sale of three in-service Virginia-class submarines to Australia in the 2030s."

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