Photos: Kaine Completes Week of Official Meetings in Australia in Support of Aukus Agreement & Shared National Security Priorities

Photos are available here

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last week, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, concluded a week-long series of bilateral meetings with local, state, and federal lawmakers and defense industrial base partners in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin, Australia, to discuss the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) agreement. Kaine has long been a leading voice in Congress in support of the agreement, which aims to bolster the security interests of the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific and involves the sale of three to five Virginia-class submarines-a significant portion of which are built in Hampton Roads, Virginia-from the United States to Australia.

Kaine also met with rabbis in Sydney in the wake of the horrific terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach and participated in commemorative services in Darwin to honor the hundreds who lost their lives in a Japanese bombing attack on February 19, 1942, including 88 American sailors killed in the sinking of the USS Peary that was stationed there to help defend our ally Australia.

"The AUKUS partnership is vital to the safety and security of the United States, Australia, and our allies throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Virginia is proud to be home to a significant portion of the Virginia-class submarine production needed to implement the agreement, and I was glad to meet with local, state, and federal leaders and shipyards in four key regions in Australia to discuss the work that lies ahead to see it through," said Kaine. "It's clear that Australia is pouring a massive amount of effort and resources into preparing to receive and maintain this technology. Last week alone, the Australian government announced its intent to invest another AU$30 billion in a key shipyard for submarine construction, and to launch a submarine workforce development program to train 1,000 new shipbuilding apprentices. Australian leaders are all in, and I emphasized that the Trump Administration and a bipartisan coalition in Congress are right there with them. I'm looking forward to keeping the channels of communication open between the United States and Australia to get this done."

In Sydney, Kaine convened local rabbis for a roundtable discussion about Australia and the United States' shared challenge with antisemitism, and the importance of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion ordered by Prime Minister Albanese that is expected to be completed before the first anniversary of the Bondi Beach attack. Also in Sydney, Kaine met with Assistant Minister for Immigration and for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite, officials at HMAS Kuttabul and other defense partners to discuss AUKUS and the overall bilateral relationship.

In Adelaide, Kaine visited the Osborne Naval Shipyard, which is dramatically expanding to enhance the country's submarine-building capacity. While at Osborne, Kaine also met with South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas, who announced his intention to create a job training program to bolster the Australian shipbuilding workforce that will be critical to the continued implementation of the AUKUS agreement. The visit came the day after the Albanese government announced an AU$30 billion investment in the shipyard.

In Perth, Kaine met with Australian Royal Navy officials at HMAS Stirling, the Australian Naval base that will host future rotational U.S. submarines and their crew and will be home to the Virginia-class submarines the U.S. will sell to Australia. As part of his visit, Kaine toured housing that is being built to accommodate those servicemembers. Then, Kaine met with local mayors to hear about how the agreement will impact cities in the surrounding area. Next, Kaine visited the Henderson Defence Precint-which received an AU$12 billion investment from the Australian government in 2025-which will eventually provide depot-level submarine maintenance support. Finally, Kaine met with Ministers Rita Saffioti and Paul Papalia to reflect on his visits in the region and emphasize the United States' commitment to fulfilling the AUKUS agreement.

In Darwin, Kaine participated in the Commemorative Service for the USS Peary Bombing on February 18, 1942, and the Commemorative Service for the Bombing of Darwin Day. Kaine expressed his appreciation for Australia's commitment to honoring the U.S. servicemembers who died, and, citing the Prophet Isaiah's call to beat swords into plowshares, reflected on the strong relationship that has been forged between Australia, the U.S. and Japan in the years after World War II.

Also in Darwin, Kaine toured HMAS Coonawarra, facilities used by Marine Rotational Forces - Darwin at Larrakeyah Defense Project, and was briefed on Australia's expanded capacity to support docking and logistics. Then, Kaine visited RAAF Darwin-the Australian Defence Force's premier forward-operating air base in the northernmost area of Australia's Northern Territory (NT)-to see U.S.-funded military construction projects and airfield facilities. Kaine also met with NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, Northern Territory General Manager Jimmy Kiploks and Territory Coordinator Stuart Knowles to discuss continued U.S.-Australia defense cooperation.

In addition, Kaine participated in American Chamber of Commerce forums in Adelaide, Perth, and Sydney to discuss the importance of various industries, including shipbuilding and critical minerals, to America and Australia's shared national security needs.

Since the AUKUS agreement was announced in 2021, Kaine has helped get signed into law provisions to implement and strengthen the AUKUS agreement. He has played a key role in securing more resources for the submarine industrial base, including additional funding for the Virginia-class submarine program.

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