Henrico Times

WASHINGTON – On Friday, Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) brought a delegation of Australian Parliamentarians to Newport News Shipbuilding alongside Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) for a visit in support of the trilateral Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) partnership, which was formed to counter China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.

Virginia’s Newport News Shipbuilding supplies Australia with nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines, a critical component of the AUKUS agreement. The Australian delegation included the Hon. Milton Dick, speaker of the Australian House of Representatives; Australian House of Representatives members David Littleproud MP, Joanne Ryan MP, Sharon Claydon MP, and Bert van Manen MP; as well as officials from the Parliament of Australia and the Embassy of Australia.

“The AUKUS agreement is integral to deterring China’s growing military aggression in the Indo-Pacific, and Virginia’s robust submarine industrial base plays an outsized role in upholding our nation’s commitment to this trilateral security pact,” said Congressman Wittman. “As vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, I was proud to bring this delegation of Australian Parliamentarians to Newport News and show them the cutting-edge platforms and technology used to build Virginia-class submarines here in the Commonwealth.”

During the visit, Members of Congress and the Australian delegation engaged with senior leadership from Newport News Shipbuilding to discuss nuclear-powered submarine sustainment, supply chain management, and workforce development efforts.

“I am proud to represent thousands of the nation's best shipbuilders and welcome the Australian delegation to Hampton Roads where we build nuclear-powered submarines,” said Congressman Scott. “We welcome the opportunity to support the AUKUS agreement and strengthen bonds with our Australian allies.”

“I’m proud to lead a delegation of cross-party representatives from the Australian Parliament to demonstrate enduring bipartisan support for the AUKUS partnership,” said Speaker Dick. “It was great to join Congressmen Wittman and Scott for this visit to HII. The tour was an excellent opportunity to deepen our understanding of the work behind nuclear powered submarine construction, workforce and supply chain development as Australia develops our nuclear-powered submarine enterprise.”

“We are honored the delegation chose to invest time with us during their trip to the United States and thank Congressmen Scott and Wittman for their continued support,” said Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding. “We value every opportunity to demonstrate how HII is working in earnest to leverage our experience and stewardship of complex platforms and technologies in support of the critical AUKUS agreement.”

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