World

Australia: US submarine rotation at HMAS Stirling will end in 2032

Herz — World Desk · 29 July 2026 at 11:55 · 30s summary · 3 min read

The essentials

The rotation of US Virginia-class submarines at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia will run from 2027 to 2032, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy told ABC. He described Submarine Rotation Force West as a five-year commitment and said the vessels would not remain at the base year-round. Their annual time on site is being withheld for operational reasons. US and UK submarines are nevertheless expected to continue visiting after 2032. Conroy said the arrangement would not commit Australia in advance to a future conflict, amid debate over the base’s status and the possible carriage of tactical nuclear weapons by US vessels from 2032.

The US submarine rotation is scheduled to run from 2027 to 2032.
Pat Conroy described the arrangement as a five-year commitment.
US and UK submarine visits are expected to continue after 2032.
The submarines’ annual time at HMAS Stirling remains confidential.

Illustration image — Submarines_scrap_filtered.jpg: *Submarines_scrap.jpg: U.S. Federal Government derivative work: JovanCormac (talk) derivative work: Sarcastic ShockwaveLover (talk), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

What is known

The rotation of US Virginia-class submarines at HMAS Stirling will begin in 2027 and end in 2032, Australian Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy told ABC.

Known as Submarine Rotation Force West, or SRF-West, the presence is intended to conclude when Australia begins hosting its own nuclear-powered submarines at HMAS Stirling, the Royal Australian Navy’s main base in Western Australia.

Conroy described the rotation as a five-year commitment. He said the US submarines would spend only a limited period at the base each year, rather than remain there year-round, but declined to disclose the duration for operational reasons.

Talks in Washington

On July 29, 2026, Conroy is in Washington, DC, for talks about the AUKUS submarine program with senior Pentagon officials, including US Navy Secretary Hung Cao and US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

AUKUS is a military cooperation agreement between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, but is not formally a military alliance.

Conroy is also due to visit a submarine facility in South Carolina and announce a $2 million contract covering the use of Australian steel products in US submarines.

The status of HMAS Stirling

Military analyst and former Royal Australian Navy warfare officer Jennifer Parker said the announcement of an end date for the rotation was surprising.

Conroy rejected the argument, advanced by former foreign minister Gareth Evans and former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull among others, that HMAS Stirling would effectively become a US base.

He nevertheless acknowledged the site’s strategic value to both Australia and the United States, including its access to the Indian Ocean.

US Rear Admiral Lincoln Reifsteck described HMAS Stirling as a repair and resupply location complementing Guam and Pearl Harbor. He said this access could allow the US Navy to resume operations more quickly in a conflict with China.

Australian sovereignty

Conroy said the current arrangements do not commit Australia in advance to a future conflict. The government in office at the time would decide how Australian forces are used and what activities foreign militaries may conduct on Australian territory.

What happens after 2032

The Australian Submarine Agency expects US and UK naval visits to HMAS Stirling to continue after 2032. Nuclear-powered submarines from both countries have visited the base for decades.

Those visits would no longer form part of the five-year SRF-West rotation scheduled for 2027 to 2032.

Debate over nuclear weapons

Former Australian Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo called in The Australian during the weekend before July 29, 2026, for a public debate about US military plans in Australia.