Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
William & Mary will be the academic home in the U.S. to a global initiative boosting defense and shipbuilding efforts. The university will host the United States’ Center of Excellence for AUKUS, the security partnership between the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. The center will support the effort by providing research, technology and workforce development. Academic partners are expected in Sheffield, United Kingdom, and Adelaide, Australia. The AUKUS agreement began in 2021 to enhance security and defense capabilities in the Indo-Pacific. The agreement focuses on providing nuclear-powered submarines to Australia and sharing enhanced technologies. Half of those particular submarines, the Virginia-class submarines, are built at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipyard. The other half are built in Groton, Connecticut. “William & Mary’s designation as the U.S. academic home for the AUKUS initiative underscores the vital role of higher education in advancing innovation and security. This Center of Excellence brings together dedicated expertise to address complex global challenges and prepare the next generation of leaders who will shape the future of maritime defense and technology,” Provost Peggy Agouris said in a statement. The effort will be led by William & Mary’s Whole of Government Center of Excellence. Campus partners will include the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, Military & Veteran Affairs, the Reves Center for International Studies, the College of Arts & Sciences’ Public Policy Program, William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS, and the School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics. “The AUKUS trilateral security partnership stands as a pivotal commitment by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States to defend the vision of a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific,” said Kathryn H. Floyd, director of the Whole of Government Center of Excellence. “Against a backdrop of evolving military technologies, expanding maritime threats and the strategic imperative to deter coercion, AUKUS brings together allied innovation, industrial strength and shared values to uphold international order and security.” The center will act as a joint research and development hub for emerging technologies to advance submarine production, workforce training, supplier growth and innovation. It will be responsible for attracting private investment and supporting new ventures. It will also train future leaders for careers in maritime defense and technology. The announcement, made Monday, follows the Oct. 29 launch of the Hampton Roads Alliance’s four-pillar Playbook for economic development in Hampton Roads. The Center of Excellence for AUKUS is a key component of the project’s defense pillar. As the United States’ only AUKUS Center of Excellence, William & Mary will be the bridge between research, industry and education to strengthen the defense and submarine building ecosystem. “Our efforts to build the U.S. AUKUS Centers of Excellence will involve a myriad of key players,” Floyd said. “Rather intentionally, we do not know exactly what this will evolve into, but we know we are creating the model for how to integrate shared expertise to transform regions in support of vital national security interests. As the nation’s oldest public university, we look forward to designing and adapting this with our campus partners and external collaborators over the next decade.” This year’s proposed defense budget bill includes more than $20 billion to jumpstart submarine production, a potential boon for the Hampton Roads economy. To stay on track, the U.S. must produce at least two Virginia-class submarines per year to meet the agreed upon three to five submarines to be delivered to Australia over the next decade. Emma Rose Brown, 757-805-2256, emma.brown@virginiamedia.com
