William & Mary to be the US academic home of submarine production

Excellence

William & Mary will harness academic expertise to strengthen international efforts to design, build and support the next generation of nuclear-powered submarines. Here, The Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS New Hampshire is docked at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in September for a Depot Modernization Period. (Photo by Shelby West)

William & Mary will soon host one of just three centers in the world to support submarine production through the Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) security alliance.

Drawing on the region's resources, the university will be the only U.S.-based AUKUS Center of Excellence, the Hampton Roads Alliance (HRA) announced last week. The selection was announced as part of the Hampton Roads Playbook, a plan to grow the region's defense and shipbuilding industry.

Alongside inter regional collaboration centers conceptualized in Sheffield, United Kingdom, and Adelaide, Australia, William & Mary will harness academic expertise to strengthen international efforts to design, build and support the next generation of nuclear-powered submarines.

HRA envisions each center tackling key areas of submarine production, including growing a skilled workforce, strengthening supplier networks, developing new technologies and crafting sustainable infrastructure and energy. Efforts to address some of these challenges align with William & Mary's Vision 2026 strategic plan.

The initiative will be led at William & Mary by the Whole of Government Center of Excellence (WGC), which serves as a national security hub for campus and the broader defense community.

"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."

At this critical juncture, William & Mary steps forward as the academic leader, harnessing the power of education and collaboration to ensure the next generation is prepared to meet the most urgent challenges for Hampton Roads, the United States and Allied partners.

"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," said Provost Peggy Agouris. "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."

(From left) Kathryn H. Floyd, director of the Whole of Government Center of Excellence; Vice Provost for Research Alyson Wilson; Doug Smith, president & CEO of the Hampton Roads Alliance; and Kathleen Jabs, special assistant to the president for military & veteran affairs, at the launch event. (Photo by retired Navy Rear Admiral Charles "Chip" Rock)

Driving innovation

Established in 2021, AUKUS is a security alliance uniting Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States to create cohesion in nuclear arsenals among the allies. Initially focused on nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, AUKUS also emphasizes the ability to deliver tangible military capabilities and enhance joint innovation across domains.

The center at William & Mary, with anticipated partners in Sheffield and Adelaide, envisions focusing on four collaborative functions. First, the centers will act as a joint research and development hub for emerging technologies and supply chains to accelerate new operational processes.

Second, the centers will collaborate together and with national partners to attract private investment and support new ventures. Additionally, they'll exchange expertise and best practices to advance submarine production, workforce training, supplier growth and innovation.

Finally, the combined force will focus on process innovation and acceleration to ideate, test and propose reforms with partners.

"Our efforts to build the U.S. AUKUS Centers of Excellence will involve a myriad of key players," said Floyd. "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."

WGC is a powerful convener on matters of security, including most recently the June 2025 workshop funded by the U.S. Mission to NATO on "The Implications of Military R&D in Key Emerging and Disruptive Technologies for Transatlantic Cooperation." For this next chapter, WGC will be primarily supported by the vice provost for research and the Military & Veteran Affairs team, with whole-of-university expertise coming from the Reves Center for International Studies, the College of Arts & Sciences' Public Policy Program and two schools at the university: William & Mary's Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS and the School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics, among others. Over the next year, the three international centers will work together on a shared plan for operations and initial projects, with significant input from respective stakeholders.

"This new Center of Excellence reflects William & Mary's commitment to research that serves the world around us," shared Vice Provost for Research Alyson Wilson. "By linking our academic strengths with the region's industrial and defense expertise, W&M will accelerate innovation in naval technology and expand opportunities for our students and faculty to make a lasting global impact."

Hampton Roads' robust ecosystem

Already a leader in next-generation maritime and undersea industries, Hampton Roads was a natural choice for the U.S. Center of Excellence.

"The Hampton Roads Playbook is a unifying economic development strategy which calls on the region to grow the economy by building upon its strengths," said Douglas L. Smith, president & CEO of the Hampton Roads Alliance. "William & Mary, with its global reputation for excellence and deep ties to international partners, is the perfect home for the U.S. AUKUS Center of Excellence. Hampton Roads is at the forefront of shaping global security and this partnership brings together the intellectual power and connections of one of the world's great universities with the industrial strength of America's military metro."

The region has a long history as the nation's premier maritime industrial base and is home to the world's largest naval base and Newport News Shipbuilding, the only U.S. shipyard designing, building and refueling nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Hampton Roads is a military metro and innovation hub with geographic advantages, a vast talent pool of educated workers, and strong military and civic leadership.

The new Center of Excellence will tap into Hampton Roads' powerful ecosystem, connecting areas of government, industry and academia to fortify the region as the central engine for sustained growth and resilience in national security and across the submarine supply chain, as outlined in the playbook.

"William & Mary has a deep and longstanding commitment to our nation's security and to public service," said Kathleen Jabs, special assistant to the president for military & veteran affairs. "Beginning with the Battle of Yorktown where our students fought to establish this country, William & Mary has continued to educate, research and contribute to our nation's security and strategy."

"The AUKUS Center of Excellence will foster collaboration and connection to map and link military commands, military and veteran entrepreneurs, defense suppliers, service providers, industry, government, and academia to meet the demands of our future at local, regional, national and international levels. As America celebrates its 250th birthday, we are excited to be part of a whole-of-nation effort to strengthen and grow the nation's strategic maritime advantage."

Staff, University News & Media

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