Michael Lempke is now leading Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Australia business, where he will shepherd the shipbuilder and nuclear-site manager’s portion of the tripartite AUKUS agreement between the U.S., U.K. and Australia.
Lempke, most recently president of the company’s Nuclear and Environmental Services group, took the post on Jan.1, Huntington Ingalls (HII) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Formerly a longtime Department of Energy and naval reactors hand, Lempke also serves as president of HII’s Mission Technologies’ Nuclear and Environmental Services business group, which handles DOE business.
In Australia, among other things, Lempke will help to provide nuclear shipbuilding expertise in support of AUKUS, which seeks to provide Australia with nuclear-powered, conventionally armed, ballistic missile submarines.
“This is an important next step in our international growth initiative, enhancing coordination between AUKUS Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 efforts, enabling an efficient in-country operating model, and providing a unified business approach in Australia,” Mission Technologies President Andy Green said. “2024 will be a pivotal year for the AUKUS program, for the Commonwealth of Australia, and for HII, and I am proud of our team and the commitment we have shown in supporting this important global strategic initiative.”
Pillar I involves supporting Australia in acquiring Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S. Pillar II will see the three countries develop an AUKUS-specific submarine operated by both the U.K. and Australia.
The posting is about as far as possible from the government and industry roles Lempke has served for decades. He spent 17 years at Naval Nuclear Reactors.
He then spent a little over two years as associate principal deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration and as the deputy chief operating officer for the Nation’s Nuclear Security Complex.
It was during his tenure at NNSA that the agency launched a competition to combine management and operations of the Y-12 National Security Complex and the Pantex Plant, a groundbreaking initiative that the agency is now in the process of unwinding.
Since 2017, as the president of the Nuclear and Environmental Services business group, Lempke has led HII efforts to win business with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) “on complex projects crucial to U.S. national security, the advancement of science and technology, and the protection of people and the environment,” according to the company.
HII has been beefing up its presence among the AUKUS partners. In July, the company teamed up with Babcock International Group for decommissioning and construction in North America and the U.K.
In November, HII and Babcock Australasia announced the formation of the AUKUS Workforce Alliance with the University of Adelaide, Curtin University, and the University of New South Wales to provide skilled workers for the complex effort.
