Team Trump emerges as driving force for Austal’s forced shipyard sale

Mark Wembridge and , Jessica Gardner
Nov 3, 2026 – 5.00am

Four months ago, driven by unknown forces, the Pentagon came down hard on Austal.

There would be no discussions on expanding key US Navy contracts, Deputy Defence Secretary Steve Feinberg had decided. The ASX-listed shipbuilder was all but done in the United States.

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• Defence
• Austal Limited
• Andrew Forrest
• Donald Trump
• USA
• Trump diplomacy
• Trump's White House
• Joe Hockey
• Richard Marles
• Julie Bishop
• Canberra
• Subscriber exclusive

Mark WembridgeResources reporterMark Wembridge covers resource companies for The Australian Financial Review, based in Perth. He formerly worked for the Financial Times in London and Hong Kong. Connect with Mark on Twitter. Email Mark at mark.wembridge@nine.com.au

Jessica GardnerUnited States correspondentJessica Gardner is The Australian Financial Review’s United States correspondent. She was previously deputy editor - news. Connect with Jessica on Twitter. Email Jessica at jgardner@afr.com

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