Austal names new US president

SHIPBUILDER Austal has named 30-year maritime veteran Gene Miller as president of its American operation.

The appointment is effective immediately and follows in the wake of the retirement of former president Michelle Kruger, which was linked by many reports to an accounting blunder.

Austal disclosed in mid‑February 2026 that its US division had overstated FY2026 EBIT guidance by US$17.1 million, slashing its profit forecast from $135 million to about $110 million. The error was traced to Austal USA’s Mobile, Alabama shipyard, where shipbuilding incentives on the US Navy’s T‑ATS towing, salvage and rescue ship program had been double‑counted.

According to Austal’s ASX statement, auditors found that the incentives had been recognised twice — once under percentage‑of‑completion accounting and again in long‑term forecasts, even though the full value had already been included for the remainder of the program.

The disclosure triggered a sharp market reaction, with Austal’s share price falling between 22% and 25% in a single trading session.

Within days, Austal announced that Austal USA president Michelle Kruger would retire on 1 June, with COO Gene Miller stepping in as interim president. While the company framed the departure as a retirement after a “long and distinguished career,” multiple reports noted the timing — coming immediately after the accounting error — and linked her exit directly to the blunder’s fallout.

Mr Miller has served as interim president since February 16 and according to an Austal media release his selection follows a comprehensive three-month search conducted by the company’s board of managers.

Mr Miller’s career spans more than three decades in naval architecture and shipbuilding.

Prior to joining Austal USA as chief operating officer in 2024, he held senior leadership roles across the industry.

At Ingalls Shipbuilding, he served as director for amphibious ship programs. Before that, Miller spent more than 20 years at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, serving in a variety of engineering, operational and program management leadership roles before rising to vice president of programs and planning.

Mr Miller is a graduate of Webb Institute and MIT.

Austal USA board chair, Chris Chadwick said Mr Miller’s selection reflected confidence in the leadership team it had built and the direction Austal was moving.

“Since stepping into the interim role in February, he has demonstrated the qualities we have been looking for: operational discipline, a commitment to the workforce and the ability to deliver results. He has the relationships and strategic clarity to carry Austal USA’s momentum forward at a critical moment for our industry and for national defence. We are in a strong position for what comes next, and Gene is the right leader to take us there.”

As president, Mr Miller is to lead a team of more than 3500 shipbuilding professionals across Austal USA’s operations in Mobile, Washington D.C., San Diego and various Virginia locations. He is to oversee all aspects of the company’s ship and submarine module manufacturing and development of autonomous sea-ready technologies.

The media release said Mr Miller inherits a program portfolio that has grown significantly in recent years and a next-generation shipyard well-positioned for the work ahead.

“I am honoured by the Board’s confidence and energized by what this team has built together,” Mr Miller said.

“Austal USA’s greatest strength is its workforce, and everything we do as a leadership team is in service to the men and women who show up every day to build ships that defend this nation. I am committed to growing this company, investing in our people and delivering on the promise of what Austal USA is capable of.”