In May 2022, Navy Headquarters South Australia was recommissioned as HMAS Encounter. The base is located at Keswick Barracks, just on the southern outskirts of Adelaide's parklands in South Australia.
The major function of HMAS Encounter is to provide administrative support to Navy personnel working in South Australia and to represent Navy in the local community. Navy personnel work at various sites in the Adelaide metropolitan area including the central business district, Keswick Barracks, RAAF Edinburgh, Defence Science and Technology Office Salisbury and the Australian Submarine Corporation site at Osborne.
HMAS Encounter supports various elements of the Royal Australian Navy Reserve including Royal Australian Navy Band South Australia, and the South Australian Regional Reserve Cell.
HMAS Encounter also provides administrative support to navy personnel beyond shipbuilding. Navy contributes to a range of joint capabilities in South Australia, including science and technology, remote sensor and surveillance, electronic warfare, personnel management, recruitment and experimentation. In 2025, HMAS Encounter will move the Headquarters from Keswick Barracks to Osborne Naval Shipyard (ONS) at Osborne, stretching across more than 100 hectares of the Lefevre Peninsula in South Australia as the home of naval shipbuilding here in Australia.
Situated on the Adelaide Plains, the region is known for its many festivals and sporting events, food and wine, coastline and hills, large defence and manufacturing sectors, and the emerging space sector.