From the CEO

From The Desk Of The Ceo

Libby Day, Chief Executive Officer

Clear Focus And Shared Ambitions

In the evolving and sometimes confusing defence sector, the Defence Teaming Centre (DTC) is focusing on three core priorities for members.

While our wide range of services will remain in place, our strategic focus is on:

1. AUKUS Pillar I and Pillar II

2. Workforce skills and training

3. Strengthening the mid-tier of local defence industry I will go into each of these in more detail further on in this column. Firstly, however, I would like to reiterate where the DTC sits in the national and international landscape.

South Australia is increasingly strategic for defence business in Australia, largely due to the work that is already happening at Osborne – and the pipeline of projects that will continue for many decades to come. Accordingly, the DTC’s role is to represent South Australian defence industry, and national defence industry that has an interest in SA-based business.

The DTC has invested considerable effort into achieving close alignment with a range of other bodies with shared interests, including Defence SA, the AUKUS office in Department of Premier and Cabinet, State Development and so on.

The Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Stephen Mullighan, and Premier Peter Malinauskas have been fantastic advocate for workforce skills and training for AUKUS into Canberra and beyond.

We are also forging even closer ties with industry bodies interstate, where the DTC’s advice is increasingly respected and sought out.

These accomplishments are underpinned by a more sophisticated use of member data and insights to inform conversations with decision-makers. Evidence-driven positions and programs will continue to be a hallmark of the DTC as we move forward.

While competition is healthy for individual businesses, the success of our nation-building projects will be built on cooperation, not competition, at all levels. It is critical that we continue to work together.

Focus 1: AUKUS Pillar I and Pillar II

We recognise the value of working with the right partners and providing channels for our members to make the right connections to enter global supply chains. The SA Government's MOU with the State of Maryland and another with Huntington Ingalls are resulting in opportunities for local companies to work with the likes of HII and H&B Defence in Australia.

The DTC is working with international industry associations such as the Hampton Road Alliance (see p24) and has signed an MOU with Senedia (see p42). Both are the result of a deep, shared commitment to AUKUS.

We do not want to ‘reinvent the wheel’. Instead, our ambition is to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’. We are looking to work with organisations that are already successful globally so that we can share expertise on workforce development, small business assistance, supply chain development and advanced research and commercialisation.

Focus 2: Workforce skills and training

There has never been a greater need for the defence sector to produce leaders through professional development programs. The DTC is a provider of two leading courses that I encourage industry to embrace –the Defence Industry Leadership Program (DILP) and The Defence Graduate Learning Program.

DILP has played a pivotal role in nurturing the personal and professional growth of more than 300 defence industry leaders since its establishment in 2010. Demand for adept, forward-looking and collaborative leadership is at an all-time high. Registrations for the 2025 intake are now open and places are limited.

In addition, we will be announcing an advanced DILP program in the coming months.

The Defence Graduate Learning Program is a collaboration between the DTC and Engineers Australia to offer graduate engineers a professional development program for an exciting career in the defence sector. It is hoped the program, the first of its kind in Australia, will contribute meaningfully to addressing the skills and workforce challenges faced by Australia in delivering on its SSN-AUKUS obligations. Engineering skills are already in short supply and are vital to AUKUS and Australia’s evolving Defence capability needs generally. We have to substantially increase the pool of high-performing engineers we have at our disposal. Contact Engineers Australia’s training arm, Engineering Education Australia by emailing graduate@eea.org.au or by visiting www.eea.org.au if you are interested.

Focus 3: Strengthening the mid-tier of local defence industry

Australia needs a larger and stronger mid-tier of defence companies. We have a number of highly successful SMEs in this space, including Nova (see p22) but we need more if we are to achieve our sovereign goals.

We are also encouraged that CASG is engaging with industry to improve its acquisition systems and reduce complexity for industry.

By learning from local success stories and showing members how they can better align with the needs of the Commonwealth Government, the DTC can play an important role in developing the mid-tier of the Australian defence industry.

DTC Awards

In this issue, we highlight the achievements of the nine finalists shortlisted for the prestigious DTC Awards (see p9).

The awards ceremony is always a great night, where we celebrate success, hear from incredible leaders and help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Good luck to all entrants and I look forward to catching up with you on the night.