Page 25 - Australian Defence Mag March 2020

MARCH 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
DEFENCE BUSINESS ADM CONGRESS 25
“How much is 0.2 per cent?” he asked. “It’s five billion dollars.”
Looking to the future, Hellyer said pressures such as in- creasing sustainment costs, changing US-China dynamics, the Pacific Step Up strategy and the institutionalisation of disaster response as pressures on defence spending not fore- seen in the White Paper.
“I commend the Government on delivering the promised two per cent, but I think we will need to do more,” he added. ADM 2020 was held on the 72nd Anniversary of the first Japanese air raid on Darwin in WWII and former US Marine Corps Lieutenant General John Wissler, now on the NT Government’s Defence Strategic Advisory Board, drew the audience’s attention to the fact when he began
his presentation.
Wissler highlighted the growing rise of the Chinese
People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as a major threat to regional security, telling delegates that China had launched or commissioned no less than 124 blue-water surface combatants in the last 15 years and, in addition it has launched or commissioned 114 brown water (littoral) ships in that period of time.
“It will launch or commission 140 more blue-water ships in the next 15 years and there will be more than 240 such ships in total by 2035,” he said, noting that 55 per cent of world container ship and 70 per cent of world energy traf- fic passes through the Asia-Pacific region every year. “In the Indo-Pacific, Australia occupies a critical strategic location.”
ABOVE: Panelists and delegates at ADM Congress 2020. BELOW LEFT: Rheinmetall Defence Australia MD Gary Stewart.
PANELS
The final session of ADM 2020 began with a panel dis- cussion by major service providers, represented by Rodger Phillips (executive director strategic panels, Department of Defence), Ashley Staude (MSP program director, KEY Team), Tim Griggs (director, MSP Service Delivery, Jacobs Beca Team), Emma Pilbeam (senior director, Defence Ca- pability, Team Downer) and Steve Pearce (MSP Program director, Team Nova). The program, now operating for two years, has generated a lot of debate in the SME commu- nity about its value for money and access for small busi- nesses. While the MSP is not likely to be refreshed for new entrants in the foreseeable future, the DSS panel will be, with both panels under review at the moment to best deter- mine a way forward that better meets the needs of Defence and their industry partners.
The closing presentation was an entertaining look at the future of STEM in Defence from Major General Mar- cus Thompson, Head of Information Warfare, and Ian Irving, chief executive of the Naval Shipbuilding Insti- tute. Their respective focus on cyber and shipbuilding means that while they are competing for the same STEM talent pool, there are many pathways and opportunities in these realms for future work. Both organisations are looking for ways to reach into school systems at appropri- ate levels to make students aware of the opportunities in our community. ■