Page 4 - Defence Industry Guide #57

4 EDITORIAL
ADM’s Defence Industry Guide 2023 | Edition 57 | www.defencesuppliers.com.au
WAITING WITH BATED BREATH
NIGEL PITTAWAY | MELBOURNE
HELLO and welcome to this latest issue of ADM’s Defence Industry Guide, the 57th edition of what I like to think of as the best directory of its kind in Australia.
As I write these words 2022 is slowly drawing to a close – and what an interesting year it has been. Over the past eleven months we have seen a major war break out in Europe, something unthinkable since the end of the Cold War; a change of government in Australia for the first time in almost a decade; and the further increase of tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
At home, one of the first initiatives of the new Albanese government after it was sworn in in June was to commission another Defence Strategic Review
force structure, force posture and preparedness, and investment prioritisation, to ensure Defence has the right capabilities to meet our growing strategic needs.”
The new DSR is expected to be completed and an unclassified version released to the public in the first quarter of 2023, with most pundits predicting it will surface in late March.
But until then, largely, we wait.
The review process has meant that several major Defence acquisition programs – most notably Army’s Land 400 Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle program – have been placed on hold. Recent comments from both the PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles have indicated that we won’t learn about its fate until the report is released.
Naturally this is a major concern for Army, which sees its vision for a future combined arms force under threat from other large programs such as Navy’s ambitions to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and additional C-130 Hercules and F-35A Joint Strike Fighters for the Air Force.
Of course, defence industry is also affected by this waiting game, with companies large and small having to invest money to keep their teams together for several more months, with no guarantee of a successful outcome.
In the meantime, the Australian Defence Magazine will continue to bring you information as it comes to hand over the coming weeks and months.
With that, I hope you find this latest edition of our Defence Industry Guide helpful and informative. Let us know what you think. ■
“OF COURSE, DEFENCE INDUSTRY IS ALSO AFFECTED BY THIS WAITING GAME”
(DSR). In August former Chief of the Defence Force Sir Angus Houston and former Minister for Defence Stephen Smith have been given the job of reviewing the structure of the Australian Defence Force and identifying what its future priorities should be.
When he launched the review, the Prime Minister provided some details of its scope: “In 2020, the Defence Strategic Update identified that changes in Australia’s strategic environment are accelerating more rapidly than predicted in the 2012 Force Posture Review. As our national security landscape changes, it is vital that our defence force remains positioned to meet our global
and regional security challenges,” he said.
“To meet these challenges, the review will examine
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