Page 18 - Australian Defence Magazine July-August 2022

18 DEFENCE BUSINESS ADM CONGRESS 2022
JULY-AUGUST 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
FACING THE CHALLENGES – ADM CONGRESS 2022
The 19th instalment of ADM Congress, our flagship event, took place at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra on 22 June, attracting around 460 delegates who attended the event in person.
JULIAN KERR & NIGEL PITTAWAY | CANBERRA
DELAYED from its traditional slot in February due to restric- tions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the event saw the first public address by the new Assistant Minister for De- fence and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite and a full agenda, which covered a wide range of views.
Sponsors for the 2022 event comprised platinum spon- sor Hanwha Defense Australia, gold sponsors EOS, JLL, Lockheed Martin Australia and Nova Systems. A well-at- tended charity dinner after Congress was held in partner- ship with Soldier On to raise money for Australia’s veter- ans and their families.
FIRST MINISTERIAL ADDRESS
Assistant Minister for Defence Matt Thistlethwaite launched proceedings with his first speech in his new port- folio, in which he reiterated the previous government’s as- sessment of the worsening strategic situation in the region.
Furthermore, he promised the new government will “revitalise” Australia’s historically deep en-
gagement in the region. “This means enter-
ing into a new era of collaboration with our
partners and close allies,” he said. Thistlethwaite reassured delegates Austra- lia remains committed to the ASEAN and FPDA agreements and will strengthen ties with South East Asia and the Pacific nations. “New and disruptive technologies are altering the character of warfare and making close col- laboration essential if we are to successfully
tackle our shared challenges,” he explained. “We must demonstrate that we can work
together with our partners and allies to solve difficult chal- lenges, ensuring we are best positioned to deter disruptions to the global rules-based order.”
Thistlethwaite also said the Labor Government recognis- es Australia is home to some of the world’s most innovative and technically-advanced capability solutions and he noted the importance of the defence export market. “Australian industry has a strong reputation overseas for being trans- parent, reliable, and for its ability to deliver cutting-edge capability solutions,” he told delegates.
“Retaining our technological and military edge in the face of intensifying strategic competition will be contin- gent on breaking down entrenched barriers to industrial and technological collaboration with our partners.
“That is why Defence is committed to enhancing indus- trial base collaboration opportunities with international partners. Particularly through the Acquisition Committee established under the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations and our inclusion in the US’ National Tech- nology and Industrial Base.”
HEAD LAND CAPABILITY ANSWERS THE CRITICS
Coincidentally or not, the importance to Army of Land 400 Phase 3 was stressed to delegates by Brigadier Ian Lang- ford, acting Head of Army Land Capability, just days after news that the number of tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) to be acquired could be significantly reduced.
As confirmed to ADM by informed sources, Rheinmetall Defence Australia and Hanwha Defense Australia had been told days earlier by De- fence to resubmit their bids to cover the sup- ply of 300 IFVs rather than the 450 origi-
nally specified.
The companies were also asked to sub-
mit bridging quotes enabling the Common- wealth to consider increasing its intended acquisition in 50-vehicle increments. Re- vised figures were required by the end of July for a decision on the successful contender in September, the sources said.
This last-minute flurry necessarily im- pacted the entire industry supply chain in resetting the pricing models utilised in the final proposals submitted in late 2021 at the conclusion of extensive risk mitiga- tion activities involving the Rheinmetall Lynx KF41 and
Hanwha’s AS21 Redback.
BRIG Langford told delegates that the future IFVs were
at the core of the ADF’s ability to deploy and sustain a land force as part of a joint, integrated team and as an essen- tial component of the Joint Force were comparable to the RAAF’s Joint Strike Fighter and the RAN’s future frigate.
“ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR DEFENCE MATT THISTLETHWAITE LAUNCHED PROCEEDINGS WITH HIS FIRST SPEECH IN HIS NEW PORTFOLIO”