Latest News from ADA-Vic

Hi Juanita,

Just when we thought 2020 was an unprecedented year – along came 2021. In what has been a challenging year predominantly due to the ongoing impact of COVID and continuing lockdowns, we have all proved how resilient we can be. Undoubtedly it feels like the last two years have all blurred into one and various lockdowns have provided us with a Groundhog Day experience.

Added to all the challenges presented with Covid, including face masks, curfews, border restrictions, working from home, home schooling, etc., we have had to face other issues:-

Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan
Land Forces and Avalon cancelled
Cancellation of Submarine Contract and the announcement of AUKUS
Increasing tension with China including export bans on some Australian goods
An unpredictable stock market and rising house prices

There has been little or no opportunity for face to face networking which is so important to our members. We were fortunate to finally be able to hold our Annual Networking and Golf Day just recently and to see so many of you there. We can only hope that in 2022 life will be a bit easier and that there will be more opportunities for face to face events.

Government Delivers $50 Million Defence Skills Boost

The federal government has awarded a $50 million contract to The Box Hill Institute, in Melbourne’s CBD, to deliver specialist skills training for Defence.

The Box Hill Institute, has signed a five-year contract extension that will see it continue to provide technical and trade training to Army, Air Force and Navy personnel.

The training will be delivered through the Defence Command Support Training Centre, which operates at a number of Defence bases across Australia.

Defence Nuclear Science and Engineering Scholarships Announced!

The Morrison Government is committed to building an Australian workforce with the necessary skills and capabilities to develop advanced technologies, drive innovation and meet the nation’s future defence and national security needs.

Minister for Defence the Hon Peter Dutton MP has announced the creation of more than 300 scholarships over the next five years to grow Australia’s nuclear science and engineering workforce.

To register your interest and find out more about the nuclear science and engineering scholarship program, email nucleareducation.pathways@defence.gov.au.

For more information about nuclear-powered submarines, visit: https://www.defence.gov.au/about/taskforces/nuclear-powered-submarine-task-force

Cybercriminals scanning Australian entities for serious cyber vulnerability

Australian business and households must urgently patch their applications and software products as malicious cyber adversaries conduct thousands of scans in search of the Log4j software vulnerability.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is seeing malicious actors attempting to find those who remain vulnerable. Thousands of software products that use this common piece of computer code are at risk, and many are yet to be fixed.

If not fixed, cyber attackers can break into an organisation’s systems, steal user passwords and login details, extract sensitive data, and infect its networks with malicious software causing widespread business interruption.

A detailed alert of the vulnerability has been published on the ACSC website. Read full press release.

The National Security Science and Technology Centre Release Three Technical Challenges and are Seeking Industry Participation

The Defence Science Institute (DSI) in partnership with Australia’s National Security Science and Technology Centre (NSSTC) is calling for submissions to address three science and technology challenges specific to Australia’s national security.

The challenges are aimed at mid to high-range Technology Readiness Levels to support research that has reached or surpassed proof of concept and progressed to the development of a prototype solution.

Up to $200,000 (ex GST) per project is available to support a maximum of three projects of 18-24 months’ duration.

Defence Business Readiness Tool

The Defence Business Readiness Tool (DBRT) has been designed for industry by industry for the benefit of key users including:-

small and medium enterprises (SMEs);
defence industry associations;
prime contractors; and
Department of Defence.

The DBRT is a secure, stand-alone web-based system that allows SMEs to assess themselves against industry best-practices for defence suppliers, help them understand what it means to be ‘Defence Ready’ and prioritise actions to help them grow their defence business capability. For more information - fact sheet and https://www.dbrt.online

From Defence:

The Commonwealth Government has entered into a $1 billion contract with Hanwha Defence Australia to deliver 30 Self-propelled Guns and 15 Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicles from the Geelong Region. See more here.
The Minister for Defence Industry has announced the appointment of a managing contractor to oversee the redevelopment of DSTG’s Fishermans Bend facility. See more here.

Other News:

Victoria’s Minster for Industry Support and Recovery, the Hon Martin Pakula MP, has congratulated Hanwha on securing the LAND 8116 contract. See more here.
Thales will manufacture 155 mm artillery rounds in Benalla commencing on the new year. See more here.
EOS has appointed Matt Jones as the inaugural CEO of EOS Defence Systems Australia. See more here.
Leidos will team with Lockheed Martin to deliver advanced technologies under AIR 6500 Phase1 – Joint Air Battle Management Systems. See more here.
Space Connect is assisting with a survey to identify issue impacting the space industry sector. See more here.
A number of Victorians have featured in this year’s Defence Connect Australian Defence Industry Awards:

Saeid Nahavandi, Deakin University, Individual Innovator of the Year.
RMIT, Academic Institution of the Year.
QinetiQ Australia, Graduate Program of the Year.
The full list of finalists and winners can be found here.

Victorian Common User Facility

If industry requires access to secure communications facilities to engage with Defence, this can be provided through the Victorian Common User Facility.

Defence Industry Support Tools

The Office of Defence Industry Support has a number of tools to support defence SMEs. The Defence Business Readiness Tool, the Digital Readiness Assessment Tool, and the Cyber Security Assessment Tool.

Links to Grant and other Programs:

Australian Defence Export Office Pitch Training Program

The ADEO, in partnership with Marketing Entourage, have created a five week online pitch training program specifically for businesses looking to export defence and dual use goods and services. This training is fully subsidised for Australian Defence Industry businesses.

The program is specifically designed to improve the chances of success for Australian defence industry companies when engaging with opportunities to pitch their capabilities to foreign military and military suppliers. The training is delivered through a series of webinars, online modules and one-to-one pitch practice sessions.

Australian Defence Industry businesses are encouraged to apply by registering their interest at the link below. Multiple people from the same business can be included as a single application. Limited spaces are available on each cohort and the ADEO will prioritise businesses who have recently participated in an industry delegation with TDA.

Click here to learn more about the Online Pitch Training Program and to register your interest.

BAE Systems Hunter Class Opportunities

BAE Systems Maritime Australia’s Innovation team is seeking Expressions of Interest from industry to support the Hunter Class Frigate Program (HCFP) to:

Investigate manufacturing technologies, materials, coatings, and processes with the potential to improve the sail away performance of the nine Hunter class frigates;
Investigate infrastructure, the workforce, and shipyard capabilities to ensure the Osborne Naval Shipyard maintains high levels of productivity, quality and safety; and,
Investigate ongoing maintenance or future capability upgrades that may immediately influence the design and delivery of the nine Hunter Frigates to be built at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia.

The team will evaluate submissions quarterly - with feedback - until June 2022.

Each EOI reviewed by the Hunter Innovation Team may be considered for future steps including a Request for Information (RFI) and/or Request for Proposal (RFP). This may lead to a an agreement for a scope of work which could be in the form of a Research Task, Case Study; Feasibility Studies; Proof of Concept; Prototyping; or other agreed scope of work.

SEA 1905 - Portable Operation Centre

Thales UWS is seeking to gain a detailed understanding of Australian industry for organisations with the design and technical capability to manufacture, integrate and supply the ‘Portable Operations Centre’ system outlined in this Expression of Interest (EOI). Note Thales is looking for an organisation to partner with who can provide a turn-key solution.

This opportunity offers the successful organisation the potential to partner with Thales in Australia for the SEA1905 Programme and global defence programmes through the Thales Global Supply Chain.