Fight Tonight: Combat Readiness at the Speed of Relevance
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Context
The 2025 seminar series will identify and discuss strategic themes which impact the Whole of Australian Government, Defence and industry, as well as international partners in a multi-domain context. Given the increasingly complex set of threats and operational risks, it is also set within the context of the emerging issues aligned with the development of NDS26 and beyond.
The seminar series will address the need to balance near-term decisions in air and space capability to ensure Defence and industry investment also provides the sustainable foundations for future force structure planning and growth.
Aim
The aim of September seminar is to build on the theme of accelerating critical capabilities and link to the speed, responsiveness, and agility of air power to generate combat power at relatively low operational and political risk as global security settings deteriorate rapidly.
Further, with Air Force in reasonable shape in comparison to the other Services, the seminar will highlight the importance of national resilience, and that ongoing investment in air domain sustainment is imperative given its ultimate impact on combat power in terms of availability, capability, and readiness.
Background
The main contextual developments shaping the September seminar are:
Agenda
Cutting across each of the strategic themes are policy, process, technology, basing / infrastructure, and workforce considerations including, but not limited to:
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Admiral David Johnston AC RAN
Chief of Defence Force
Admiral Johnston joined the Royal Australian Naval College as a junior entry Cadet Midshipman in 1978. Graduating as a Seaman Officer in 1982, he later specialised as a Principal Warfare Officer.
He was appointed Chief of the Defence Force on 10 July 2024. He has extensive experience across a range of leadership, maritime and joint operations, training and capability management appointments in Australia and overseas.
Admiral Johnston’s senior command appointments include Commanding Officer of HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01), HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06), Commander Border Protection Command, Chief of Joint Operations, and Vice Chief of the Defence Force.
His operational experience includes Operation RELEX (2002), Operation QUICKSTEP in Fiji (2006), Operation RESOLUTE (2007) and Operation SLIPPER (2010).
Admiral Johnston’s honours and awards include his appointment as Member of the Order of Australia (2012), advancement to Officer of the Order of Australia (2018) and Companion of the Order of Australia (2022) ‘for eminent service to the Australian Defence Force through strategic stewardship and capability engagement.’
Financial members are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Sir Richard Williams Foundation.
Sir Richard Williams Foundation
