Defence leaders, industry experts, engineers and technology innovators from across Australia came together in Canberra for a pivotal symposium on the growing influence of digital engineering in Defence.
The Defence Digital Engineering Industry Forum on May 28 highlighted the burgeoning role of digital engineering in delivering mission-ready capability in an increasingly complex, data-driven environment.
The event focused on collaboration at the critical intersection of digital innovation and defence capability, reflecting the growing importance of digital engineering – as outlined in the National Defence Strategy 2026.
Opening the forum, First Assistant Secretary for Engineering, Technology and Material Logistics at Defence, Terry Saunder, highlighted how digital engineering has become central to designing and integrating defence capability across the board.
“It has become increasingly clear that digital design and engineering is now a critical part of building Australia’s sovereign defence capability and that industry plays a central role in that,” Mr Saunder said.
“Above all though, it is about our people and bringing them along on our digital journey.
“We must collaborate and empower our teams across Defence and industry to work together in the digital space by accessing often complex data and allowing them to make informed decisions towards building an enhanced digital engineering capability for Defence.”
‘Ultimately, this is about delivering better capability, faster and with greater confidence, through genuine partnership between Defence and industry.’
Director of the Digital Transformation and Systems Team within Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group at Defence, Asha Mathew, told the conference that Defence was widely embracing digital technology and innovation, with the rollout of its Digital Engineering Strategy now gaining momentum across all services.
“By embedding consistent digital engineering practices across Defence, the organisation aims to reduce duplication between acquisition and sustainment, accelerate capability delivery and enhance assurance across complex systems,” Ms Mathew said.
“Ultimately, this is about delivering better capability, faster and with greater confidence, through genuine partnership between Defence and industry.”
Attendees at the forum also engaged in discussions on topics such as model-based systems engineering, digital twins, data standards, interoperability, cyber resilience and workforce skills, all in support of a common goal: ensuring that Australia’s defence capabilities remain agile, interoperable and fit for purpose in a rapidly evolving strategic environment.
Discussion further emphasised the importance of collaboration in turning digital innovation into operational advantage.
