Tuesday, 11th November | Conference Day One

Day One | Secure Australia 

8:20 am - 8:30 am Chairโ€™s Opening Remarks

8:30 am - 9:00 am Shaping Australiaโ€™s Defence with AI

Dr. Paul Robards - Chief Data Integration Officer, Department of Defence


img

Dr. Paul Robards

Chief Data Integration Officer
Department of Defence

  • What does it take to integrate AI meaningfullyโ€”not just as isolated pilots, but as capability thatโ€™s trusted, deployed, and enduring?
  • How can autonomous and AI-enabled systems be used to achieve scale, redundancy, and presenceโ€”without unsustainable cost?
  • How do we design systems where humans remain central, but are enabled by AI to act faster, better, and with greater effect?
  • How do we balance global partnerships with sovereign control over mission-critical systems and decision logic?
  • Where should Australia focus its energyโ€”doctrine, procurement models, or partnershipsโ€”to accelerate real-world AI capability in the next 2โ€“3 years?
img

Mr. Glen Schafer

Chief Executive Officer
Trusted Autonomous Systems

img

Professor Scott Tyo

Chief Platforms
Defence Science and Technology Group

img

Mr. Craig Hamilton

Assistant Secretary Technology and Security
Department of Defence

9:45 am - 10:00 am Morning Speed Networking

Kickstart your day with fast-paced, one-on-one interactions. Connect with key industry leaders, share insights, and expand your professional network in this energetic, structured networking session.

10:00 am - 10:30 am Morning Break and Networking

10:30 am - 11:00 am Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Integrating and Scaling Emerging Tech Faster and Safely

โ€ข Identify key regulatory hurdles slowing tech adoption.

โ€ข Explore strategies to fast-track safe integration and scaling.

โ€ข Outline collaboration models to enable faster innovation.

โ€ข Capability Development at Pace: How do different sectors balance innovation with procurement, regulation, and integration timelines?

โ€ข Operational Interoperability: How can military and civilian agencies ensure autonomous systems work seamlessly across domains and jurisdictions?

โ€ข Data, Trust & Decision-Making: How do we manage data flow and decision-making in environments where AI plays a critical operational role?

โ€ข Beyond Silos: Aligning Defence, Law Enforcement and Academia in the Robotics Era

img

Lieutenant Colonel Adam Hepworth

Director Robotics & Autonomous Systems
Australian Army

img

Wing Commander Mike Moroney

Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Lead Jericho Disruptive Innovation
Royal Australian Air Force

img

Mel McDowall

Director
DAIRNet

11:45 am - 12:45 pm Lunch and Networking

12:45 pm - 1:15 pm Securing Supply Chains for Emerging Technologies

1:15 pm - 2:00 pm Panel Discussion | Securing the Future of RASAI: Navigating Supply Chain Risk in a Volatile World

Ms. Tracey Gosling - Regional Vice President, APAC, Dataminr
Mr. Michael Horrocks - Deputy Project Manager, U.S Army
  • As RASAI systems increasingly rely on complex global supply chainsโ€”spanning sensors, software, and compute hardwareโ€”what are the most critical vulnerabilities facing the sector today?
  • What lessons can the RASAI sector draw from recent global disruptionsโ€”like COVID-19, semiconductor shortages, or conflicts in key manufacturing regionsโ€”to build more resilient and responsive supply chains?
  • With increased convergence of cyber-physical systems in RASAI, how do organisations stay ahead of emerging threats that target both data and hardware across the supply chain
  • What role should real-time intelligence,
img

Ms. Tracey Gosling

Regional Vice President, APAC
Dataminr

img

Mr. Michael Horrocks

Deputy Project Manager
U.S Army

2:00 pm - 2:30 pm Afternoon Break and Networking

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm AI-Driven Decision-Making, Automation, and Swarm Tactics for Enhancing UAS Capabilities

Mr. Michael Horrocks - Deputy Project Manager, U.S Army
  • Leveraging AI for Faster, Smarter UAS Decision Cycles.
  • Automation in UAS Lifecycle: From Launch to Recovery.
  • Swarm Tactics and Distributed UAS Coordination.
img

Mr. Michael Horrocks

Deputy Project Manager
U.S Army

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm Accelerating the Fight: Data, Decision, and the Dawn of Collaborative Autonomy

Lieutenant Colonel Robbie Hicks - SO1 Robotics & Autonomous Systems, British Army
  • The integration of RAS systems to shorten the Sense โ€“ Decide โ€“ Effect timeline.
  • The importance of the unencumbered movement of data.
  • Lessons from ESTONIA โ€“ Networked RAS in the hands of the user.
  • And the road to collaborative autonomy.
img

Lieutenant Colonel Robbie Hicks

SO1 Robotics & Autonomous Systems
British Army

  • Balance between autonomy and human oversight.
  • Ethical and doctrinal implications of semi-autonomous weapon systems.
  • Training soldiers to work with intelligent machines.
img

Lieutenant Colonel Robbie Hicks

SO1 Robotics & Autonomous Systems
British Army

img

Marc Vetter

Technical Advisor, USINDOPACOM/J85
United States Navy

img

Air Commodore Arthur Porter

Director General Air Combat Capability
Royal Australian Air Force

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Drinks Reception

5:00 pm - 5:00 pm End of Conference