Countering improvised explosive devices, advancing hypersonics and contributing to the F-35 program are just some of the Defence Science and Technology Group’s (DSTG) achievements since forming 50 years ago.
The group also helped with COVID-19 vaccines by developing disease-modelling tools to forecast the spread.
During the bushfires in 2020, DSTG provided scientific and technological expertise to help response efforts.
Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Mark Hammond said science, technology and innovation gave the nation a competitive edge.
“DSTG has been the engine room of innovation within Defence, using STEM expertise to address the challenges faced by our war fighters,” he said.
“From contributions to subsurface, surface, air, land, cyber and space technologies, to the introduction of new platforms like the Ghost Shark – extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle.”
DSTG now has more than 2000 STEM professionals and is the nation’s second-largest publicly funded research agency.
The roots of science in Defence stretch back to 1907, when Australia’s first Defence scientist, Cecil Napier, was appointed chemical adviser to conduct research from a Victorian explosives laboratory.
Since then, the first Defence Science Laboratory was established in 1910, followed by the Aeronautical & Engine Research Test Laboratory in 1940 and the Royal Australian Navy Experimental Laboratory in 1956.
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) was formed in 1974 after a restructure of government science branches, and in 2015 the name was changed to DSTG.
Some of the group’s crowning achievements include the development of long-range weapons, the black box flight recorder and the Nulka missile decoy.
This year’s Australian Defence Science, Technology and Research Summit will feature six technical streams aligned with the Government’s science and technology priorities in response to the Defence Strategic Review.
These include hypersonic missiles, directed-energy weapons, trusted autonomy, quantum technologies, information warfare, and extending the reach of long-range missiles and artillery.
Nigel McGinty, a chief technology officer with DSTG, said the summit would be accessible to a range of interested parties.
“This is more than just a conference. It’s an opportunity to network, to create new, dynamic partnerships, to explore potential new collaborations,” Dr McGinty said.
