The Indian Ocean Defence & Security 2026 Conference & Exhibition is being held in Perth 26-28 May 2026 at the Perth Convention Centre, Western Australia. The biennial event brings together Defence, industry, government and academia to explore opportunities that strengthen Australia’s national defence posture and regional security in the Indian Ocean.

Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) is excited to once again be involved in this tradeshow, showcasing its ongoing commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration. This event offers a wide range of opportunities for participants to engage directly with ASCA, the includes:

• learn more about its mission and current initiatives
• explore how ASCA works with industry, academia, and government partners to accelerate the development and transition of advanced defence capabilities.

The engagement opportunities are listed below.

Briefing sessions

Innovation at Speed: How industry is shaping Australia’s Defence future

Major General Hugh Meggitt, Head ASCA will be hosting a briefing session titled, ‘Innovation at Speed: How industry is shaping Australia’s Defence future’. This session will provide an overview of ASCA’s approach to delivering Defence capability, including how industry is responding to a changing operational environmental to deliver outcomes for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Speakers:

• Major General Hugh Meggitt AM CSC, Head ASCA
• Commodore Michael Turner CSM and Bar RAN, Director General Maritime Integrated Capabilities
• Mr Greg Tunny, CEO Innovaero
• Mr Alan Clements AM, Vice President, L3 Harris Australia and New Zealand
• Mr Shaun Day, CEO, Blue Ocean Marine Tech Systems.

Tuesday 26 May 2026
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Meeting Room 1, Level 2 
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre

To attend the conference, register through the conference organiser’s website. 

Industrial Capability ‘Quadrant’: AI and advanced technology in the modern Defence realm

The session will discuss Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, quantum, autonomous systems and robotics and resilience. It will explore the innovation, science and technology (IS&T) ecosystem, emerging technologies, opportunities to engage and Australian Defence Force preparedness.

Speakers: 

• Professor Gordon Flake, CEO Perth USA Asia
• Major General Meggitt AM CSC, Head ASCA
• Professor Tanya Monro AC, Chief Defence Scientist
• Harry Hubbert, Director and CEO Greenroom Robotics
• Ash Alexander-Cooper OBE, Vice President of EMEA and APAC, Dedrone 
• Andrew van der Lem, Head of Defence, Faculty Artificial Intelligence

Wednesday 27 May 2026
11:15 am to 12:05 pm
River View Room 5, Level 2
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre

Exhibitor stall

ASCA will also be exhibiting from 26-28 May 2026 (stand No. 1C10). The ASCA team look forward to connecting with industry and interested stakeholders.

Meet with ASCA

Requests for organising a meeting directly with ASCA can be requested via email: asca.outreach@defence.gov.au.