Thursday 29 August

Our August speaker will be the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan AO, RAN, who will speak about his impressions 12 months into his tenure and his priorities for the Navy.

The presentation will be held in the Spender Theatre at the Australian Defence College, Weston Creek, on Thursday 29 August, commencing at 1800 hours. Members and guests are invited to join us for networking in the ADC Mess from 1700 hours.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A CHANGE FROM THE DATE ORIGINALLY ADVERTISED.

Attendance at this event is free but registration is required. You can register here or by contacting Mickey in our office ( E: support@rusi.org.au).

Members and guests are reminded that photo ID is required for access to the Weston Creek campus.

The USI of the ACT speaker program is proudly sponsored by pwc.

(Photo and bio: Defence)

Thursday 11 July 2019

On Thursday 11 July, Deputy Secretary Estate and Infrastructure, Mr Steve Grzeskowiak, spoke about the contribution of estate and infrastructure to defence capability.  You can find his slides here. Steve began by describing the size of the business of supporting Defence – an asset base of $63 billion (replacement value); an annual budget of over $5b; and a staff of nearly 1800 people. He noted that the recent Defence White Paper and the First Principles Review have increased the focus on the critical support and enabling functions, and provided a basis for Defence to rationalise the Defence Estate over time by closing and disposing of land holdings which become surplus to requirements.

Steve went on to describe the way Estate and Infrastructure Group is supporting the United States Force Posture Initiative in Northern Australia through providing airfield upgrades, bulk fuel storage facilities, base support upgrades, physical fitness facilities and messes, upgrades to training areas and ranges, among other projects and activities. In a similar vein, he outlined the extent and scope of the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative, and the work involved in upgrading and modernising the ADF’s vast network of training areas and ranges.  Finally, he described the real impact the work of E&I Group has in regional Australia through its support of small and medium sized local businesses in gaining work for Defence.

(Photo: USI;  Bio: Defence)

Our speaker program is  proudly sponsored by PwC.

Major General Mike Crane DSC & Bar AM (Retd)

The USI of the ACT is committed to presenting a compelling program of activities, delivering value for stakeholders, and modelling best-practice governance.

In 2019, we are exploring the theme of Defence Capability.  The speaker for our Annual Members' Dinner in September will be Mr Nick Warner, Director of the Office of National Intelligence, and we are looking hard at options for the 2019 ACT Blamey Oration.  All in all, 2019 shapes as another terrific USI year.

From a Council point of view, 2019 sees us well into our 2016-2021 Strategic Plan. The Council is well satisfied with progress against the Plan's objectives and will continue to consolidate governance reform. 2019 will also see some Council renewal, with both your President and Deputy President standing down at the end of mandated tenure. Planning is well underway to identify successors and we anticipate a smooth transition and continuing success under new leadership.

The United Services Institute of the Australian Capital Territory (USI of the ACT) is an independent, not-for-profit, incorporated association, part of a wider network of similar state and territory organisations operating under the umbrella of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies - Australia. Our aim is to promote understanding of national security and defence issues. Membership is open to all who have an interest in national security and defence. We host a program of guest speaker presentations, usually once each month, and offer an annual bursary to an ACT-based doctoral scholar.  

Our Patron is Major General the Honourable Michael Jeffery AC, AO (Mil), CVO, MC (Retd).  You can read his biography here.

Our next speaker can be found at "What's On", and a record of previous presentations can be found under "Transcripts" and Past Events.