May 2026 newsletter

Guests at the Welcome Reception for NT Defence Week, Parliament House, Northern Territory.

NT Defence Week 2026 marked the 5th year of the Northern Territory Government’s flagship annual program, showcasing the Territory’s strategic role in Australia’s defence posture and Indo-Pacific engagement.

The program brings together Defence, industry, government, and international partners through briefings, forums, tours and networking opportunities to highlight capability, investment opportunities, and regional collaboration throughout the week.

It recorded strong national and international engagement this year, attracting more than 2,400 registrations across 17 events.

More than half of all delegates travelled from interstate or overseas, with over 200 companies and organisations represented from across Australia and internationally.

This growing national and international participation reflects the Northern Territory’s pivotal role in Australia’s defence and strategic landscape.

The success of NT Defence Week is built on strong partnerships. Their continued support ensures the week delivers meaningful outcomes for both industry and the broader community.

Sincere thanks go to:

• Australian Industry & Defence Network (AIDN) NT
• Charles Darwin University
• Chamber of Commerce & Industry NT
• Industry Capability Network (ICN) NT
• Master Builders NT
• NT Indigenous Business Network
• Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
• local Senior Australian and United States Officers.

Jimmy Kiploks, General Manager, DefenceNT addressing the Welcome Reception at NT Defence Week

The Hon Lia Finocchiaro MLA, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Minister for Defence NT launching the Northern Territory Defence Strategy 2026.

The Northern Territory Defence Strategy 2026 was released by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory at the 13th Australian Defence Magazine Northern Australia Defence Summit, complements the Commonwealth’s National Defence Strategy, and has been developed to drive greater Australian, allied and partner defence and defence industry presence into the Territory.

Guided by the principle of 'Strong North, Secure Australia', the Strategy sets the direction for a robust and responsive Northern Territory, underpinned by increased defence capability and industry support across the region.

The strategy sets 5 priorities:

• maritime sustainment
• army’s littoral pivot
• northern theatre logistics
• northern basing and ranges
• innovation, testing and evaluation.

Current and future investment across bases, barracks and ranges is increasing Australia’s capacity to operate from the North. The NT Defence Strategy will focus on enabling a defence presence that can deliver real readiness by connecting personnel, equipment and bases into a single operating system.

Read the strategy.

DefenceNT extends its sincere appreciation to Thales Australia, DECnet and Winya for their valuable contributions to 2 highly successful networking events held during the NT Defence Week.

The Thales Friends of the Territory networking event and the DECnet Networking Sunset Cruise each welcomed over 130 attendees, bringing together senior leaders and representatives from Defence, government, industry and local businesses.

Both events played an important role in fostering a collaborative environment, enabling stakeholders to connect, exchange insights, strengthen professional relationships and explore opportunities shaping the future of the Northern Territory defence sector.

These events highlighted the strength of partnership and shared commitment across the defence ecosystem, supporting ongoing capability building and collaboration in the Territory.

DefenceNT sincerely thanks Thales Australia, DECnet and Winya for their support and dedication to growing a resilient and connected defence community in the Northern Territory.

As part of NT Defence Week 2026, the Territory celebrated the Chief Minister’s Awards for Excellence in the Defence Industry. The awards recognise the people and businesses driving growth, innovation and capability across the Northern Territory’s defence sector.

Finalists attended the 2026 NT Defence Industry Excellence Awards to celebrate their achievements, with winners announced in front of more than 300 guests.

A record number of nominations highlighted the sector’s strength, diversity and strategic depth, with several nominees standing out for their innovation, impact and leadership in the defence sector.

Large Business Category

Finalists: NORSTA North, AKJ Services, Thales Australia

Winner: NORSTA North

This award recognises the NORSTA North for delivering outstanding performance, completing over 75,000 labour hours of on‑time maintenance, driving digital innovation, strengthening partnerships and investing in workforce growth and capability.

The Honourable Gerard Maley MLA Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and Georgia Davey, Program Manager NORSTA North.

Indigenous Business Category

Finalists: DICE Australia, TEC Automation

Winner: DICE Australia

This award recognises the DICE Australia for rapid mobilisation and multidisciplinary ISO‑certified delivery, while building trusted Defence partnerships and expanding long‑term capacity.

The Honourable Gerard Maley MLA Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and Ray Pratt, Director DICE Australia.

Small Business Category

Finalists: Plumbing NT, Griffin Marine, Morton Bros. Contracting

Winner: Plumbing NT

This award recognises the Plumbing NT for demonstrating excellence in high‑compliance environments, fostering strong stakeholder relationships, and building long‑term capability through workforce expansion and investment in systems and equipment.

The Honourable Gerard Maley MLA Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and Pat Whitehead, Director Plumbing NT.

NT Defence Week also recognised the outstanding contributions of current and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members and the organisations that support them, through the Minister for Veterans’ Veteran Community Awards.

The awards highlight the vital role of the veteran community in the Northern Territory, home to around 20,000 current and ex-serving personnel and their families, and celebrate their impact on the defence sector and broader economy.

Finalists and winners were acknowledged alongside the Chief Minister’s Awards. This year’s award recipients are:

• Employer of the Year - Duratec Limited
• Employee of the Year - Deon Ferreira, NORSTA Maritime
• Community Member Owned Business of the Year - Ahvana
• Community Partner Employee of the Year - Simone Flynn, Human Quotient Group

DefenceNT congratulates all nominees, finalists and winners for your remarkable contributions to the Territory’s defence industry and economic growth.

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), in partnership with international counterparts, has released new guidance to support the safe and effective adoption of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

Agentic AI is increasingly used across critical infrastructure and defence sectors to support mission‑critical functions.

While these systems offer advanced automation and decision‑making capabilities, their autonomy, interconnected design and reliance on large language models also introduce significant security risks.

ASD advises organisations to anticipate potential failures, assess operational impacts, and maintain ongoing visibility and assurance over their AI systems.

The guidance outlines key security risks and mitigation strategies to help organisations make informed decisions when designing, deploying or operating agentic AI.

For more information about the guidance on careful adoption of agentic AI services, go to Australian Government's Australian Signals Directorate website.

Defence + Industry Conference

The Defence + Industry Conference (D+I) will return to the National Convention Centre in Canberra on Wednesday 1 July 2026, with registrations now open.

This year’s conference will provide an important platform for engaging with senior Defence leaders on key priorities, including Defence reform, the 2026 National Defence Strategy, the Integrated Investment Program and the forthcoming Defence Industry Development Strategy 2026. The event will also highlight industry’s vital role in supporting these strategic outcomes.

DefenceNT plans to attend the conference to promote the Northern Territory Defence Strategy, local industry capability and capacity, and investment opportunities.

For more information and registration, go to Australian Government's Defence website.

Australian Industry Capability practitioner course 2026

The Australian Industry Capability (AIC) practitioner course is a vital training program aimed at enhancing the understanding of AIC requirements among Defence and Defence Industry personnel.

This 2-day, instructor-led course is particularly suited for staff engaged in AIC activities, procurement and contract management. It offers practical knowledge to facilitate the effective implementation of AIC obligations within Defence projects and programs.

The face-to-face session is scheduled to take place in Darwin from 25 to 26 June.

For more information and enrolments, go to Australian Government's Defence website.

ADF Reserves & Employer Support Awards 2026

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Reserve opened nominations for the Employer Support Awards (ESA) 2026.

The awards are designed to formally recognise employers who demonstrate outstanding support for ADF reservists in the workplace and offer employers meaningful public recognition for their commitment, flexibility, and support of reservists balancing civilian and military responsibilities.

For more information and submission, go to Australian Defence Force's Reserves and employer support website.

Northern Territory Export & Business Awards 2026

Territory businesses and exporters are being encouraged to showcase their achievements, with nominations now open for the 2026 Northern Territory Export and Business Awards.

Supported by the Northern Territory Government and delivered by the NT Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Awards recognise the businesses, exporters and individuals helping drive economic growth, innovation and opportunity across the Territory.

The Awards celebrate businesses exporting Territory products and services to the world, as well as those making a significant contribution to their local communities through leadership, customer service and business excellence.

For the first time, the Defence industry, supply chain and sustainment category has been included. Defence industry businesses are strongly encouraged to apply, along with other eligible export award categories.

For more information and submission, go to NT Chamber of Commerce and Industry website.

This section showcases upcoming Defence-focused events and seminars delivered by industry associations, media and partner organisations. It is intended to support business engagement and knowledge sharing across the defence sector. Readers are encouraged to follow the links provided for full event details, registration information and updates.

• Australian Defence Magazine (ADM): ADM events
• AMDA Foundation Limited: AMDA Foundation Limited events
• Australian Industry & Defence Network (AIDN): AIDN events
• Consult Australia: Consult Australia events
• Industry Capability Network (ICN): ICN upcoming events
• Master Builders Northern Territory (MBNT): MBNT events
• Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce (Chamber NT):  NT Chamber events
• Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN): NTIBN events
• Engineers Australia: Events

• Australia’s reserves are growing – but not where the strategy needs them
• Sovereign resilience starts in the north
• Darwin Dialogue 2026: from exposure to endurance
• Australian defence depends on stronger northern systems
• Creating a northern hybrid zone to turn ambition into action
• In this month’s budgets, treat economic decisions as national-security decisions

Tenders

Publication printing - MECC-DNB-81912

The Department of Defence - DSRG requires an end‑to‑end service provider to manage the printing, packaging, labelling and distribution coordination of its 3 official Defence newspapers. The services will support an approximate monthly print run of 20,000 copies per edition.

Closing date: 2 June 2026.

For more information, go to AusTender.

Request for information - AZ6621

The Department of Defence (DSRG) seeks to establish the Defence-Ready Indigenous supplier list for participation in building construction, support, maintenance and repair services. Indigenous businesses holding WHS accreditation scheme accreditation are invited to submit their information.

Closing date: 24 July 2026.

For more information, go to AusTender.

AusTender

Free to use and where you can find Australian Government opportunities, annual procurement plans and contracts award announcements. For more information visit the AusTender website.

BenchOn

Where you can access opportunities with government agencies and Primes through BenchOn Industry Portals. To find out more visit the BenchOn website.

Gateway by ICN

Where you can find Australia and New Zealand’s largest network of suppliers and projects. For more information visit the Gateway by ICN website.

SAM.gov

The official US government system for contracting opportunities and contract award reports. To learn more go to the SAM.gov website.

Opportunities

The grants and programs finder is the Australian Government’s central website for all grant and funding products available throughout Australia. To find out more, go to the Australian Government's Business website.

Defence Industry grants

Defence provides a range of grants to support industry. These grants assist Australian small and medium enterprises in expanding to meet Defence capability needs and join global Defence industry supply chains. Current information on available grant programs can be located at the Defence website.

Industry Growth Program offers

The program provides an advisory service for start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) undertaking innovative commercialisation and/or growth projects that are within the priority areas of the Australian Government’s National Reconstruction Fund and help build Australia’s manufacturing capability for the future. For more information visit the Industry Growth Program website.

Australian Submarine Agency

Over the next 30 years, the Australian Government will invest $30 billion into Australia’s Industrial Base for industry, infrastructure and workforce development in support of AUKUS.For more information on grants and funding go to the Australian Submarine Agency website.