OPINION: Aligning political desires and the needs of business is among a host of must-haves for the defence sector this year.
A raft of speculative claims about the future of Western Australia’s shipbuilding operations swirled as 2025 wound down and I considered what 2026 has in store for the defence sector.
And while there will be in-depth commentary on those particular offshore shipbuilding claims in future editions, they served to crystalise two key themes for the defence sector in 2026: urgency and conflict.
Many documents have been released during the past five years.
Presumably thousands of hours and millions of dollars have been spent on updates, reviews, plans and strategies, including the following:
• 2020 Defence Strategic Update & Force Posture Plan;
• 2023 Defence Strategic Review;
• 2024 National Defence Strategy;
• 2024 Integrated Investment Program; and
• 2024 Defence Industry Development Strategy.
Progress is being made as a result and the desire for alignment and planning is crucial. I do not underestimate the complexity or necessity of the above at all.
The 2020 Strategic Update identified the threat and needs for change. When the Albanese government called for the Defence Strategic Review, the urgent needs that lay before us were already clear; the DSR simply helped to define a way forward and provide the central reference point to inspire action.
Much of what has followed is an effort to realign our sector, redefine how we operate, from a ‘nothing-to-see-here’ posture of little immediate concern, to ‘the threat is coming and we are already behind’.
This is no small task. A business facing this type of crisis could not wait five years for the outcome; not simply progress, but actual outcomes.
A business facing a similar inflection point would lose its place in the market and likely cease to exist. For our national defence objectives, while timelines are explainable, we cannot confuse that with being acceptable.
Similarly, the WA government has made impressive progress in a number of areas, but are we ready to deliver on the outcomes the moment demands?
Again, much has been written: a Defence Industry Strategic Plan in 2018; the Building WA’s Defence Industry Australian Marine Complex Infrastructure Strategy in 2020; a 2022 Defence Industry Workforce Development Plan; and an updated Defence Industry Strategy in 2025.
I’m part of the problem. I’ve been consulted on many of the above documents; my signature is even visible in some. I, too, have supported the seemingly never-ending task of plans promising to be the one that pushes the boulder over the hilltop, with ultimate outcomes achieved.
There’s no doubt in my mind the people involved care deeply and are passionate about these projects. Our collective readiness for what lies ahead is incredibly complicated.
It cuts across federal, state and local governments, across multiple portfolios, across defence interests and those of other sectors. Not to mention budget constraints. The outcome matters too much to allow these justifications to be excuses.
This is where urgency becomes the theme for 2026. For all the challenges, can we harness the urgency to overcome the obstacles?
Conflict, the second theme, enters here. The threat of conflict can assist in unifying action, gathering government resources and justifying decisions to the voting public.
The federal government has been keen to promote the connection with China for economic reasons (and understandably so), but a balance must be sought. Without the threat of conflict, I wonder how and if the various tiers of government can muster the requisite urgency.
Conflict is also a key theme in that a failure to meet the moment with urgency and outcomes means ‘urgency’ will be pitted against ‘Australian capability’.
Our absence of readiness will mean two possible outcomes: we wait longer for readiness of key capability and/or infrastructure; or we buy it or solve it off the shelf or offshore.
The damage this would cause to industry, to sovereign capability potential, to political careers, would be immeasurable.
We have planned and strategised too much for too long for that to be an acceptable outcome.
To fail in this endeavour is to diminish the reputation of WA to our eastern states counterparts. To fail undermines the work and passion of many.
To fail means to damage the Australian reputation in the world, particularly in the eyes of our allies. To fail invites adversarial strategising.
To fail is to alienate a willing and capable industrial base, perhaps permanently.
For these reasons it’s imperative we overcome the challenges ahead.
• Kristian Constantinides is general manager of Airflite and was the 2023 recipient of the Minister’s Award for Services to Defence Industry. The opinions expressed are purely his own
