Australia and New Zealand have strengthened their cooperation on defence science with the signing of a new Innovation, Science & Technology Statement of Intent.
The statement formalises deeper science collaboration between Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) and New Zealand's Defence Science and Technology (DST) organisation.
Under the agreement, there will be three focus areas of cooperation to address innovation, science and technology challenges and deepen collaboration.
The first area is integration which will strengthen collaboration through activities including experimentation, wargaming and interoperability initiatives. The second is upskilling through visits and personnel exchanges will increase opportunities for short-term visits and personnel exchanges to share experiences and strengthen the defence science workforce.
The final area, defence science partnering, will expand collaboration across Defence, industry and academia to harness the broader innovation ecosystem.
Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist Tanya Monro and New Zealand’s Chief Defence Scientist David Galligan signed the statement on this week during the annual Five Eyes Science and Technology Principals meeting hosted by New Zealand.
Chief Defence Scientist Tanya Monro welcomed the signing of the statement.
"Australia and New Zealand share a longstanding partnership and a strong commitment to advancing science, technology and innovation in support of national security,” Monro said.
"This Statement of Intent provides a practical framework for our defence science organisations to deepen collaboration, share expertise and pursue areas of mutual interest.
"By strengthening connections between our people, organisations and broader research communities, we can build on our complementary strengths and deliver greater impact together."
With the statement now signed, a framework has been established that will support DSTG’s and DST’s pursuit of closer collaboration.
This agreement supports implementation of March’s Operationalising the Australia-New Zealand Alliance: Anzac 2035 – Closer Defence Relations Statement, which was signed by the Minister for Defence, Richard Marles and the then-New Zealand Minister of Defence Judith Collins.