The Indian Ocean Defence & Security (IODS) Conference and Exhibition is being held from Tuesday 26 May to Thursday 28 May 2026 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition centre.
IODS started in 2018, and the 2026 iteration of the event has, according to AMDA, been the largest iteration to date with a close to 200 per cent increase on industry exhibitors compared to IODS in 2024. Over 250 companies from 12 nations are participating with the notable presence of Japan, all alongside over 100 international and domestic delegations.
Topics consistently raised included AUKUS, the ANAO report on the Collins class, the security of the Indian Ocean and autonomous systems.
Minister for Defence Richard Marles was among the lineup for the conference which also included Chief of Navy and soon-to-be Chief of the Defence Force, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond; Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, US Navy, Admiral Stephen Koehler; the Australian astronaut and Director of the Australian Space Agency, Katherine Bennell-Pegg.
The Governor of Western Australia, Chris Dawson gave an address followed by the Premier of Western Australia, Roger Cook’s opening address.
Premier Cook, alongside WA Minister for Defence Industries Paul Papalia and WA Manufacturing Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, announced a defence manufacturing hub. It will be created with the aim of fortifying sovereign industrial capability.
Areas of interest included autonomous systems, aerospace, advanced materials, precision manufacturing, energetics and space technologies.
“This is a call out to our most forward-thinking businesses. If you have the capability, ambition and an existing global market, we want you helping to build this precinct from the ground up," Premier Cook stressed.
Shadow Minister for Defence, Senator James Paterson, also gave a keynote address at the conference, raising concerns about the ANAO report on the Collins-class submarines.
“Our Collins submarines are one of the most important capabilities we have to support freedom of the seas in the Indo-Pacific,” Senator Paterson stated.
“They play a critical deterrence function to any power seeking to coerce Australia by closing any of those chokepoints.
“Without them, until Virginia class and ultimately SSN-AUKUS submarines arrive, Australia is dangerously exposed.”
ASC announced that the company had aided more than 60 companies in progressing through the Defence Industry Vendor Qualification (DIVQ) Program in support of building the Virgina-class submarines.
The program was established by the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) in partnership with the US Government.
Within the announcement, ASC confirmed that VEEM and Camco Engineering have recently achieved DIVQ qualification. They are now eligible to compete for contracts to supply components for the Virginia class fleet.
Hyperion unveiled its 3D printed Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV), known as the Astra 460, which they claim is the first one of its kind within the southern hemisphere.
The vessel features Greenroom Robotics’ AI and autonomy software, the GAMA platform, which will provide the vessel with an autonomous navigation and control system.
The USV was designed by WA marine architect Versatile Marine and will be manufactured in Perth at Henderson by Hyperion Systems.
The 4.6m Astra hulls will be 3D printed through the use of Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) and recycled polymer waste.
Hyperion CEO Joshua Wigley said the vessel hull will be manufactured in approximately 40 hours using LFAM 3D printing, compared to at least 4-6 weeks using traditional boat-building methods.
“This dramatic reduction in production time highlights the transformative potential of additive manufacturing for rapid maritime capability and sovereign industrial resilience,” Wigley said.
A full report from the Indian Ocean Defence & Security Conference and Exhibition 2026 will appear in the July/August issue of ADM.