The government is promoting export opportunities for Australian defence industry through an expansion of the Global Supply Chain (GSC) program.
The number of defence primes participating in the GSC Program will almost double from seven to 13 following an approach to market. The expansion of the Program was a commitment made in the Defence Industry Development Strategy (DIDS), released in February this year.
The DIDS outlined the importance of the GSC Program and the need to expand the number of participants to assist with scale, competitiveness and sustainability.
The Program is aimed at supporting Australian businesses to integrate into global supply chains, diversify their revenue, drive economies of scale and build resilience through exports. Since its inception, the government says the GSC program has delivered 2,450 contracts worth over $1.9 billion to 258 Australian suppliers.
The successful companies are: Babcock, BAE Systems, Boeing, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Kongsberg, L3 Harris, Lockheed Martin, Moog, Northrup Grumman, Raytheon, Rheinmetall, SAAB, and Thales.
The GSC Program has also updated its performance framework to include: a plan to promote the scaling and growth of Australian businesses; an expanded scope of exports to consider the continuum between domestic and international projects; identification of opportunities for Australian innovation early in the development cycle; and performance metrics to allow Defence to measure the success of primes and the program.
“The government is proud to be continuing and expanding the GSC Program as a way of supporting Australian businesses to grow and in turn create jobs for locals," Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said.
“Expanding the program will provide Australian businesses with greater access to the broader export markets, and will increase opportunities to integrate into the international supply chains of the GSC Program partners.
“The government understands just how important the growth and sustainability of Australian defence industry is to meet our strategic needs, and to also contribute to a future made in Australia.”
"The GSC Program has successfully facilitated many contracts since its establishment, boosting the global competitiveness of many Australian suppliers," Kongsberg Defence Australia’s Managing Director John Fry said. "We are delighted to be one of the new Primes selected as part of this program and look forward to identifying export opportunities for Australian suppliers to produce world-class and innovative defence capabilities in support of Kongsberg's international supply chain."