PODCAST: Maintenance and sustainment supporting Navy’s mission - RADM Wendy Malcolm

Naval
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PODCAST: Maintenance and sustainment supporting Navy’s mission - RADM Wendy Malcolm

While much of the focus has been placed on the $90 billion Naval Shipbuilding Plan, an elite team within CASG is working behind the scenes to ensure that the unprecedented modernisation of the Royal Australian Navy remains capable of supporting Navy’s ability to “fight and win at sea”. In this podcast, Rear Admiral Wendy Malcolm joins host Phil Tarrant to discuss the role sustainment will play in supporting the future Navy.

While much of the focus has been placed on the $90 billion Naval Shipbuilding Plan, an elite team within CASG is working behind the scenes to ensure that the unprecedented modernisation of the Royal Australian Navy remains capable of supporting Navy’s ability to “fight and win at sea”. In this podcast, Rear Admiral Wendy Malcolm joins host Phil Tarrant to discuss the role sustainment will play in supporting the future Navy.

With Navy undergoing the largest peacetime transformation of capability and platform in its history, the Royal Australian Navy is well positioned within the broader development of the ‘joint force’ Australian Defence Force and its transition towards a fifth-generation force. 

Meanwhile, the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan, along with Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price, officially launched the Navy Industry Engagement Strategy to support the development of a long-term, sustainable naval shipbuilding industry within Australia, with a long-term focus on developing a globally competitive industry that serves as an invaluable, fundamental input to capability. 

 
 

Rear Admiral Wendy Malcolm, Head of Maritime Systems within the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment group (CASG), joins host Phil Tarrant at Pacific 2019 to discuss the often overlooked role of maintenance and sustainment in supporting the future Navy. 

RADM Malcolm will discuss her concept of 'shipbuilding is sexy, but sustainment pays the bills', which builds on the acquisitions decisions and the role sustainment and maintenance plays in insuring the Navy can meet its responsibilities as required by government. 

Building on this, RADM Malcolm will discuss the renewed push from within both Navy and CASG to actively seek to break down the barriers and really engage with industry partners in a collaborative manner. 

RADM Malcolm will also speak to the recent announcement of the Navy Industry Engagement Strategy, one that directly supports Plan Pelorus, which will provide an ideal opportunity to regenerate, refocus and ultimately strengthen Navy’s relationship with industry and academia.

Finally, RADM Malcolm will also discuss the combined push to see greater collaboration with Australian SMEs and Indigenous participation within the sustainment and maintenance operations continue to grow and evolve, and the Industry Engagement Strategy will play a key role in supporting Navy's ambitious recapitalisation and modernisation programs.

Enjoy the podcast, 

The Defence Connect team

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: THE PROGRESS REPORT: Leadership, mentorship and life at sea – Commander Melanie Lennard on 17 years in the Royal Australian Navy
Episode 10: PODCAST: Australia’s munitions manufacturing push at Land Forces 2026, with NIOA Group’s Robert Nioa
Episode 9: PODCAST: EOS showcases new interceptor and layered drone defence at Land Forces 2026, with Lee Kormany
Episode 8: CONTESTED GROUND: The information advantage – how AI is reshaping influence, competition and power
Episode 7: PODCAST: Next-generation equipment at Land Forces 2026, with Aquaterro’s Graeme Bulte
Episode 6: SPOTLIGHT: Defence electronics supply chains, counterfeit components and shortages
Episode 5: PODCAST: AUKUS, China and Australia’s defence industrial future, with former prime minister Scott Morrison
Episode 4: CONTESTED GROUND: When AI goes rogue – the emerging threat Australia isn’t ready for
Episode 3: PODCAST: Frontier AI, cyber warfare, and defending Australia’s military networks, with Wendi Whitmore and Tom Scully
Episode 2: PODCAST: Australia’s 2026 Intergenerational Report and national security implications, with Phillip Tarrant and Robert Dougherty