Overwatch Technologies focuses on intelligence gathering, analysis ahead of ASX listing
Western Australia-based national security and defence technology firm Overwatch Technologies will begin trading on 16 October, und...
Call for independent disciplinary body after hidden camera found on HMAS Leeuwin
Australian senator Jacqui Lambie has called for the establishment of an independent disciplinary body for the Australian Defence F...
Defence personnel, veterans to compete against UK and US teams at 2026 Veteran Games Finals
For the first time, Australian veterans and serving Defence personnel will compete alongside international teams from the UK and t...
Astronaut challenges Australia to create ‘daring’ science pathway to boost national confidence
Astronaut, Australian of the Year and Group Captain Katherine Bennell-Pegg has challenged the Australian government to be daring i...

PODCAST: Sustainment driving the development of Australia’s future aerospace workforce

Air
|
PODCAST: Sustainment driving the development of Australia’s future aerospace workforce

In this special episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, recorded live on site in Avalon on day two of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition, host Phil Tarrant is joined by Lockheed Martin Australia chief executive Vince Di Pietro and Professor Deborah Hodgson from the University of Newcastle to discuss the Altitude Accord and the role defence primes play in supporting the development of Australia’s future workforce.

In this special episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, recorded live on site in Avalon on day two of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition, host Phil Tarrant is joined by Lockheed Martin Australia chief executive Vince Di Pietro and Professor Deborah Hodgson from the University of Newcastle to discuss the Altitude Accord and the role defence primes play in supporting the development of Australia’s future workforce.

They will talk about the role defence primes like Lockheed Martin Australia play in supporting the development of regional Australia and the impact the Altitude Accord, signed between Regional Development Australia Hunter, Lockheed Martin Australia and the University of Newcastle, will have in creating economic opportunities.

As the program of focus for Australia’s F-35s has shifted from acquisition to the operational and sustainment stage, Di Pietro and Professor Hodgson will discuss the importance of the support provided by primes like Lockheed Martin in supporting the $1 billion defence and aerospace industry in the Hunter region, while also looking at the role tertiary education institutions like the University of Newcastle can play in supporting Defence and industry. 

Finally, they will address the role of nurturing the growing talent pool of regional Australia and the investment model for industry and academic collaboration, which will play a critical role in supporting the long-term development of Australia’s future defence and aerospace workforce.

Enjoy the podcast,

The Defence Connect team

Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Defence Connect a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Defence Connect as a preferred news source.

Tags:

Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: PODCAST: Contested logistics and Australia’s defence industry priorities at Land Forces 2026, with Amentum Australia’s Kim Katheklakis
Episode 10: PODCAST: Containerised solutions and human-in-the-loop systems at Land Forces 2026, with IAI’s Maxim Zemer
Episode 9: SPOTLIGHT: Lockheed Martin Australia’s priorities, leadership and life after service, with Jeremy King
Episode 8: THE PROGRESS REPORT: Leadership, mentorship and life at sea – Commander Melanie Lennard on 17 years in the Royal Australian Navy
Episode 7: PODCAST: Australia’s munitions manufacturing push at Land Forces 2026, with NIOA Group’s Robert Nioa
Episode 6: PODCAST: EOS showcases new interceptor and layered drone defence at Land Forces 2026, with Lee Kormany
Episode 5: CONTESTED GROUND: The information advantage – how AI is reshaping influence, competition and power
Episode 4: PODCAST: Next-generation equipment at Land Forces 2026, with Aquaterro’s Graeme Bulte
Episode 3: SPOTLIGHT: Defence electronics supply chains, counterfeit components and shortages
Episode 2: PODCAST: AUKUS, China and Australia’s defence industrial future, with former prime minister Scott Morrison