A new program to build Australia’s electronic defence capabilities has started at Flinders University as part of a $5 million Defence Science Partnership between the Federal Government and Flinders.

The Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price says the program will be funded by $5 million over five years, with Defence Scientist Professor Sam Drake appointed as the inaugural Flinders University Academic Chair of Electromagnetic Systems and Security.

The initiative will also involve DEWC T&E, an electronic warfare defence company owned and managed by Australian Defence Force veterans, to establish a Professional Electronic Warfare Training, Education and Research (PEWTER) Memorandum of Understanding.

“Having a skilled electronic warfare workforce comprising both practitioners and researchers across Defence, academia and industry is key to ensuring future defence capabilities are fit-for-purpose and future proofed,” Minister Price says.

“The Morrison Government, Flinders University and DEWC T&E recognise the urgent need for increased quantity and quality of personnel with the skills and background to meet our national strategic needs in electronic warfare.

“Professor Drake and his team will work in partnership with Defence scientists to establish electronic warfare-focused education and research programs.

“They will also facilitate professional electronic warfare training and research to stimulate and sustain workforce development.”

Minister Price says the Government’s 2020 Defence Strategic Update outlines increased investment in electronic warfare capabilities across all domains.

“These advanced capabilities will provide the ADF with a strategic and tactical advantage to keep pace with the evolving operating environment,” she says, adding DEWC T&E’s years of experience and training expertise will provide valuable insights for students through a curriculum relevant to Australian defence capabilities.