The Business Council of Australia (BCA) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the 2026 National Defence Strategy. Our members represent major employers, investors, and research partners across the national economy. They operate in banking, resources, technology, telecommunications, advanced manufacturing, health, and logistics. These firms hold deep capability in infrastructure, finance, engineering, and technology development.
Australia faces a harsher strategic climate than at any time in recent decades. The 2024 National Defence Strategy recognised this shift and set a clear direction. Defence policy must adopt a national approach that mobilises government, industry, research institutions, and the wider community. National resilience rests on economic strength, technological capability, and industrial depth.
Business has a direct stake in this task. Industry owns much of the capital, infrastructure, and technology that modern defence capability requires. The success of the next National Defence Strategy will depend on how effectively Australia leverages these strengths and capabilities into national defence planning.
The BCA and the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia recently released research on Australia’s opportunity under AUKUS Pillar II. That paper examined how advanced technologies and private capital can support national security outcomes and broader economic strength. The findings from that work hold clear lessons for the next stage of defence policy.
The National Defence Strategy should treat industry and investors as partners in capability development rather than simply external suppliers. We all must build new pathways that connect research, industry, and investors with Defence.
The 2026 National Defence Strategy should reinforce four principles, building on the good work done in 2024.
- A stronger national innovation base
- Mobilise more private investment
- Strengthen the industrial ecosystem and skills
- Public trust
The Business Council of Australia therefore encourages Defence to deepen engagement with industry – especially non-defence industry – and investors during the preparation of the 2026 National Defence Strategy and the Defence Industry Development Strategy. A dialogue with major companies, technology firms, financial institutions, and research organisations would help align national policy with the capabilities of the wider economy. The Business Council of Australia and its members stand ready to assist the Department of Defence in this work.
Australia’s security will rest on more than military power alone. Economic strength, technological leadership, and industrial capacity form part of national defence. A strategy that mobilises these resources will place Australia in a stronger position for the decades ahead.