RSL Australia to spotlight Defence workforce at Land Forces
RSL Australia will bring together leaders from Defence, industry, academia and the veteran community at Land Forces 2026 to examine the human infrastructure needed to deliver Australia’s defence ambitions.
Hosted by RSL Australia, The Decisive Element: The Human Infrastructure Behind Australia’s Defence Strategy will be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday 6 October from 1.30pm to 2.30pm. The session is open to all Land Forces trade badge types.
Leaders from across Defence, industry and the veteran community
RSL Australia National President Hon Peter Tinley AM will be joined by Lieutenant General Natasha Fox AO, CSC, Chief of Personnel for the Australian Defence Force; Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Professor at The University of Western Australia Defence & Security Institute; Ohad Katz, Managing Director of Raytheon Australia; and Julie Hall, Senior Manager of CommBank for Veterans.
Together, the panel brings experience spanning military service, Defence workforce strategy, national security, defence industry and veteran transition.
About the session
The session starts from a central premise of the 2026 National Defence Strategy – that people are Defence’s most important capability. The strategy sets a target of growing the combined permanent ADF and Australian Public Service workforce to around 100,000 by 2040.
But building that workforce requires more than recruitment alone.
The RSL Australia-hosted discussion will explore the broader ecosystem needed to attract, support and retain the people behind Australia’s defence capability – and the role veterans, communities, employers, industry and support systems can play in that effort.
Putting people at the centre of capability
The session will explore four areas RSL Australia sees as central to building and sustaining Australia’s defence workforce: wellbeing, community, veteran employment and social licence.
This includes the role strong wellbeing and support systems can play in recruitment, retention and transition; the importance of communities in encouraging the next generation to serve; and the opportunity to better harness the skills and experience of ex-serving Australians across the national workforce.
It will also consider the wider responsibility of industry, educators, employers and community organisations in supporting the people required to deliver Australia’s defence strategy.
attend the event
📅 Tuesday 6 October 2026
🕜 1.30pm–2.30pm
📍 Meeting Room 2, Level 2, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
🎟️ Open to all Land Forces trade badge types
Register now to join RSL Australia and leaders from across the Defence community for this important conversation about the people behind Australia’s defence capability.
About Land Forces 2026
Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition will be held in Perth from 6–8 October 2026, bringing together Defence, industry, government, academia and technology leaders from Australia and overseas.
The three-day trade event includes an international industry exhibition, specialist conferences, presentations and networking opportunities focused on the future of land defence capability.