The First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, leader of the Royal Navy, and Australia’s incoming Chief of the Defence Force, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AO, will together headline Western Australia’s 2026 Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference and Exhibition (IODS 2026). These two senior naval leaders will be joined by Admiral Stephen Koehler, Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, as well as Vice Admiral Yasuhiro Kunimi, Vice Chief of Staff, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Backed by the Cook Labor Government, IODS 2026 will bring together allied defence forces, industry, government, academia, education providers and international delegations for three days of strategic dialogue, collaboration and future-focused capability showcases, advancing conversations on regional security and cooperation. Conference themes this year focus on four key areas of significance in the current geopolitical environment where Western Australia plays a vital role: AUKUS, regional security, industrial capability, and critical minerals.
IODS 2026 will also welcome prominent figures from the international defence industry – including Damian Parmenter CBE, former Director General AUKUS and Senior Counsellor with Palantir Technologies UK; Richard Spencer, former US Secretary of the Navy and Austal Chairman; and Dr Laura Hooks, Vice President and General Manager of Maritime and Strategic Systems at General Dynamics Mission Systems.
Growing in 2026 to span over three of the Perth Convention Centre’s exhibition halls, the defence primes from allied nations exhibiting at IODS 2026 provide unprecedented access for WA businesses to meet and showcase their capabilities on the global stage. In response to the success of IODS 2024, the event program has expanded to include two new initiatives, the Veterans Workforce Transition Day and Educator Professional Development Day, as well as a careers day which will allow hundreds of WA students to explore job pathways across defence-related fields.
Defence Industries Minister Paul Papalia said: “The Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference will put Western Australia at the centre of global defence conversations. It will be where international partners, industry leaders and researchers come together to turn strategy into real capability – creating jobs, strengthening our sovereign defence industry and building the workforce we need for the future. Western Australia is already a critical hub for defence, and IODS is our opportunity to showcase that to the world. Join us for IODS 2026 to connect, explore emerging technologies, forge strategic partnerships, and contribute to the conversations that will shape defence and security for years to come.”
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