DSTO Strategic Plan 2013-2018

The global and regional context for Australian defence will undergo significant change in coming years. Key challenges facing DSTO include the increased blurring of state and non-state threats, military modernisation in the Asia-Pacific region, global access to commercial off-the-shelf technology and the rapid progression of cyber capabilities and other disruptive technologies. These external challenges coincide with a tightening resource environment for Defence and DSTO. The DSTO Strategic Plan 2013-18 sets the high-level direction for DSTO for the next fi ve years. The plan allows DSTO to meet the challenges through focussing our eff orts on solving the highest priority defence and national security challenges and becoming a more streamlined and efficient organisation. The strategy is built on the vision that DSTO will continue to be a world leader in defence science and technology indispensable in supporting and transforming Australian defence and national security. It will ensure that we remain a valued adviser at the forefront of defence science and technology for Australia. Partnerships with research and industry participants, both nationally and internationally, will be vital to achieving this goal. We will seek to maintain and enhance our current partnerships as well as building new partnerships, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The strategy identifies ten key strategic initiatives and underlying actions that we will undertake from 2013 to 2018 to achieve our goal. The strategy also provides the trajectories for our science and technology capabilities over the five years to maintain our relevance and to be responsive to Defence and national security needs.