From Gadi to the frontline: technology, trust and Australia's security future

The ANU National Security College hosted Dr Sam Howerton, Chief Scientist at the US Department of Homeland Security, in Canberra last week, bringing together leaders from government, academia and industry to explore how emerging technologies are reshaping national security.

Acting head of NSC James Pitman led a dialogue with Ryan Winn, CEO of Science and Technology Australia, and Professor Tim Senden, Pro-Vice Chancellor Research Infrastructure and Entities, examining the role of science, technology and international collaboration in strengthening resilience and security.

Dr Howerton also visited the National Computational Infrastructure, a reminder that sovereign compute capacity is fast becoming a strategic asset in its own right.

The same infrastructure powering climate and disaster modelling today is what will underpin AI research, biosecurity surveillance and cyber resilience tomorrow. National high-performance computing is as much a security question as a scientific one.

A roundtable with Professor Aaron Quigley, Dean of ANU College of Systems and Society and Olivia Shen, United States Studies Centre, covered AI, critical technologies and the policy settings needed to harness innovation for public good.

The day closed with Dr Howerton addressing participants in NSC's EL1 program, Succeeding on the Frontline, offering Australia's next generation of national security leaders a first-hand perspective on strategic leadership and innovation.

Days like this matter because frontier technology is no longer a support function for national security, it is fast becoming the terrain on which security competition plays out. No single country builds sovereign advantage in AI, computing or biosecurity alone. Partnerships like this one, between researchers, policymakers and allies, are how Australia keeps pace.