Defence Ipswich Strategic Summary 2018-2023

7 The City of Ipswich is recognised as one of Australia’s primary defence regions with significant Australian Defence Force representation, an extensive industry network, established skilled workforce and a demonstrated capacity for growth and innovation. Defence is the second largest industry sector in Ipswich by terms of export value of $1.36 billion and nearly 10 per cent of all employment in Ipswich being in the defence industry and associated supply chain. A quarter of Queensland’s defence workforce operates in Ipswich. RAAF Base Amberley is Australia’s largest military air base, contributing over 5,200 local jobs and over $565 million in direct regional expenditure each year. The Australian Government has made a commitment to the expansion of RAAF Base Amberley with $1.2 billion in new investment and an additional 2,800 defence jobs in the Ipswich region by 2020. RAAF Base Amberley plays a significant role in bolstering defence’s mobility, strike- force and heavy-lift capacity, plus key elements of the RAAF intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability, airborne early warning and control and unmanned aerial systems. In March 2018, the Australian Government announced Rheinmetall Defence Australia as the successful tenderer for the $5.2 billion LAND 400 Phase 2 contract with its Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle. Rheinmetall is now establishing its Australia-New Zealand headquarters and Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in Ipswich. LAND 400 is the largest acquisition project in the history of the Australian Army and is a catalytic outcome that will create unrivalled opportunities for Queensland’s defence and advanced manufacturing industries for decades to come. Rheinmetall expects that over 450 jobs will be created and $1 billion will be contributed to the Queensland economy in the first 10 years. Rheinmetall’s MILVEHCOE is located in the heart of Australia’s largest heavy vehicle manufacturing and sustainment precinct and will not only manage the delivery and continued development and sustainment of the Boxer CRV but will be the regional hub with an expected program of continuous design, manufacture and support for up to 5,000 military vehicles across Australia and Asia Pacific. Ipswich benefits from an exceptionally strong presence of defence industry prime contractors and specialised defence contractors including TAE Aerospace, Boeing Defence Australia, Rheinmetall Defence Australia, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Thales, RUAG, Spotless and Raytheon Australia. These industry leaders are creating and facilitating increased opportunity for Ipswich’s strong advanced manufacturing and logistics sectors to participate in the global defence supply chain.