Chief of Army Symposium 2026 | Wednesday 7 - Thursday 8 October
Speakers
CAS 2026 has an exceptional line up of speakers and panellists. Learn more about each of our speaker and panellist by exploring their biographies below.
Biographies are listed in order of appearance throughout the program.
Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, AM, CSC, DSM
Chief of Army, Australian Army
Lieutenant General Susan Coyle enlisted as a soldier in the Army Reserves in 1987 before completing a science degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy and graduating from the Royal Military College in 1992 into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. Appointed as the 42nd Chief of Army on 8 July 2026, she is honoured to be the next steward of the Australian Army.
Lieutenant General Coyle has worked at the tactical, operational and strategic levels and is fortunate to have had multiple opportunities to command. Key appointments have included Head Information Warfare, Commander Forces Command, Commander Joint Task Force 633, Commander 6th Brigade, Commander Task Group Afghanistan and Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment and most recently as Chief of Joint Capabilities, where she proudly led the Space and Cyber Domains and National Support for Defence. She has deployed to Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Lieutenant General Coyle holds three post-graduate masters degrees and is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Army War College and an alumnus of the Harvard Advanced Management Program.
Lieutenant General Coyle was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for Commander Joint Task Force 633, a Distinguished Service Medal as Deputy Commander Joint Task Force 636/Commander Task Group Afghanistan, and a Conspicuous Service Cross as Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment. Whilst posted to the United States, she received the U.S. Army Commendation Medal as the 11th Signal Brigade Satellite Engineer.
Susan is married to Mark, an engineer in the Army, and together they have three wonderful and mostly charming millennials – Jessica, Susie and Jack. Her hobbies include attempting to play golf, musical theatre, reading anything and travelling anywhere.
Brigadier Natasha Ludwig, AM
Director General Logistics, Australian Army
Brigadier Natasha Ludwig graduated officer training into the Royal Australian Corps of Transport in 1996. Her formative experiences include postings to the 1st Brigade, Joint Movements Group, Joint Logistic Unit – North, and Headquarters Joint Operations Command. She has served as Director of Logistics – Army, Chief of Staff to the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, and Director of the Australian Command and Staff Course. She has commanded 9th Force Support Battalion, 8th Force Support Unit on operations, and 17th Sustainment Brigade. BRIG Ludwig is
a graduate of Australian Command and Staff Course, Defence and Strategic Studies Course, and holds a Master of Military and Defence Studies from Australian National University, and a Master of Business Administration from
Deakin University. She was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2024 and a Commendation for Distinguished Service in 2015. She is currently appointed as G4 Army within Army Headquarters.
Jim Mitre,
Chief Research Officer, RAND Corporation
Jim Mitre is senior vice president and chief research officer at RAND. He oversees all U.S.-based research and analysis, quality assurance, and the recruitment and oversight of RAND's research staff.
Mitre was the inaugural vice president and director of the RAND Global and Emerging Risks division, which delivers rigorous and objective public policy research on the most consequential challenges to civilization and global security. Prior to that, Mitre served as the director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Program.
Before joining RAND, Mitre spent over a decade serving in multiple roles in the Department of Defense where he had responsibility for defense strategy, strategic analysis, scenario development, and force planning. He served as a senior advisor to the deputy secretary of defense for data and artificial intelligence, principal director and acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, and as the executive director of the 2018 National Defense Strategy. Mitre was a presidential management fellow in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and served in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Nairobi, Kenya.
Mitre has also spent time in the private sector as the chief strategy officer at Govini, an early-stage national security technology company, and, at the onset of his career, co-founded a private counterterrorism research organization, the SITE Institute.
Mitre holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan Business School.
The Hon. Richard Marles MP,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence
The Hon. Richard Marles MP is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Minister for Defence and the Federal Member for Corio. Richard was first elected to the House of Representatives for Corio, Victoria in 2007.
Richard's previous ministerial appointments include Minister of Trade, Minister for Employment, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary for
Innovation and Industry, and Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Affairs.
Born in 1967, Richard was raised and educated in Geelong and went on to study Law and Science, achieving a LLB (Hons) and a BSc from the University of Melbourne.
General ARAI Masayoshi
Chief of Staff, Japanese Ground Self Defense Force
General Arai is a National Defense Academy Graduate and Armoured Officer, who has commanded at every level of the JGSDF, notably commanding JGSDF 3rd Division in Middle Army, and going on to command Western Army in 2024 where he was at the forefront of the JGSDF’s co-operation with allies and partners and modernisation activities. General Arai was appointed to his current role as Chief of Staff JGSDF in August 2025. General Arai is a
graduate of the National Institute of Defense Studies and has also fulfilled numerous senior appointments in the Ground Staff Office, as well as an interagency assignment to Japan’s National Security Secretariat.
Dr Nora Bensahel,
Professor of Practice, Johns Hopkins University and E.G. Keogh Visiting Chair
Dr. Nora Bensahel is a Professor of Practice at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a Contributing Editor and Columnist for War on the Rocks. She is a renowned expert on U.S. defense policy, military operations, and the future of war. She is the co-author of the recently-published book Adaptation Under Fire: How Militaries Change in Wartime.
Before joining SAIS, Dr. Bensahel was a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the School of International Service at American University and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Prior to that, she was a senior fellow and co-director of the Responsible Defense Program at the Center for a New
American Security. Her early career included over eleven years at the RAND Corporation, where she rose to the position of senior political scientist. She also spent more than a decade as an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, where she taught graduate classes and received the Alumni Leadership Council Teaching Award.
Dr. Bensahel received her Ph.D. and M.A. degrees from the Department of Political Science at Stanford University, and her B.A. magna cum laude from Cornell University. While at Stanford, she worked as a research assistant for former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry. She previously served on the Secretary of Defense’s Reserve Forces Policy Board, the Executive Board of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS) and the President’s Council on Cornell Women.
Major General Ana Duncan, AM, CSC,
Commander of Forces Command, Australian Army
Major General Duncan was appointed as the Commander of Forces Command in January 2025.
An experienced land domain officer, Major General Duncan has soldiered in Signals units within the 1st, 3rd and 17th Brigades, the (then) 1st Division, and various regional and Middle East operations’ task units. She
commanded the 1st Signal Regiment, which included command of Force Communication Unit X across the Middle East.
Major General Duncan has held senior staff appointments in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Office of the Chief of Army, Strategic Policy Division, Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, and Career
Management – Army. As a brigadier, Major General Duncan was the Director Future Plans and Strategy (CJ5) for the military coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In this role, Major General Duncan was also the Senior National Representative for Australian troops in Iraq. Thereafter, she became the Commandant of the Royal Military College – Australia. Most recently, Major General Duncan was the inaugural Commander of Cyber Command.
A graduate of the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, Commander Joint Task Force Course, US Army Land Component Commander Course, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Australian Command and Staff College, and Royal Military College – Duntroon, Major General Duncan also holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts in Strategy and Management, and a Master of Science in Telecommunications. She is a trustee of Defence Community Dogs.
Major General Duncan is married to Gavin and they have two teenage children.
Major General Mick Ryan (Retd), AM,
Senior Military Fellow, Lowy Institute
Mick spent over 35 years in the Australian Army and had the honour of commanding soldiers at troop, squadron, regiment, task force and brigade levels. He served in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan as well as on the U.S. joint staff in Washington DC.
Mick is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College (2002), the U.S. Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting (2003), and a distinguished graduate from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC (2012). He has master’s degrees in military studies, operational studies and international public policy. In June 2026, Mick completed his PhD at the University of Queensland.
He is a keen author on the interface of strategy, innovation, advanced technologies, and people. In February 2022, his book War Transformed was published by USNI Books. His next book, White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan, was published in May 2023 by Casemate Books. His latest book, The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire, was published in August 2024. His next book, a sequel to White Sun War, will be published by USNI Books in early 2027.
Mick is the inaugural Senior Fellow for Military Studies at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, and an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.
Vice Admiral Justin Jones, AO, CSC, RAN
Commander of Joint Operations, Australian Defence Force
Vice Admiral Justin Jones assumed responsibilities as the seventh Chief of Joint Operations on 5 July 2024. A Principal Warfare Officer with sub-specialisations in surface warfare and advanced navigation, he has served in 13 Royal Australian Navy ships over a 37-year career, including patrol boats, guided missile destroyers, frigates, amphibious assault ships, and combat support vessels. He has deployed four times to the Middle East Region, supported 11 named operations, and completed 13 Indo-Pacific deployments.
Vice Admiral Jones commanded HMAS Newcastle from 2008 to 2010 and HMAS Success from 2014 to 2016. His joint operations appointments have included roles within Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, Joint Operations Command, Maritime Border Command, and Deputy Chief of Joint Operations.
Recognised for outstanding leadership and service, he received the 2006 Trafalgar Bicentennial Sword of Excellence, was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in 2016, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours.
Kathryn McMullan,
Director, Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation
Kathryn McMullan is Director of the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO), a role she has held since July 2023. In this role she is responsible for all aspects of AGO’s operations as an intelligence agency within the National Intelligence Community (NIC) and the Department of Defence.
Previously, as the First Assistant Director-General Analytical Capabilities Division at the Office of National Intelligence (ONI), Kathryn was responsible for NIC-wide workforce, training and inclusion initiatives, including the establishment of the National Intelligence Academy; was head of profession for analysis and tradecraft; and led the daily Prime Ministers Brief. Kathryn also led ONI’s intelligence and open source collection capabilities, and has held roles in ONI that delivered intelligence strategy, mission management, and foreign engagements.
Kathryn has worked extensively across the national security community in a range of operational and strategic policy roles within the Australian Government, including at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Department of Defence. Her breadth of experiences span border security, national defence, foreign policy and intelligence, and federal criminal matters. Additionally, Kathryn spent a number of years as National Security Advisor to the Attorney-General and as the Senior Strategic Adviser for Intelligence and International for the Minister for Home Affairs.
Kathryn has augmented her extensive experiences across government roles in the NIC with a period in the private sector, as a Senior Strategy and Security Consultant with a UK-based firm. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science and Philosophy), a Bachelor of Laws (Hons), a Masters of Laws (International Law) and a Masters of Diplomacy.
Brigadier James Kidd, DSM
Director General Future Land Warfare, Australian Army
Brigadier James (Billy) Kidd commenced service at the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1997 and graduated
from the Royal Military College Duntroon in 2000 as a light infantry officer. He completed the Special Air Service Selection Course in 2004 and has since held command appointments within Special Operations Command at troop, squadron, regimental and component level.
His staff appointments have included service as a Senior Instructor at the Royal Military College Duntroon, a senior planner within a Joint Agency Task Force, a staff officer at Army Headquarters, and Defence Advisor at the Australian High Commission in Papua New Guinea. Brigadier Kidd has served operationally in East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan.
A graduate of the Australian Command and Staff Course and the Defence and Strategic Studies Course, he holds multiple postgraduate qualifications. He assumed the appointment of Army G5 (Future Land Warfare) in
January 2026.
Mr Michael Irwin
Co-CEO, Breaker Industries
Michael is Co-founder and Co-CEO of Breaker Industries, a defence technology company building software for autonomous systems. Breaker's platform lets a single operator command teams of unmanned systems using high-level, intent-based, natural spoken language commands across air, land and sea domains. It runs on the edge and is resilient in a communications-denied environments.
Founded in 2023 and backed by Bessemer Venture Partners and Main Sequence Ventures, Breaker is headquartered in Sydney and Austin, Texas. Breaker works with tier-one United States primes in each of those domains. In Australia, Breaker is currently integrating onto a tier-one
prime's combat vehicle and is attending Army Innovation Day 2026. Before Breaker, Michael worked as a machine learning engineer across the defence industry, building AI systems for everything from threat detection to
autonomous decision-making.
Mr David Goodrich,
Executive Chairman and CEO, Andruil Australian
Before Anduril, David advised the Australian Defence Force and other Australian and State government entities on dozens of major weapons system acquisition, sustainment and infrastructure contracts. David also served as the Executive Director at Silver Spirit Partners, a company he founded to develop significant retirement communities and advise on property development and infrastructure projects in New South Wales, most notably the Western Sydney Airport and the redevelopment of Sydney’s Darling Harbour. David currently sits on the advisory
board of Gilmour Space Technologies, Australia’s sovereign space launch provider.
David graduated from the University of New South Wales’ Australian Graduate School of Management with an Executive MBA after obtaining a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sydney. In 2021, he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to the community and
defence sector.
Sarah Bailey,
Group CEO, PentenAmio
Sarah Bailey is Group Executive Director and CEO Australia of PentenAmio, a leading provider of secure mobile communications, AI-enabled cyber defence and electronic deception technologies supporting national security and defence outcomes across Australia, the UK and allied nations.
With more than 25 years of leadership experience, Sarah is responsible for driving the strategic growth of PentenAmio’s global business and capabilities while overseeing the organisation's Australian operations. She is recognised for cultivating high-performing teams and leading complex transformation initiatives that deliver tangible impact at scale.
Before assuming her current role, Sarah served as Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer for Penten, playing a pivotal role in the company’s growth from a founder-led start-up to an international leader in security and cyber defence. She led strategic initiatives including private equity investment and the merger with UK-based Amiosec, leading organisational transformation that enabled the business to grow more than fivefold while increasing operational maturity. Most recently, Sarah has overseen the integration of Armour Communications into PentenAmio, further strengthening the company's position as a leading sovereign provider of secure communications technologies for government and defence.
Sarah was named Female Defence Leader of the Year (SME) at the 2025 Australian Defence Industry Awards and now leads approximately 300 specialists across sovereign facilities in Australia and the UK. PentenAmio is one of the largest and most advanced teams globally dedicated to secure classified mobile communications and AI-enabled defence, with its sovereign-certified encryption deployed by more than 20 national security and defence organisations across Australia, the UK and allies. The company is also investing in next-generation capabilities, including electronic deception technologies that support modern defence and national security missions.
Andrew Gresham,
Managing Director of Defence Delivery Business, BAE Systems
Andrew is a senior business leader with extensive domestic and international experience across defence, strategy, business development, operations, and manufacturing. Holding an Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering and postgraduate management qualifications, he began his career in the mining industry before joining BAE Systems in 2001.
As an Executive Director at BAE Systems Australia, Andrew leads some of the nation’s most complex defence programs, overseeing a cross-domain portfolio valued at more than $1 billion annually. His team delivers capability across research and development, design, manufacturing, sustainment, and support for Australian Defence Force and export customers.
Andrew has held several senior leadership roles within BAE Systems, including Director Operations Support, where he led key enabling services and organisational growth initiatives. He also led the Australian F-35 campaign, securing advanced manufacturing and sustainment opportunities. Earlier, as General Manager Fast Jet Support, he oversaw support services for Hawk 127, FA-18 Hornet, and F-35 aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force.
MAJGEN Kurt Brown, CSC,
Head Land Capability, Australian Army
Major General Kurt Brown grew up in the country New South Wales town of Dubbo. He attended the Australian Defence Force Academy and Royal Military College before graduating into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. He is the current Head Land Capability within Army Headquarters.
Major General Brown has had a diverse range of appointments throughout his career ranging from
command, staff and joint, to inter-agency roles. Career highlights include command of the 7th Combat Signal Regiment, appointment as the Australian Defence Adviser to Canada and on exchange with the United States 11th Signal Brigade. He also served as the Commander of the Cyber Forces Group within Joint
Capabilities Group.
Operationally, Major General Brown has served on multiple tours to Afghanistan, Iraq and Timor Leste. He was the Officer Commanding Afghanistan Signal Squadron and the Officer Commanding the Signal Element in Timor Leste. Brigadier Brown was a lead planner in the Multi-National Corp-Iraq communications plan whilst posted as the Engineering Officer for the United States 11th Signal Brigade.
Academically, Major General Brown is a graduate from the University of New South Wales Master of Electrical Engineering program. He is a graduate of the Defence Strategic Studies Course and Australian Command and Staff College, attaining a Master of Military Studies from the Australian National University. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Executive Program on Leadership and Innovation. Major General Brown is currently undertaking a doctorate on the convergence of physical and electronic manoeuvre on the battlespace.
Major General Brown has a keen interest in most sports, particularly Australian Rules football being a passionate St Kilda supporter, and outdoor pursuits such as skiing and running. He is married and
has two children.
Dr Jim Storr,
Defence Analyst and Writer
Jim Storr was an infantry officer in the British Army for 25 years. He studied Civil Engineering
at Imperial College, London and then served in the British Army of the Rhine for much of the 1980s. Later postings included Canada, the Falkland Islands, Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Headquarters, US European Command.
Jim studied at the Royal Military College of Science and the Army Staff College at Camberley. He worked
on policy for the introduction of battlefield computing, advised operational research teams, then spent five years writing high-level military doctrine. He was awarded a doctorate for a thesis on the nature of military thought in 2002.
In his second career Jim’s main activities are consultancy, research, writing, and teaching. Jim was professor
of war studies, at the Norwegian Military Academy from 2013 to 2017. His seventh book, ‘A Theory of War,’ will be published in September 2026.
Group Captain Bennell-Pegg,
Australian Astronaut, Australian Space Agency
2026 Australian of the Year, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, is the first professional astronaut to officially represent Australia.
Katherine is eligible for mission assignment to the International Space Station and on Artemis, having received her astronaut wings from the European Space Agency in April 2024 upon graduating from Astronaut Basic Training as one of six members of the ‘Hoppers' class.
Katherine's career as a space systems engineer and physicist spans more than 15 years in space agencies and industry developing space programs and strategies, technologies, and missions across six countries. These include the Orion vehicle that is taking humans back to the Moon as part of the Artemis program,
space station facilities, earth observation and science missions and robotic systems.
She is a Group Captain in the Air Force Reserve, where she is working to contribute the knowledge and skills from astronaut training as well as to keep ‘match fit’ for space.
Lieutenant Colonel Gabrielle Taylor,
Deputy Director, Chief of Army's Initiatives Group, Australian Army
Lieutenant Colonel Gabrielle Taylor is a Military Police Officer in the Australian Army. She has served in tactical,
operational and strategic appointments, and on operations with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and as a mentor at the Afghanistan National Army Officers Academy.
A graduate of the Australian Command and Staff Course, she has been awarded a Bachelor of Business, a Master
of Project Management, a Master of Strategic People Management, and a Master of Military and Defence Studies, specialising in Operational Art.
She currently serves as Deputy Director of the Chief of Army's Initiatives Group.
Major General Chris Smith, DSC, AM, CSC,
Deputy Chief of the Army, Australian Army
Major General Smith was appointed Deputy Chief of the Australian Army on 31 January 2024. A
graduate of the Royal Military College - Duntroon, he commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps in 1994.
His senior appointments have included Chief of Staff to the Chief of the Defence Force, Chief of the Defence Force’s Liaison Officer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director Future Land Warfare,
Director General Land Operations (G3) and Deputy Commanding General US Army Pacific.
Major General Smith’s operational service includes Rwanda, Lebanon, the Golan Heights, Iraq and Afghanistan, where he commanded the 2nd Battalion Battle Group in 2011. He also served as Commander Landing Force for Australia’s inaugural Amphibious Ready Element.
An honours graduate of the United States Army School of Advanced Military Studies, he is a Member of the Order of Australia and recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, Conspicuous Service Cross and
other Australian and international honours.