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For Australian Defence Force veterans, transitioning into the defence industry means learning to apply years of military experience in a very different environment.
For Royal Australian Navy veteran Daniel Talbot, now with Saab Australia, the Defence Teaming Centre’s 2026 Defence Industry Leadership Program (DILP) is helping him rediscover the strengths developed through military service, while identifying behaviours that need adapting for industry.
Through a nine-month program of formal training, industry engagement and practical application, DILP equips participants with the leadership capability, perspective and professional networks to lead effectively across Australia’s defence sector.
For veterans, DILP provides valuable insight into the defence industry environment, helping them recognise the value of their military experience in an industry context and develop the knowledge and confidence needed for a successful transition.
It can help veterans understand the industry environment, identify the military service skills and approaches that are applicable in the defence industry and gain more that will help the transition.
“There are some good habits from military service that lend themselves to good leadership, that you may not realise you still possess,” said Danny Talbot, acknowledging also that approaches to managing tasks and teams can be very different in civvy life.
“Military has a chain of command and in civilian life there’s more artistic licence to manage up,” he said. “This course can bring about the confidence to navigate in that space.”
The program has also provided a broader understanding of the political and Defence environment in which industry operates, helping participants understand the factors that influence projects, ideas and decision-making.
“There’s a lot more layers than I originally realised that have barriers or avenues, depending on what you are trying to do, and you need to be cognisant of that.”
Importantly, DILP challenges participants to communicate effectively under pressure and build trust quickly.
“I hadn’t considered before that in a one-minute speech, there’s time to cover subject matter from logical, ethical and emotional perspectives, where you get buy in, you’re informative and you’re believable within that short space of time.”
“There is space here to quickly gain the trust and buy in, even if you haven’t had exposure to the people before. And that has absolutely helped when talking on the fly or having something thrown at me in my day-to-day work.”
For veterans, DILP offers something particularly valuable: the opportunity to recognise, adapt and confidently apply the leadership capabilities they already possess in a new industry environment.
The Defence Teaming Centre (DTC) and South Australian Government are again partnering to offer a scholarship supporting a South Australian veteran to build the skills, networks and qualifications needed to pursue or further their leadership aspirations in Australia's defence industry.
Co-funded by DTC and Veterans SA, the scholarship will enable a South Australian veteran to participate in the 2027 Defence Industry Leadership Program (DILP), designed specifically for emerging and mid-career leaders across the defence sector.
Applications for the 2027 Defence Industry Leadership Program close on 10 December
