The Australian Government has released the 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) and Integrated Investment Program (IIP), confirming a significant expansion in the role of uncrewed and autonomous systems across the Australian Defence Force.

The Strategy recognises that drones are now central to modern defence capability, with investment directed toward scalable, multi-domain systems supporting intelligence, logistics and operational missions.

AAUS has welcomed this commitment, describing it as a pivotal moment for Australia’s sovereign capability. However, the Association has also highlighted a key gap — while the Strategy clearly defines what is needed, it is less clear how this capability will be delivered, integrated and scaled across Defence.

AAUS President Andrew Crowe noted the risk of fragmentation without a unified approach, as well as the critical role of the commercial drone sector and the need for regulatory settings to keep pace with industry growth.

Link to NDS / IIP 2026

Read the full AAUS media release