New Chief of Army LTGEN Rick Burr is enthusiastic about next week’s LAND FORCES 2018 conference in Adelaide.

Having just taken over the role from new Chief of Defence Force GEN Angus Campbell in July, LTGEN Burr told reporters in Canberra on August 17 that Land Forces is a “tremendous opportunity for Army to engage with our partners in the region.”

“We have about 15 Chief of Army-equivalents coming, and a range of other representatives from another 15 or so countries around the world,” he told media in Canberra on August 17.

“Obviously a key focus of the exhibition is industry showcasing its wares,” he said. And there is the academic component where we have a series of sessions where we’ll explore topics of interest for our militaries, our nations in the region, and the role of land forces in helping with security and stability in the region.”

LTGEN Burr said the various forums associated with Land Forces would contribute greatly to meeting future challenges Army is likely to face. “Together, the academic and the industry piece allow us to really explore the challenges, but also the response to those challenges through different ways of operating, and also what technology industry can provide in terms of new capabilities and new ways of meeting these challenges.

“For me, that is a great way to start in a job,” he said. “We’re getting literally the best thinking, and the best demonstrations of where people are going, and their understanding of that space. And that will allow us to think about, as an Army, where we want to go over the next decade.”