This seminar built on the earlier “accelerating critical capabilities” theme by focusing on combat readiness, responsiveness, and the agility of air power as strategic conditions deteriorate. It highlighted the importance of national resilience and argued that sustained investment in air domain sustainment directly underpinned availability, capability, and readiness - particularly as Defence shifts into NDS Epoch 2 amid inflationary and prioritisation pressures. The day brought together RAAF, Defence, industry and expert voices to examine trends in air defence and strike, industrial mobilisation and exports, synchronisation of space/cyber/electromagnetic effects, and practical command perspectives on being ready to “fight tonight.”

This seminar examined how Defence could strengthen combat effectiveness in a fiscally constrained environment, with a particular focus on “cost per effect” in multidomain operations. The discussion framed choices across the NDS planning epochs (Enhanced Force-in-Being through to the Future Integrated Force) and explored how Australia could prioritise survivable, lethal, sustainable capabilities while managing political and operational risk. The program featured contributions from senior Defence leaders, allied perspectives, and industry panels, including sessions on adversary trends, opportunity costs, and integrating non-kinetic effects.