Weapons Research Establishment
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Commonwealth of Australia |
| Headquarters | Fairbairn, Canberra, Australia |
| Employees | 2500+ |
| Annual budget | $408 million (2014–15) |
| Minister responsible |
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| Agency executive | |
| Parent agency | Department of Defence (Australia) |
| Website | www.dsto.defence.gov.au |
The Defence Science and Technology Group (abbreviated as DST Group or DST) is part of the Australian Department of Defence dedicated to providing science and technology support for Australia's defence and national security needs. It is Australia's second largest government-funded science organisation after the CSIRO. The agency's name was changed from Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) to Defence Science and Technology Group on 1 July 2015.
To achieve its mission, DST provides scientific and technical support to current defence operations, investigates future technologies for defence and national security applications, advises on the purchase and smart use of defence equipment, develops new defence capabilities, and enhances existing systems by improving performance and safety and reducing the cost of owning defence assets.
The Chief Defence Scientist leads DST. The position is supported by an independent Advisory Board with representatives from defence, industry, academia and the science community. DST has an annual budget of approximately $440 million and employs over 2500 staff, predominantly scientists, engineers, IT specialists and technicians.
DST has establishments in all Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory with posted representatives in Washington, London and Tokyo. DST collaborates with science and technology organisations around the world to strengthen its technology base and works closely with Australian industry and universities to enhance defence capability. International engagement allows DST to explore potential technological opportunities at significantly less cost and provides access to overseas capabilities otherwise not available to the ADF. DST is a member of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. It also has bilateral defence science agreements with USA, UK, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway and Singapore. In February 2012, DST was given the whole-of-government responsibility to co-ordinate research and development for Australia's national security.
A new research body, called Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), was created in 1974 by amalgamating the Australian Defence Scientific Service with the Science Branch of the Department of Defence. Over the next 20 years various other Australian Defence laboratories were integrated with DSTO, including what remained of the Weapons Research Establishment, responsible for the Woomera test range.
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