SPOTLIGHT: Mission engineering – a missing piece of the capability puzzle, with Downer’s Rachel Hatton and Nathan Rickard

Have you picked up on the rising swell of interest in mission engineering? In this episode, Rachel Hatton, Downer Professional Services’ Head of Mission Engineering, and Nathan Rickard, Technical Director, join Liam Garman to help demystify mission engineering, explaining why it has become a hot topic and what industry need to know. The trio begin the podcast unpacking how making projects and platforms “king” in the capability life cycle has resulted in a force that isn’t fit for purpose in the new strategic context, suggesting a paradigm shift that prioritises evidence-based decision making and a “top-down” approach. Hatton and Rickard explain the what, how, and why of mission engineering and its critical role in delivering capability at speed and on budget while ensuring that Defence is building the right things to enable key mission outcomes. The team talk about mission engineering’s evolution within the US Department of Defense and wraps up with an analysis of how mission engineering will be pivotal to delivering the strategic imperatives outlined in the Defence Strategic Review. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team