13.30pm - 13.45pm
Presentation Details
The International Data Links Society was born out of the International Data Links Symposium. At the 2004 symposium the executive organising committee proposed to delegates that a not-for-profit organisation, which could represent the international data links community through individual, government and corporate membership be established and that the International Data Links Symposium (IDLS) should sit within it. Delegates unanimously voted for the creation of the society.
The Australian New Zealand (ANZ) Chapter of the International Data Links (IDL) Society was created in 2005 following the very successful 2005 Symposium held in Sydney. The ANZ Chapter has actively supported the Society’s goals which are:

• To bring together and facilitate a network of international professionals in the data links community and create a forum for the exchange of social, cultural, technological and professional ideas and interests.
• To promote the increased use and higher quality of standards in the data links community
• To become a key liaison with corporate, government, military, research, educational and other organisations concerned with the continued progress in civil and military data links.

The ANZ Chapter supported these goals through a TDL training program and organising the yearly TDL Summit which was held as part of the broader MilCIS conference each year from 2014 until 2019. These actions provided the opportunities for international presenters and trainers to deliver content on the latest TDL developments to Australian and New Zealand Defence and industry representatives. Unfortunately, the advent of the COVID 19 pandemic stopped these programs.
The aim of this presentation is to provide the audience with an update on the Society and ANZ Chapters operations and to discuss the reinvigoration of the Chapter through close cooperation with Defence and industry.
Biography
Graham Priestnall is the current Industry Co-Chair of the Australian New Zealand (ANZ) Chapter of the International Data Links (IDL) Society. Graham joined the IDL Society in 2004 and has been a member of the ANZ Chapter since its inception in 2005. He has served on the Chapter Committee, as the Industry Co-Chair for over ten years. He has been an integral member of the ANZ Chapter’s Tactical Data Link Summit planning committee that was successfully delivered within the MilCIS conference for six years from 2014 to 2019. Graham has represented the ANZ Chapter at the several IDL Symposiums and General Committee meetings.
Graham has an extensive background in Defence and the Australian defence industry and has worked for several companies which deliver tactical data link products and services to the ADF and Defence. In addition to his company duties Graham has advocated on behalf of the ANZ Chapter to implement the goals of the IDL Society to provide a government-industry forum to inform each other of accomplishments, trends and developments in military and civil data link technology.
Prior to joining the defence industry in 1999, Graham had a 27 year career in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), serving at sea as a warfare officer and in staff officer positions in Fleet Headquarters, Navy Office and Defence HQ. Graham’s defence industry career includes senior management and business development roles with large and small companies. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Asension Pty Ltd, a medium Adelaide based specialist electronic warfare (EW) working in the Space and Defence sectors.