Mr Chris Mills AM CSC

Director, Defence Research Institute

Following a 30-plus year career in the Army, including multiple active deployments locally and overseas, Mr Mills has held positions of Director Joint Training and Exercises, Director General Modernisation Army, and Director General Force Options and Plans.

Post active service, he has worked with the Department of Defence developing strategies to grow the Australian Defence workforce. He also led the delivery of the 20-year Defence Capability Plan, the 2020 Force Structure Plan, working closely with senior leaders across the Australian Defence Force, the Chief Defence Scientist and Defence Science Technology Group.

More recently, Mr Mills worked as a consultant with EY specialising in defence, capability management and business transformation, exemplified through his leadership in the design of the Australian Naval Nuclear Submarine Safety Regulator.