For more than six decades, GME has been woven into Australia’s industrial and marine landscape as one of the nation’s great engineering success stories. Its roots trace back to Edward “Ted” Dunn, a name that still resonates across the boating and electronics industries. Ted’s vision and ingenuity helped shape GME into an enduring Australian manufacturing powerhouse, one that continues to evolve and thrive under new generations of leadership.
Ted Dunn was among the rare group of individuals recognised with the prestigious Robert Greaves Memorial Trophy, awarded by the Boating Industry Association to those who have made a long-term, transformative contribution to the marine industry. His impact went beyond business, Ted exemplified the blend of innovation, craftsmanship, and community spirit that characterises the very best of Australian enterprise.
Founded 65 years ago, GME remains proudly 100% Australian-owned and operated, a rarity in an age when much of the global electronics industry has shifted offshore.
The company has built its reputation on delivering world-class solutions in electronics, telecommunications, SATCOM, antenna, and RF technologies, and is best known by many for its iconic Australian-made CB, marine, and commercial radios, as well as its emergency locator beacons (EPIRBs and PLBs), critical devices that have saved countless lives at sea and on land.
Yet beyond its well-known consumer and commercial ranges lies a lesser-known story, one of sovereign defence capability.
The GME Defence Division delivers advanced design, prototyping, manufacturing, and testing services to Defence and Defence industry clients, all from a secure, Zone 4-certified facility in Sydney. The company’s expertise in RF and communications is complemented by its growing portfolio in cybersecurity and specialist communications systems, particularly through its partnership with US based Owl Cyber Defense and its acquisition of Eylex. These initiatives position GME at the forefront of sovereign defence innovation, aligning closely with Australia’s AUKUS technology priorities and national security objectives.
Christopher Rule – General Manager – Defence, Security, and Resilience
Leading this transformation is Christopher Rule, GME’s General Manager – Defence, Security, and Resilience.
Chris brings an extraordinary breadth of experience, bridging senior roles in both the private sector and the Australian Defence Force, where he served 27 years as an Army officer.
His operational and strategic background, combined with a deep understanding of defence industry partnerships, makes him uniquely positioned to guide GME’s expansion into this highly specialised and strategically vital space.
As GME prepares to showcase its capabilities at Indo Pacific 2025, highlighting sovereign manufacturing, cyber defence, and next-generation communications, we sat down with Chris to discuss how GME is shaping the future of Australia’s defence technology landscape, and what’s next for this proud Australian manufacturer.
Marine Business News sat with Chris. This is what he had to say.
GME has such a rich heritage under Ted Dunn’s leadership. How do you see that legacy influencing the company’s direction today, particularly within the Defence division?
I think one of the dominant cultural traits within the GME community is our openness to embracing change. We are a complex and integrated team and this trait traverses engineering and manufacturing divisions, logistics, sales and of course Defence.
Ted had a rich history of seizing opportunities, leading technology trends, and adapting to changing market conditions. This thinking pervades GME, from the Board down, and underpins the decision to diversify into the Defence and national security sector.
Ted built a technology company, and his family continues to provide leadership together with a diverse and experienced Board. The company has grown in the commercial and consumer space, but the ‘technology thinking’ I see in GME is exactly the same as that which I’ve observed in Defence industry and IT companies, and in more than 20 years, in the Signals Corps of Army. When it comes to Defence tech, we are technologists serving technologists. GME is a great fit for the Defence and national security sector.
Many Australians know GME for its radios and beacons. What don’t people know about GME’s Defence and Security operations?
GME’s Defence Security and Resilience division builds on decades of trusted communications expertise to deliver advanced, mission-ready solutions for complex operational environments. This includes our EPIRBs and PLBs that require significant engineering and manufacturing rigour to guarantee their ‘No fail’ performance.
There are three pillars to GME’s Defence business:
- Engineering and manufacturing services: Firstly, we leverage the engineering and advanced manufacturing capabilities to build technology at speed and scale in commercial markets and offer it as an engineering and manufacturing service to Defence and Defence Primes. We have invested in building a large Zone 4 facility within our factory, equipped it with advanced manufacturing and test infrastructure and are delivering manufacturing services to customers with sensitive designs, or designs where the product requires protection through the build phase of its lifecycle.
- Cybersecurity: Secondly, we are the APAC agents for the US Cyber Security Company Owl Cyber Defense. Owl is immersed in the US national security community and has for 25 years designed and manufactured hardware reinforced network security products known as Cross Domain Solutions and Data Diodes. We are bringing these products to the Australian government and critical infrastructure markets and supporting through our specialist cyber engineering team out of our Sydney-based facility.
- Advanced Systems Integration: Finally, GME’s commitment to diversifying into the Defence sector is rounded out with the acquisition of Eylex. Eylex has been serving Defence for 20 years as the Australian representative for best in class communications, power and antenna system providers from the UK, US and Europe, and is an accomplished OEM for specialist military and naval wiring and cable infrastructure.
You’ve had an extensive military career and significant industry experience. How has that dual perspective shaped your approach to leading GME’s Defence business?
Defence is a complex ecosystem into which one might leap from other sectors in the economy. GME did so carefully and deliberately. The Defence customer is not homogenous and the commercial, programmatic, and engineering aspects are sometimes a world apart from that which one may experience in commercial and consumer markets.
Adapting to a new market such as Defence requires a commitment to managing change, providing clarity in our strategy and vision, education and training where needed and keeping our internal communications channels open. My role is to provide that clarity and set the conditions for success based on skilling and equipping our teams, advising our Board and my executive colleagues, and facilitating access to our customers and opportunities.
Importantly, I’m supported with the leadership of a strong Board and Managing Director. I have great partners in our executive team and skilled colleagues in engineering, manufacturing, logistics and operations, all of whom know how to deliver quality products at speed and scale, and are hungry to service the Defence sector. It’s a great role.
GME’s Defence Division emphasises “sovereign capability.” What does that mean in practical terms for Australia’s security and self-reliance?
For GME, sovereign capability means more than producing equipment locally, although that is important. It’s about maintaining full design and engineering control over products developed by GME, providing customers assured manufacturing services and supply independent of global supply chains and Australian-based timely and cost effective support services for systems customers may have sourced offshore.
Such sovereign capabilities provide the Government an assurance that their systems can be sourced and sustained in a resilient manner, withstanding the disruption of global logistics chains and the influences of volatile geo-politics. It enables rapid response to Defence needs, provides national resilience to a changing world order, and protects sensitive technologies from foreign dependence.
Practically, being a sovereign Australian industrial capability allows GME to deliver systems that can be trusted in critical missions because every stage, from concept to deployment, is under Australian stewardship.
The Indo Pacific 2025 event is an important platform for Defence industry engagement. What will GME be showcasing, and what outcomes are you hoping to achieve?
Indo Pacific 2025 is an important forum for GME as it’s an opportunity for us to engage with our customers, both industrial and Government alike. It represents an opportunity to learn from our industrial partners, about their priorities and technology innovations.
We will showcase our sovereign engineering and manufacturing services, particularly our capacity to manufacture within our Zone 4 manufacturing facility. This facility is certified by the Department of Defence to hold information and material classified to SECRET and enables GME to work with customers who are designing and manufacturing sensitive products. Specifically, this facility enables GME to protect the ‘build phase’ of a customer’s product’s lifecycle.
We will also have on display a number of products relevant to Defence, including a recently trialled ‘wearable’ heat risk monitor designed by GME engineering teams, in collaboration with Army. The device’s purpose is to reduce soldier, sailor, and aviator exposure to heat stress in the tropics.
And because IndoPac is a maritime-focused show, we will of course have on display our latest emergency beacons, which have great new features including AIS integration. And we have information on GME’s Marine radio portfolio
Our goal is to strengthen partnerships across the Defence ecosystem, both domestically and internationally, and to identify new opportunities within the AUKUS and global supply chains where Australian innovation and manufacturing can play a leading role.
Cybersecurity has become a key part of GME’s Defence offering, particularly through your work with Owl Cyber Defense. How does this align with the broader Defence and critical infrastructure landscape?
Cyber resilience is now integral to every layer of Defence systems from the enterprise level to the tactical edge. On the ground, in the air, and at sea. Likewise, our national critical infrastructure is vulnerable to malicious actors and IT ‘accidents’. This includes our energy, water and transport infrastructure, manufacturing and resources, finance, health, and telecommunications sectors.
Through our partnership with Owl Cyber Defense, we bring Government accredited cross-domain and data-diode technologies into Australia’s sovereign ecosystem. Beyond firewalls and anti-malware software, these capabilities provide hardware-reinforced protection at network boundaries that assure data integrity when it’s exchanged between combat platforms, sensor systems and sovereign military and naval networks. Advanced cross-domain solutions directly support Defence’s need for assured, secure communication between classified and unclassified networks.
And in industry, data diodes protect the interfaces between operational technology and enterprise IT, to ensure the security of our factory operations and likewise, power stations, water reservoirs, mines and port infrastructure to name but a few applications.
Our focus is ensuring that mission data and the operational systems that depend on data integrity for control, monitoring and collection remain trusted and uncompromised, particularly within critical infrastructure and Defence command environments.
GME’s acquisition of Eylex added new strength in advanced communications and power systems. How does this integration expand your strategic capabilities?
The integration of Eylex enhances GME’s ability to deliver complete, end-to-end systems for Defence and security clients.
It brings deep expertise in tactical communications, power distribution, and systems integration, enabling us to offer scalable solutions that are world’s best capabilities and fully Australian-supported and operated.
Eylex’s specialist cabling and wire harness manufacturing capability, combined with GME’s electronics and mechanical manufacturing capability expands our manufacturing service offering to the point where we can deliver cost effective finished goods to our Defence clients in contrast to component level products.
This merger positions us to meet next-generation Defence requirements with agility capacity and capability breadth unmatched in our class.
Manufacturing in Australia has its challenges. How is GME sustaining, and expanding, sovereign manufacturing in a globally competitive environment?
We see sovereign manufacturing as a strategic investment, not a cost. GME continues to invest in automation, advanced materials, and workforce development to maintain competitiveness. By controlling our production in Australia, we ensure traceability, quality assurance, and the flexibility to rapidly prototype and scale.
Ultimately, our success lies in balancing global market pressures with a commitment to local innovation and long-term sustainability for Australian industry.
With AUKUS driving significant collaboration between Australia, the US, and the UK, where do you see opportunities for GME in supporting Pillar 1 and 2 technology initiatives?
AUKUS presents a generational opportunity for companies like GME to contribute sovereign solutions across secure communications, cyber resilience, and systems integration.
Under Pillar 1, our secure electronics manufacturing capability is a great match to the emerging needs of the Australian Submarine Industrial Base. We are engaged with the Australian Submarine Agency and Australian Submarine Corporation on such matters. Likewise, we see supply/demand issues with the US submarine industrial base, which has US industry grappling with both maintenance demand and growth of the US Virginia Class fleet. We see opportunities to contribute.
Under Pillar 2, we’re focused on delivering best-in-class cyber security systems into the Australian market. This is exemplified in our collaboration with Owl Cyber Defense, delivering US-accredited, cross domain and cyber security solutions to the ADF, meeting coalition network requirements and reinforcing industrial alignment between Australia and the US. The common thread is enhancing trust, interoperability, and sovereign contribution across the alliance.
Finally, from your perspective as both a Defence leader and Army Reserve Colonel, what excites you most about GME’s role in shaping the next era of Australian defence innovation?
GME is a medium sized company with a thriving commercial and consumer business. Financially, we are well positioned to ride the bumpy road that the Defence sector can deliver to many small to medium enterprises, often to their peril. I’m excited that GME is well positioned to pursue our objectives in this important market.
But most importantly, GME offers a unique combination of engineering, manufacturing services and world class technologies that align to Defence’s highest priority needs, which are sustainable and sovereign. I’m excited to talk with Defence and our industry partners about our capabilities and have been encouraged by the positive reception to date.
For more information about GME visit their website HERE
For more information about GME DEFENCE visit their website HERE
