Surrounded by family, colleagues and Defence personnel at an appointment ceremony in Canberra's Majura Park, Squadron Leader Talia Hedges received her Air Force rank slides from Director General Cyber Domain Support Air Commodore Richard Lennon.
For Squadron Leader Hedges, the moment was more than a personal milestone. It also made her the first person appointed through Defence's new direct-entry Cyber Reserve Force pathway.
"I always had enormous respect for the people who serve," Squadron Leader Hedges said.
"I never thought military service was something I could do myself. I thought that ship had sailed."
More than a decade into her career, she has joined the Air Force while continuing her civilian role, bringing current industry expertise and an ability to translate emerging technology into practical outcomes for Defence.
After growing up in Canberra, Squadron Leader Hedges began her career as a receptionist in executive recruitment before moving into government technology roles and later supporting Defence as a civilian contractor. Today, she works at Google Cloud, helping government agencies adopt secure and scalable technologies, from infrastructure and analytics to emerging capabilities such as artificial intelligence.
A major technology transformation project early in her public service career reinforced a lesson that has stayed with her ever since.
"Technology has to work for the people using it," she said.
"You can build something technically brilliant, but if it doesn't help people achieve their mission, then you've missed the point."
She said understanding emerging technology meant understanding not only its potential but also its vulnerabilities.
"You can't defend what you can't see," she said.
"It's about understanding our operating environment so we can identify risks, recognise threats and make informed decisions about where to focus our efforts."
Supporting Defence as a civilian contractor also exposed her to the challenge of accessing highly specialised skills that can be difficult to generate and sustain through traditional workforce models. It gave her firsthand insight into the growing demand for specialist cyber expertise and the workforce challenges highlighted by the Defence Strategic Review.
'I never thought military service was something I could do myself. I thought that ship had sailed.'
When the Cyber Reserve Force pathway opened, it offered a new way to contribute.
"It allows Defence to draw on people who are working with these technologies every day, while giving them the opportunity to serve," she said.
She believes one of the greatest benefits of moving between government and industry is the perspective it provides.
"When you're inside an organisation, it can sometimes be difficult to see what's happening elsewhere," she said.
"One of the benefits of working across different sectors is being exposed to different ways of thinking and solving problems."
Despite being the first appointment through the direct-entry pathway, Squadron Leader Hedges hopes her story encourages others to consider service.
"If someone is sitting there thinking they're not the typical Defence recruit, I'd say don't rule yourself out," she said.
"There are different ways to serve, and the traditional pathway into Defence isn't the only one."
Colonel John Molnar from Director Cyber Reserves said the appointment demonstrated the value of creating new pathways for Australians with specialist cyber skills.
"People like Talia bring a wealth of experience from industry, government and the wider technology sector," Colonel Molnar said.
"That's exactly what the Cyber Reserve Force is designed to achieve. It gives experienced professionals the opportunity to serve their country while continuing the civilian careers that keep their skills current and relevant."
Established following the Defence Reserve Review, the Cyber Reserve Force enables Defence to access specialist expertise from industry, government and academia that can be difficult to generate or sustain through traditional workforce models alone.
Squadron Leader Hedges is the first member appointed through the new direct-entry pathway, but with others already entering the pipeline, she is unlikely to be the last.
