2026 Event

Australian OSINT Symposium

We’re back for the 7th Annual Australian OSINT Symposium, 10-11 September 2026 at the Hilton in Sydney.

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10-11 September, 2026, Sydney, Australia

Hilton Sydney 488 George St, Sydney, New South Wales 2000

Hear directly from practitioners applying OSINT across government, defense, law enforcement, corporate security and academia.

The Australian OSINT Symposium (AOS) is OSINT Combine’s flagship event, bringing together practitioners, decision-makers and innovators from government, defense, law enforcement, corporate security and academia. Since its founding, AOS has focused on strengthening collaboration and professional development across the OSINT community—exploring how OSINT is applied ethically and effectively to address complex challenges, from local investigations and public safety through to national security.

AOS2026 is centered on Decision Advantage with OSINT—how open-source intelligence supports timely, defensible and actionable decisions in complex environments. Through practitioner-led sessions, case studies and open discussion, AOS2026 explores what it takes to move OSINT beyond collection and into impact, strengthening the capability required to operate with clarity and confidence.

AOS2026 Agenda

THURSDAY, 10th September 2026

Australian Eastern Standard Time

08:00 – 09:00

Registration & Coffee

09:05 – 09:20

Welcome to Symposium

Jane van Tienen & Matthew Ferndale – OSINT Combine

09:20 – 10:00

Keynote Address

Regina Lombardo – The Metropolitan Museum of Art

10:05 – 10:45

Why Good Intelligence Does Not Always Drive Decisions

Dr Samantha Rush – Legion Consulting Group

10:45 – 11:15

Morning Tea

11:20 – 12:00

Knowing When You Know: A Framework for Evaluating Digital Indicators

Craig Silverman – Indicator

12:05 – 12:45

How to Get OSINT & Intelligence Right

Tony Marshall – CQCore Solutions

12:50 – 13:40

Lunch

Concurrent Sessions Commence
13:45 – 14:20
Decision Support & Intelligence Track
Room A (Plenary Room)

OSINT for Influence: Keeping Pace with an Evolving Decision-Making Environment

Lisa Jane Young – FS-ISAC

Operational Investigations Track
Room B (Session Room)

Turning OSINT into positive lines of enquiry

Paul Griffiths – Childlight

14:25 – 15:05
Room A (Plenary Room)

Title Pending

David Hopkins – Fire Hawk Services

Room B (Session Room)

Title Pending

Alyssa Stenta – OSINT Combine

15:05 – 15:30

Afternoon Tea

15:30 – 16:10
Room A (Plenary Room)

No Amount of Tools Can Fix Poor Intelligence Direction

Rob Frankland – Protegas Australia

Room B (Session Room)

Title Pending

Presenter details pending

Concurrent Sessions Conclude
16:15 – 17:00

When the Model Won’t Say No – Abliterated AI, Threat and Tradecraft

Chris Poulter – OSINT Combine

17:00 – 19:00

Hosted Networking

Hilton Sydney

FRIDAY, 11th September 2026

Australian Eastern Standard Time

08:30 – 09:00

Welcome coffee

09:00 – 09:10

Day 2 Welcome

Jane van Tienen – OSINT Combine

09:10 – 09:50

Keynote Address – Day 2

Brendan Dowling – CT Coordinator, Australia

09:55 – 10:55

Project Aurora & Maya’s Village – the Montreal Police Undercover Virtual World

Maya Alieh – Montreal Police

11:00 – 11:25

Morning Tea

12:00 – 12:45

OSINT at a Crossroads: Thinking, Judgement and the Human Edge

Nico Dekens – Dutch_OsintGuy

12:50 – 13:45

Lunch

Concurrent Sessions Commence
13:50 – 14:30
Decision Support & Intelligence Track
Room A (Plenary Room)

Presenting OSINT for Decision Advantage: a workshop

Dr Samantha Rush – Legion Consulting

Operational Investigations Track
Room B (Session Room)

“True” Lies: Confessions of an AI Chatbot

Gordon Farrer – RMIT University

Concurrent Sessions Conclude
14:35 – 15:35

Title Pending

Nicholas Rasmussen – McCain Institute

15:40 – 16:00

Symposium Close

Chris Poulter – OSINT Combine

AOS2026 Presenters

 

Jane van Tienen

OSINT Combine

SESSION
Welcome to Symposium & Day 2 Welcome
Matthew Ferndale

OSINT Combine

SESSION
Welcome to Symposium
Regina Lombardo

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

SESSION
Keynote Address
Dr Samantha Rush

Legion Consulting Group

SESSION
Why Good Intelligence Does Not Always Drive Decisions & Presenting OSINT for Decision Advantage: a workshop
Craig Silverman

Indicator

SESSION
Knowing When You Know: A Framework for Evaluating Digital Indicators
Tony Marshall

CQCore Solutions

SESSION
How to Get OSINT & Intelligence Right
Lisa Jane Young

FS-ISAC

SESSION
OSINT for Influence: Keeping Pace with an Evolving Decision-Making Environment
Paul Griffiths

Childlight

SESSION
Turning OSINT into positive lines of enquiry
David Hopkins

Fire Hawk Services

SESSION
Title Pending
Alyssa Stenta

OSINT Combine

SESSION
Title Pending
Chris Poulter

OSINT Combine

SESSION
When the Model Won't Say No – Abliterated AI, Threat and Tradecraft & Symposium Close
Maya Alieh

Montreal Police

SESSION
Project Aurora & Maya's Village – the Montreal Police Undercover Virtual World
Nico Dekens

Dutch_OsintGuy

SESSION
OSINT at a Crossroads: Thinking, Judgement and the Human Edge
Gordon Farrer

RMIT University

SESSION
"True" Lies: Confessions of an AI Chatbot
Nicholas Rasmussen

McCain Institute

SESSION
Title Pending
Rob Frankland

Protegas Australia

SESSION
No Amount of Tools Can Fix Poor Intelligence Direction
TICKET SALES

Secure your place at AOS2026

Join practitioners, innovators and decision-makers working real-world OSINT challenges across government, defense, law enforcement, corporate security and academia.

AOS2026 is designed for those serious about how open-source intelligence is applied—through tradecraft, collaboration and shared experience.

Tickets are limited to maintain a focused, in-person, practitioner-led environment.

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Training for Decision Advantage​

Alongside the in-person Symposium, we deliver a global Decision Advantage with OSINT Training Series: four virtual sessions designed to extend learning into applied capability.

Running from July through September, the series explores how OSINT is used in practice—from collection and data integrity through to working with and against AI, and tracking activity across dynamic environments. Open to practitioners worldwide, it connects a global OSINT community and is available regardless of AOS attendance.

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Training Series

Topic 1 – Collection, Data Integrity & Presentation of OSINT

Explore how to conduct OSINT that can withstand legal, regulatory, evidentiary, and governance scrutiny.

Time Zone
Session 1
Session 2
Sydney (AEST)
10am – 12pm (22 July 2026)
10pm – 12am (23 July 2026)
New York (EST)
8pm – 10pm (21 July 2026)
8am – 10am (23 July 2026)
London (GMT)
1am – 3am (22 July 2026)
1pm – 3pm (23 July 2026)

Topic 2 – Working with AI: Choosing and Applying LLMs

Enhance skills to evaluate and select AI tools for OSINT workflows, understanding how model choice influences investigative outcomes.

Time Zone
Session 1
Session 2
Sydney (AEST)
10am – 12pm (29 July 2026)
10pm – 12am (30 July 2026)
New York (EST)
8pm – 10pm (28 July 2026)
8am – 10am (30 July 2026)
London (GMT)
1am – 3am (29 July 2026)
1pm – 3pm (30 July 2026)

Topic 3 – Working Against AI: Countering Adversarial Use

Understanding how threat actors exploit AI systems and how investigators can identify, assess, and counter malicious use.

Time Zone
Session 1
Session 2
Sydney (AEST)
10am – 12pm (26 August 2026)
10pm – 12am (27 August 2026)
New York (EST)
8pm – 10pm (25 August 2026)
8am – 10am (27 August 2026)
London (GMT)
1am – 3am (26 August 2026)
1pm – 3pm (27 August 2026)

Topic 4 – OSINT in Motion: Tracking What Moves

How to use open-source movement data to identify patterns, understand operations, and generate actionable intelligence.

Time Zone
Session 1
Session 2
Sydney (AEST)
10am – 12pm (2 September 2026)
10pm – 12am (3 September 2026)
New York (EST)
8pm – 10pm (1 September 2026)
8am – 10am (3 September 2026)
London (GMT)
1am – 3am (2 September 2026)
1pm – 3pm (3 September 2026)
EXPLORE MORE

Take a Look Back at AOS2025

AOS2025 brought together hundreds of practitioners, analysts and decision-makers from across Australia and around the world for two days of tradecraft, discussion and shared learning. Last year’s focus on Building Enduring OSINT Capability explored how teams develop human capability, adapt through technological change and measure real-world impact.

From keynote speakers and live panels to training and case studies, AOS continues to set the standard for meaningful engagement and real-world application in the OSINT field. Explore highlights from AOS2025 to see the depth, energy and community that define the event.

Explore AOS2025

Australian Symposium FAQs

The Australian OSINT Symposium is OSINT Combine’s flagship event, bringing together a global community of practitioners to explore how open-source intelligence is applied to complex, real-world challenges.

Now in its 7th year, AOS has become a forum for serious tradecraft, collaboration and real-world application—focused on how to build enduring OSINT capability to support decision-making across sectors and mission sets.

AOS2026 is centered on Decision Advantage with OSINT, exploring how intelligence supports timely, defensible and actionable decisions through practitioner-led sessions, case studies, and discussion.

Yes. AOS attracts participants from across Australia and around the world, providing both regional insight and global perspectives on OSINT tradecraft and application.

AOS is the original flagship event with an established global community, while the US Symposium represents an expansion of the same model into a new region. Both share a common focus on applied OSINT and decision-making.

The Symposium is delivered in person to support a focused, practitioner-led experience. For 2026, virtual attendance is not available.

For the Australian OSINT Symposium, selected sessions may be recorded where presenter permission is granted. Recordings are typically made available through the OSINT Combine Academy after the event.

BE PART OF THE AUSTRALIAN OSINT SYMPOSIUM

Join practitioners and decision-makers focused on how open-source intelligence supports real-world decisions.

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