Australia is opening a new Center for Defense Industry Capability to foster and drive innovation and promote defense exports.

The center, an initiative of the 2016 Defense White Paper, brings together the private sector, the Department of Defense and AusIndustry, the government business program within the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.

It will be located in Adelaide, South Australia.

According to the office of South Australia's Prime Minister, the Australian Department of Defense said the center represents a 10-year investment of nearly $170.8 million.

The new CDIC will work with small to medium enterprises across Australia to promote defense industry competitiveness. It will also guide priorities in the sector, provide advisory service, mentoring, defense market access, export facilitation and global supply chain development.

The CDIC will begin operations in the second half of this year.