The ADF is still not fit for purpose
The Armed Forces and the government need to throw out the old inefficient and expensive way of doing things and think outside the box.
May 2022
Addressing Australia’s counter-drone challenge: the time to act is now
No longer confined to surveillance or reconnaissance, drones are transforming modern warfare and Australia needs to be prepared.
Army seeks maritime strike capability
The recent Defence Strategic Review calls for the army to be ‘transformed and optimised for littoral manoeuvre’. One of the key priorities mentioned is a long-range fires capability, including land-based maritime strike.
Moving towards control of our space domain
Space is not a serene sanctuary, it is an operational domain in its own right, which is contested as a result of the growing threat of Chinese and Russian anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities
Defence industry’s vital role lost on political, ADF leaders
A credible warfighting capability only exists when backed by industrial capability and capacity. One could assume politicians, bureaucrats and ADF leaders don’t understand either the role of industry in defence policy, or of Australian industry in the broad.
Nuanced support for Pacific is crucial
Australia is enhancing regional maritime security for Pacific Island nations through the Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP): a package of capability-building, infrastructure development, sustainment, training, and co-ordination activities.
Defence investment in WA infrastructure is finally picking up speed
Supporting large, modern, complex naval platforms is no easy task. Finally, the long-awaited process of developing a second hub – and far larger than Garden Island – in Western Australia is under way.
Frigate fiasco appears sunk before it’s begun
The trend of building some of our warships locally is set to end with the build of the RAN’s first three General Purpose Frigates (GPFs) in a northern hemisphere shipyard.
Nova Systems at the ready to aid ADF in testing, evaluation
Achieving the Defence aim of ‘speed to capability’ and delivery of ‘minimum viable capability’ requires sufficient test and evaluation, certification and systems assurance
Anduril looking to overturn tradition
US company Anduril, which is better known for developing the Ghost Shark autonomous submarine for the Navy, is one of four companies that will respond to Defence’s request for establishing a rocket motor manufacturing complex in Australia.
The doomed conceit of a political AUKUS
AUKUS will not be defeated by its lack of any plausible policy foundation, its unsupported intelligence pronouncements, or the absence of any implementation plan. It will be defeated by its unachievability, as much in Britain and the US as in Australia.
Rhetoric or reality? Our security is the priority
If, as stated in the National Defence Strategy, the defence aim is to deter and hence reduce the risk of conflict, then we need to be doing different things, and doing them differently.
Taipan helicopters gone but not forgotten
Defence and the government might have tried to dismantle the entire MRH90 Taipan fleet in secret, but information keeps dribbling out.
It’s time to build our weapons capacity
The time to build stockpiles of weapons and Australian industrial capacity is now.
Technology, innovation key to ADF capability and flexibility
Australia’s strategic landscape is shifting rapidly, with the country facing a range of evolving security threats and heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
The urgent search for a skilled Australian workforce
Finding thousands of Australians with the right skills to deliver the SSN-AUKUS fleet is a formidable challenges that lie ahead for the nation’s next-generation submarine program.
Joining dots on new subs’ combat systems
Now the Royal Australian Navy has disclosed its plans to acquire two new classes of nuclear-powered submarines, all the dots are finally on the page.
JABMS to deliver air, missile vision
Lockheed Martin Australia aims to deliver the core of the ADF’s Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS), in a rapid-fire, nine-month drumbeat of capability ‘drops’ in Project AIR6500.
Collaboration key to Australia becoming aircraft maintenance, repair hub
In an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific, Australia’s role in maintaining regional security is critical.
Budget holding back whole-of-Defence strategy
Rapid technological change has wrought significant changes in how wars are fought and won. So, DSTG is a party to the reimagining and overhaul of Defence’s capability development and acquisition processes.
Prabowo to build on global standing
There is an expectation that diplomacy and foreign policy will occupy more of the time of Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, than his predecessor. But what does that look like?
Putting veterans’ skill to work a win-win situation
Australia’s service personnel are some of the most highly trained and skilled professionals in our nation.
Strengthening its ranks: Optus happy to call on ex-service personnel
Optus has expanded its practice of recruiting Defence ex-service people to strengthen its ranks, recognising the unique skills and expertise this talent pool provides.
De-risking of the procurement process must become a priority
The Integrated Investment Program, announced by the federal government in August, is set to boost Defence spending by a staggering $330bn over the next decade. This is no small feat, and it’s clear that infrastructure is a major focus of the program.
War games highlight regional tensions
Aside from being the largest in its 43-year history, Exercise Pitch Black 2024 was significant for highlighting the growing strategic focus on stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
‘Dark Quad’ threat demands urgent action
The ‘rules-based global order’ now wavers under intense pressure.
ATLAS brings autonomy to the fight
Australia is not rich in human resources and must therefore ‘punch above its weight’ against a larger adversary – and the key to this is the development of autonomously operated vehicles.
Leaders will have an edge in business
When an artillery shell exploded metres from Tom Nguyen’s team during a live fire exercise, the situation taught him key leadership lessons no university or corporate setting could.
Future-proofing Australia’s air combat fleet
The Royal Australian Air Force is embarking on a series of wide-ranging programs to upgrade its air combat fleet to meet the rapidly growing capabilities of other players in our region.
Create, test, use – building a flight path to capability
QinetiQ is well-qualified to partner with the commonwealth on its aspirations for a rigorous test and evaluation support ecosystem that will take a platform or capability from cradle to grave.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/special-reports/defence/may-2022