Page 56 - Australian Defence Mag March 2020

56 BORDER PROTECTION OVERVIEW
MARCH 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
intelligence, etc. The next component is within our maritime approaches, we want to make sure we have intelligence sys- tems and surveillance systems, and surveillance of course isn’t just aircraft, it could be satellites and, of course, in the future it will be unmanned systems, both autonomous and AI.
“So if an entity is breaking our law, and it could be thou- sands of miles away from Australia, we need to have the capabilities to know what they are doing and then have the capabilities and resolve to do something about it.”
In 2003, Australia conducted the longest hot pursuit recorded when illegal fishing boats operating down near Heard and Macquarie Islands illegally fished for and stole Patagonian toothfish. When Australia conducted a hot pur- suit and eventually apprehended and detained that vessel almost at the Falkland Islands, Australian Navy personnel were almost a third of the way around the globe.
“Australia has the capability to watch you, we are watch- ing you and we have the resolve to do something if you’re breaking Australian law,” RADM Goddard confirmed.
“AUSTRALIA HAS THE CAPABILITY TO WATCH YOU, WE ARE WATCHING YOU AND WE HAVE THE RESOLVE TO DO SOMETHING IF YOU’RE BREAKING AUSTRALIAN LAW.”
managed in the immediate term, and in the future replaced ,” RADM Goddard said. “Regarding the surface capability, the Cape Class patrol boat is an effective maritime security plat- form but in due course they will need to be transitioned into new capabilities. There is a great deal of experience within Defence and ABF with a nexus between the two as the en- abling force providers to MBC so there will be opportunities to overlap. We want to sensibly use the same smart Australians that are developing capabilities for the ADF to develop capa- bilities for the ABF. We are working very closely to be even more aligned, which makes sense for a whole lot of reasons.”
WHAT CAN INDUSTRY DO TO SUPPORT MBC?
“I think probably three things,” RADM Goddard reflected. “First of all, really understand our future threats, risks and that like for like thinking and capability will not help. New and improved versions of our current capabilities will not work. The adversary needs to either be watched or think they’re being watched. That does not mean they need to have a manned plane fly over them. They could have an un- manned autonomous system with AI just out there commu- nicating, talking to every single vessel and just saying this is Australia, we can see you, hopefully you’re well, hopefully you’ll have a nice day. If you’re an adversary, in many cases that’ll make you behave differently because you know now Australia is watching you.
“Another example would be innovative solutions. In terms of unmanned solutions the Ocius Bluebottle comes to mind. The Bluebottle is a low cost per unit, basic but fit for pur- pose, and they could be sitting out in our EEZ like a net. Every time a fishing vessel crosses over, that Bluebottle com- municates or pings. It could be either clandestine, commu- nicating with MBC and we go get the threat or it can actu- ally communicate and say you’ve just crossed over the EEZ, just so you know, we think you have just broken Australian law, computer generated, an AI directing system.
“We are often offered solutions by industry which are probably the wrong scale. The ABF and the ADF clearly differ. The ADF needs very high-end assets which can then be scaled down. ABF does not need necessarily that; they need constabulary law enforcement type assets.
“In future capacity building in the region with Pacific Island countries as an example, I would rather a partner country have 10 systems which are basic balloon radars rather than an expensive and complex single system. It just pops up and for a week or so and provides a detection capability and information that is actionable. After seven days it just disappears. It could be a cheap, environmentally disposable solution. Not a billion-dollar solution, a million- dollar solution; more reflective of scalable regional capacity building requirements,” RADM Goddard said.
While Defence has the Centre for Defence Industry Ca- pability (CDIC) as the ‘front door’ to the organisation in terms of industry engagement, the ABF as the raise train, train and sustain organisation for Home Affairs have no such avenue at this time. However, there is a good chance that the organisation will make use of the already estab- lished Defence Innovation Hub as a potential Special No- tice capability manager/sponsor for their needs. ■
Circling back to the vast area that Australia has respon- sibility for the obvious solution in the future, of course, will be unmanned systems. With the Triton High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft (HALE RPAS) coming online within the next decade, border protection efforts are looking forward to the persistence and wide area surveillance that the platform offers, noting that is a Defence capability.
“It won’t be the only solution, to be complimented by in- novative radar technologies, innovative satellite technolo- gies, not just unmanned systems but surface systems and underwater systems,” RADM Goddard said.
Home Affairs and the ABF are working through the Future Maritime Surveillance Capability Project and a range of inter- mediate and future capabilities right now that will look at both air and sea platforms alongside other technologies. Request for Information details were released in late 2018 and closed at the end of last year. Home affairs and ABF are engaging closely with industry with questions on their submissions.
“ABF is working through options on how a range of mari- time and air capabilities will be sustained and obsolescence
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