Page 22 - Williams Foundation Air-Sea Integration Seminar

Shaping an Integrated Force in the Extended Battlespace

“The data sets are not interchangeable and in fact, in some of them use different tables to look at the same
data.

“When we look at, say, local information that we might want to put on a P‑8 and the Romeo (MH-60R – both
ASW platforms) in terms of water column data, they actually use different formats.

“We have to now format our data in a number of different ways to put them into a joint mission planning
system for each of those platforms.

FIGURE 10 MAIDEN FLIGHT OF FIRST AUSTRALIAN P-8 JUNE 2016.

This is a challenge but one which must be met to shape an integrated force.”

He emphasized the broad strategic change in the operational environment facing the ADF and how that
requires a change as well in the operation of the ADF as a joint force.

“We’ve done some really clever things in the Middle East. We certainly have a far better protected ground
force, but the ability to operate effectively in the high-end warfare scenario is something we need to keep
our focus on.

“We need to have more flexible interoperability so that we can have a faster decision cycle. You need to be
flexible about how you decide to engage and where you decide to engage.

“These are key drivers for where we want to go into the future.”

Question: Having viewed the Wedgetail over the years, the software upgradeability part of the equation
for new platforms can help with that.

Does that make sense?

Rear Admiral Dalton: “It does. The evolving maturation of the Wedgetail radar is bringing new capabilities
to the joint force. And we are looking at other systems, such as the new systems on board our surface fleet, to
evolve in a similar manner.

“The locally developed phased array radar onboard our Anzac class frigates is good; but the next
generation is on a different planet in terms of capability.

“It’s driving a change in the way we think. It’s not a classic radar at all; it’s a high power, highly sensitive
transmitter and receiver array. You can do lots of things with it in the battlespace.

“This is a reforming technology that will reshape the way we think about task groups, how ships communicate,
how they operate, where their blind arcs are.

Second Line of Defense

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