Page 46 - Australian Defence Magazine April 2020

• Tactical Air Defence, Air Traffic and Ranges Control Systems
• Transportable C4I Shelter Design and Fitout
• Tracking and Display Systems for Surveillance and C3
• Maritime Communications Direction Finding Systems
• Passive and HF Surface Wave Radar
• Link 16 Testing and Training
• Award winning excellence in project delivery
• Responsive and accountable
• Supporting Veterans through the Operation K9 program
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building (and the jobs that go with it), leaves Australia at risk of being less able to contrib- ute to ensuring an outcome in a fast mov- ing environment that best protects our vital interests in the 2020s.
SPACE PROGRAMS
Australia is well placed to grow its commer- cial space sector to contribute to defence capability requirements, notably in relation to DEF-799 Phase 2 for space-based intel- ligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and JP-9102 for satellite communications. Going with that investment should be a re- sponsive space launch capability that is ful- ly sovereign to enable us to launch and sus- tain our own space systems using our own launch systems from our own launch sites. That’s a bold step on from traditional ADF space dependency on the US and others.
Long-range strike, advanced unmanned systems, space capabilities – it sounds am- bitious. Yet the strategic circumstances de- mand we be prepared to challenge ortho- doxy now rather than assume a steady as she goes approach. Defence must balance the political imperatives for building Aus- tralian defence industry growth through slow acquisition of traditional platforms against the strategic need for rapid acqui- sition of new capabilities in the face of in- creasing threat, and the transformational nature of new types of military technology.
Instead of being a risk, this should be seen as an opportunity for Defence indus- try to develop new sectors for investment and support growth that can deliver quick returns of real capability, rather than sus- tain twenty-year project cycles.
It will also require courage and determi- nation to challenge the arbitrary funding goal in DWP-16 and move beyond the two per cent GDP target. The two per cent figure will shift defence spending up and down de- pending on GDP growth – it's probably going to take a short-term hit with Coronavirus – but spending more over the long term makes sense, providing added defence investment is used wisely. That means investing now in new technologies that can be acquired and deployed in the next few years to future proof the force and mitigate risks of the dan- gers posed by the decade to come. ■
Dr. Malcolm Davis joined ASPI as a Senior Analyst in Defence Strategy and Capability in January 2016 after many years in academia internationally. His main research focus is on defence strategy and capability development, military technology, and the future of warfare. The views here are his own.