Page 128 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2022

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FROM THE SOURCE VICE ADMIRAL MICHAEL NOONAN
MAY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
Royal Australian Navy boatswain’s mates from HMAS Arunta conduct a 12.7mm machine gun live-fire serial during Exercise Milan 2022
The frigate will also be equipped with a suite of offen- sive and self-protection systems, including the incorpora- tion of the Australian-developed CEA phased array radar, the Aegis Combat Management System and an Australian interface developed by Saab Australia. These systems will be complemented by an array of guided weapons able to strike and neutralise air, surface and land targets.
These key enhancements of the Hunter-class over the RN Type 26 design are necessary for the demanding re- gional scenarios that Australia’s surface combatants are expected to confront in the 2030’s and beyond.
these things as quickly as possible. We have to get it right the first time.
ADM: What are your projections for the naval workforce over the next five years?
VADM NOONAN: The Royal Australian Navy will grow into a significantly larger and more potent force over coming decades. Currently, we have a force of more than 15,000 people.
Everything that is happening in our Navy, both now and into the future, has a very high level of technology associ- ated with it. The future Navy workforce will need to have a high level of technical understanding. Some of them will be very specialised – we will have nuclear engineers in our navy in 10 years’ time.
ADM: What is your definition of sovereign capability? VADM NOONAN: Sovereign industrial capability means our ability as a sovereign country to build and maintain the platforms and capabilities Defence will need to en- sure our ongoing prosperity and security. Ideally, Austra- lia would have a capability to design, build and sustain our own ships, submarines and aircraft. In many areas that is still a long way off but in some areas we have that capability now. We are going to need the support and as- sistance of trusted friends and partners to design, build and ultimately sustain our capabilities. I firmly believe we have those strong relationships, and we will continue to build and deepen them.
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“I AM KEEN FOR NAVY TO WORK VERY CLOSELY TO HARNESS THE COLLECTIVE SMARTS OF DEFENCE INDUSTRY TO OPTIMISE MARITIME CAPABILITIES TO MEET EMERGING CHALLENGES”
ADM: In your view, what are the main risks facing the suc- cessful delivery of Australia’s future fleet?
VADM NOONAN: Time is of the essence in any environ- ment where you’re talking about strategic competition, and there is going to be an intense amount of pressure for Defence to deliver these
new capabilities as quickly as possible. We also need to ensure that it’s done right, particularly for the sub- marines. It’s no good having the capability if we don’t have the trained people, or if we don’t have the nuclear stewardship or regulatory requirements in place, or we don’t have the defence industry required to maintain the capabilities. It’s a complex space – delivering these new capabilities. Government will be seeking for us to deliver
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