Page 130 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2022

130 FROM THE SOURCE VICE ADMIRAL MICHAEL NOONAN
MAY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
ADM: What is your view of the relationship between Navy and industry, and how do you intend to foster that going forward?
VADM NOONAN: Navy has a strong relationship with in- dustry, and that will continue to grow and deepen going forward. The Australian Government’s commitment to new capabilities is unparalleled in modern history, and the Prime Minister has spoken openly about his commitment to increased Defence spending. In the maritime domain alone, the projects underway or on the horizon include the Arafura-class Offshore Patrol Vessels, Future Frigates, the new submarines and the Collins-class Life of Type Exten- sion. We rely on strong partnerships across Defence, in- dustry and Government to deliver these
a Thinking Navy means we are continuously learning from our operational experience.
Sea Power Conference 2022 (SP22) will be held in con- junction with the Indo Pacific 2022 International Mari- time Exposition (IndoPac22) in Sydney in May. That is an important opportunity for the RAN to speak and work closely with our industry partners and together, these will be the largest conference of its kind in the Southern Hemi- sphere. This year’s event will have additional significance as the first major international conference held in Australia since the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
cutting-edge capabilities at the right time to ensure Navy people can do their job.
Our Fleet will evolve significantly over the next two decades to meet the challenges of our strategic environment, which includes military modernisation across the Indo-Pa- cific region, and it is important to continue to foster these industry partnerships.
Since the launch of the Navy Industry
Engagement Strategy at Pacific 2019, I have
seen improvements in how Navy works with
industry. The relationship is maturing from
on transactions to one of partnership. During the devastat- ing bushfire in early 2020, Navy could not have delivered the rapid response to Operation Bushfire Assist without the support of Defence industry. Industry was instrumen- tal in getting our ships ready at short notice. This is a fine example of a transformational partnership at work. Being
As mentioned earlier, Navy has put a significant focus on RAS and AI capabilities as I see these technologies have great potential as a force multiplier. It is for this very reason that I asked my team to give the upcoming IndoPac22 a mari- time RAS focus. A number of in-service and future RAS systems will be displayed and these will serve as conversation start- ers on the art of the possible. The conver- sation will continue to evolve during the Autonomous Warrior exercise from 16-27
May 2022.
Additionally, the Office of Defence In-
dustry Support (ODIS), launched by Min- ister Price last year, has a key role in finding Australian so- lutions to capability challenges among small and medium businesses (SMEs). ODIS is establishing as a trusted link between Defence and Australian SMEs and I am keen for Navy to work very closely to harness the collective smarts of defence industry to optimise maritime capabilities to
“IN THE CONTEXT OF ENDURING COMPETITION, MARITIME CAMPAIGNING WILL EVOLVE TO BECOME EVEN MORE PERSISTENT”
being focused
meet emerging challenges. ■
LEFT: Navy
personnel from HMAS Arunta conduct
a damage control exercise during the ship's regional presence deployment to the Indo- Pacific
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