Page 38 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2022

38 DEFENCE BUSINESS MILCIS 2021
MAY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
across security domains and interoperability with our do- mestic and international partners,” he said.
“We need to evolve our procedures and processes, oth- erwise we will not keep up with the speed of the threat.”
Keefe said technology and technological convergence, especially over the last few years, meant that no longer could Austra- lia assume it would enjoy a capability
but there are also – and invariably – conditions, includ- ing use by third parties, even domestic agencies and other close allies.
Where once Australia had no choice but to comply as there were either no or limited alternatives, that’s increas- ingly no longer the case.
SOVEREIGNTY
Air Commodore Jason Begley, Defence Director General Joint C4 (Command, Control, Communication and Com- puters) said a resounding and consistent theme from gov- ernment concerned future Australian sovereignty.
He said what partner nations designed to suit their needs, with their various restrictions, wasn’t necessarily right for Australia.
“If we can’t find ways or get agreements to work with them in a DEVSECOPS approach, then obviously alterna- tives to that become far more attractive,” he said.
DEVSECOPS (development, security and operations) is an approach to IT culture, automation and platform design that integrates security as a shared responsibility throughout.
Colonel Michael King, director of Land C4, said the ADF needed the ability to rapidly evolve and ITAR had many constraints, although there were areas where we were willing to accept those constraints for what that ca- pability delivered.
ABOVE: Defence Chief Technology Officer Justin Keefe delivered a keynote address on day one of MilCIS 2021
“WE NEED TO EVOLVE OUR PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES, OTHERWISE WE WILL NOT KEEP UP WITH THE SPEED OF THE THREAT”
edge over any potential adversary. “The processes that gave us surety and confidence, that is robust invest- ment pathways and detailed capabil- ity development frameworks, now
work against us,” he said.
Keefe added his priority was to
make sure that Defence had a much more integrated approach to ICT de- velopment and investment, that was
still agile enough to meet the needs of the warfighter. “This is a more holistic and programmatic approach to managing Defence’s ICT,” he said. “We need a clear vision for the future of ICT – that is where are we taking the de-
partment and why? What will ICT look like in five years?” One of the constants of advanced technology acquired from the US is that it comes with conditions, imposed through the
US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). That’s a regime fundamentally designed to maintain US technological superiority by limiting transfer of advanced
defence and space technology and information.
There are exemptions for close allies such as Australia,
CONSEC