Page 28 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec21-Jan22

28 DEFENCE BUSINESS BMS
DECEMBER 2021-JANUARY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
THE STORY BEHIND ARMY’S BMS TROUBLES
Security concerns over the battle management system (BMS) supplied to Army by
Elbit Systems of Australia (ELSA) have been refuted by Defence, albeit in a piecemeal manner, while the Israeli-owned company continues to progress a transformational program to establish itself as an enduring Australian sovereign industry capability.
JULIAN KERR | SYDNEY
THE program addresses issues raised by Defence in November 2020 over ELSA’s ability to achieve necessary security ac- creditations, including an uplift to Defence Industrial Se- curity Program (DISP) Level 2 (Secret) against all criteria.
These issues arose, the company says, from a gradual but significant shift in the Commonwealth’s policy regarding the involvement of foreign, non-Five Eyes companies in na- tional defence, accompanied by higher standards relating to information security.
Additionally, ELSA believes key implications for its place in the Australian market will emerge from the AUKUS strategic
defence alliance due to the pivot in foreign policy and defence acquisition, as well as the Commonwealth’s long-term plans to create a truly sovereign Australian defence industry.
Hence the company’s drive to become a genuinely sov- ereign subsidiary with the ability to transfer leading-edge technology to the Australian workforce, and satisfy all Commonwealth security requirements.
Although ELSA stated in a November 2021 transforma- tion update summary that its inability to achieve or retain the necessary security accreditations had damaged its repu- tation and narrative within the defence community, by then
ELSA