Page 101 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

CAPABILITY REVIEW BABCOCK AUSTRALASIA
SPONSORED CONTENT
THE NEED FOR SPEED - HOW AN AGILE DEFENCE PRIME CAN DELIVER CAPABILITY, FASTER
IN SEPTEMBER 1940, during World War Two, the first prototype for the iconic P51 Mustang was rolled out, a mere 102 days after the contract was signed, with the first test flight taking place in late October 1940. By 1944, the Mustang had helped ensure the Allies had superiority in the air.
compatible and interoperable across related land defence capability.
Schwartz outlined the importance of working closely with Australian SMEs and industry partners to develop and grow local capability and production capacity to deliver capability faster.
“We aren’t agnostic when it comes to our local supply chain. We work with and source the best suppliers, investing in them and reaping a reward of trust and common goals. We know from our extensive industry engagement that the Australian industrial ecosystem is innovative and capable. The conditions are right for them to grow with us and succeed.
“For Land 125-4, we adopted an integrated supplier commercial model that allows us to leverage their ‘know-how and know-why’ rather than simply treating them as an arms- length supplier.
“The benefit from this is twofold. Our part- ners are better armed for future programs and export through experience and close engagement on the program, with Defence securing a lower risk profile for systems inte- gration and fitness for purpose. It also meets the broader program objectives of value for money, safety, and suitability for soldier use.
“Through this, we will create a richer op- portunity for local industry through a deeper level of integration with our local program delivery team than with traditional OEM- based Primes,” said Schwartz.
Fast forward to today where Australia is under pressure to deploy new capability faster, while securing sovereign capability and value-for-money. This is against a back- drop that Defence Minister Richard Marles describes as “the biggest military build- up that has occurred since the end of the Second World War”.
According to Babcock Australasia’s Man- aging Director Strategy & Future Business, Martin Halloran, prime-vendor system inte- grators (PSIs) can deliver capability ‘at the speed of need’ - with value-for-money.
“The need for agile acquisition and rapid insertion of new capability has emerged as the next ‘must have’. It enables the warfight- er to leverage new systems and technology in a timely fashion to secure a combat edge and protect our soldiers who are placed in positions of the most exposure to lethality,” said Halloran.
“PSIs like Babcock that have the knowl- edge of the capability and the capacity of the supply chain, and who locally source and support, are able to be nimble and assist the ADF quickly adapt to a dynamic threat environment and disruption to established supply chains.
“Being OEM independent is all about freedom, minimising the exposure to fragile global supply chains and keeping ahead of technology obsolescence.
“But you do this within the guide-rails of a strong capability selection, integration and test and evaluation process.”
Babcock Australasia’s Head of Custom- er Solutions for Defence & Security, Craig Schwartz said that meeting the requirements of the Land125 Phase 4 (Land 125-4) Inte- grated Soldier System (ISS) program requires a programmatic approach to
ensure best outcomes for Defence.
“Collaborative engagement across the ADF, Industry and Govern- ment will be critical to ensure Land 125-4’s success,” he said.
“In response to this, Babcock has developed an Integrated Capability Development Lifecycle (ICDL) to manage, govern and deliver the scope of services for the Commonwealth.
“The ICDL lies at the heart of our solution for Land125-4. It works to ensure that the ISS is not only capable in its own right but, in a programmatic approach, is also