Page 40 - Australian Defence Magazine Feb-Mar 21

40 BORDER PROTECTION UNMANNED
FEBRUARY – MARCH 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
THE FUTURE OF BORDER PROTECTION IS UNMANNED
Unmanned technology in varying stages of development is waiting in the wings to enhance Australia’s border protection, but what, how and when remains a matter of conjecture.
JULIAN KERR | SYDNEY
THE eventual outcome will be shaped largely by indus- try’s input to the Future Maritime Surveillance Capabil- ity (FMSC) project launched with considerable fanfare by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton in October 2018.
“Drones prowling Australia’s far-flung ocean boundaries, undersea sensors monitoring shipping movements around our coastlines – this could be the future of maritime surveil- lance to secure Australia’s vast ocean borders against future threats,” Minister Dutton declared, albeit in a statement.
“Transnational crime groups have the ability to acquire and deploy the latest technology and solutions available. It is imperative that we respond to this challenge with the lat- est technology and solutions available.”
A Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Depart- ment of Home Affairs on the same day as Dutton’s an-
part of this work, the department is conducting further en- gagement with industry.”
Updated and/or additional information was still being pro- vided in early 2021 by some respondents, sources told ADM. While emphasising that Home Affairs and the ABF would ensure surveillance was maintained until new capabilities were brought into service by the FMSC, no reference was made to schedule. Similarly, in responding in January to ADM questions on the FMSC, Home Affairs not only ig- nored specific queries on schedule but in a statement of several hundred words, failed to even mention the program.
UNMANNED OPPORTUNITIES
It’s not as if there is any lack of opportunity for unmanned technology in the border protection space.
For the record, a Home Affairs/ABF spokesperson con- firmed to ADM that the two entities “do not currently deploy unmanned technology being unmanned aerial or aircraft systems; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV); remotely- piloted aircraft systems (RPAS); remotely- operated vehicles with integrated sensors; or drones, in the scope of maritime surveil- lance, cargo, vehicle and people inspection
capabilities”.
Curiously, that absentee list failed to include
unmanned maritime surface or sub-surface platforms, another opportunity space for auton- omy given Australia’s 36,000 kms of mainland coastline and 10.2 million square kilometres of oceanic Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
As envisaged by Home Affairs, the FMSC will provide key surveillance platforms and systems, mission information management and support systems that collective- ly search, detect, classify, identify, report, record, track and
communicate.
This capability will be integrated into, and interoperable
with, Defence capabilities and will introduce algorithmic analysis and machine learning to minimise the impact of big data on system users.
According to Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo, ini- tial FMSC funding is available as part of the department’s
nouncement referred to consultation with government partners, a move to risk reduc- tion activities, and a competitive procure- ment process.
The objective was to deliver resources pro- gressively, with full capability achieved by the end of 2024, the statement revealed.
However, so little information subse- quently emerged that an article in the Aus- tralian Financial Review in February 2020 pointed out that industry remained in the dark over the government’s intentions, and suggested the program may have fallen vic- tim to budget cuts.
Possibly impelled by the AFR article,
Home Affairs subsequently reported on its
website that the RfI had elicited what were
described as high quality responses from what were later disclosed to be 67 domestic and international companies and consortia.
“Analysis of responses to the RfI has enhanced the de- partment’s understanding of potential approaches to market for any subsequent procurement activity. The FMSC proj- ect is using the analysis to inform capability and acquisition options development,” a Home Affairs spokesperson stated. “Following recent engagement across government, the de- partment is continuing to progress work on the project. As
industry and
“TO UNDERSTAND THE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGE YOU REALLY NEED TO GO THROUGH A PROPER OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS AND A LIFECYCLE COST ANALYSIS.”