Page 63 - Australian Defence Magazine September 2019

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ADM: You mentioned the role of techni- cal risk validation. Are you able to give me an example of that?
MONRO: SincetheDefenceProcurement Review of 2003, the Chief Defence Scientist has been required to provide independent technical risk assessments and advice to De- fence on all major capital equipment projects seeking government approval. Technical risk assessments are performed by DST subject matter experts and forms the basis of CDS’s technical risk certification to government for first and second pass approvals. This advice directly shapes key decisions related to proj- ect requirements, options, scope, acquisitions strategy, and risk mitigation. In 2017-18, for instance, technical risk assessments were pro- vided for Land 400 Land Combat Vehicle System (Phases 2,3), Sea 5000 Future Frigate (Phase 1) and Air 7000 Multi-mission Un- manned Aircraft System (Phase 1 B).
ADM: Are you able to give an update as to what the Next Generation Technolo- gies Fund is up to?
MONRO: The Next Gen Tech Fund is re- ally now quite well established, being in its third year. It’s got over 130 research activities going and has now cracked 1,000 submis- sions. What’s really interesting is that over 30 per cent of the submissions are from people that have not worked with Defence before.
We’re starting to now align the broader R&D system and shape it to the needs of De- fence. In the last financial year there was $44 million over significant new projects. For example, the Smart Satellite CRC has seen a $12 million commitment through the Next Gen Tech Fund leveraging $254 million of total activity. We’ve got some really signifi- cant Defence programs built into that CRC.
There’s also two new research networks, one in quantum technology and one in in- tegrated intelligence. So the Next Gen Tech Fund has got to a point where some of the first projects are now starting to complete.
I would also say that we’re evolving towards doing a smaller number of larger things via the introduction of science and technology missions. Essentially what we’re looking to do is try and plan to deliver some of the really big, leap-ahead programs that will really be those future success stories that DST wants to be known for. At the moment we do many things that are really valued by stakeholders, but you could argue that we’re spread thin.
One way of dealing with being spread thin is to harness partners, which is what we’re
SpaceFest was conducted by Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group, with support by the Wide Area and Space Surveillance Systems Program Office and the Plan Jericho team, at Woomera and Coondambo South Australia in March this year.
doing and the strategy we’ve talked about so far. But there is a very deliberate approach we’re taking to develop missions which are essentially really ambitious, specific and tan- gible, capability demonstrations that are the next 5-10 years in the future, the missions will give a significantly greater degree of fo- cus to our activities and those of our part- ners and they build on the collaborative ap- proach and framework established through the NGTF program. It’s about concentrat- ing effort in some moon-shot projects.
ADM: Are you able to give me an exam- ple of these sort of moon-shot projects? MONRO: One example is developing the next generation of autonomous undersea surveillance. Another will be demonstrating the capacity to operate in contaminated en- vironments. As the missions are developed they’re going to get more specific so that there really are clear targets and aspirations.
ADM: How would you characterise the innovation environment that Defence has built since the release of the 2016 policy suite?
MONRO: Defence innovation programs like the Innovation Hub and Next Gen Tech Fund are now relatively well known by the broader community.
We’re now increasingly exploring ways we can make it seamless for really good ideas to come through those systems and to push up the technology readiness level. We’re also now starting and actively looking at what we need to do to have a really truly low bu-
reaucracy approach to pulling really good ideas through the system to the user.
The challenge we have is that the cost of development grows as you get further up the technology readiness level. You need to be able to have a mechanism to pull things through quickly that you think might address capabil- ity gaps, while at the same time is being able to do technology foresighting. To say “this is what the experts think will be possible/may be possible” and then deciding from that what’s going to be absolutely critical to the ADF in the future and fast-tracking it.
ADM: So looking to remove a bit of the red tape around bringing good ideas up and realising them?
MONRO: Yes, we’re doing that both through our own workload and through partnerships. We’re not thinking for a min- ute that we have everything it takes within Defence because of the scale of the chal- lenge and the scale of the opportunities.
ADM: DST has the five domain plans for joint, intelligence, airline and sea. How are these domain plans progressing since their release a couple of years ago? MONRO: The domain plans remain the roadmap for those areas. That said, I see strong innovation in all of those areas that comes from our partnerships with the ADF. I’m increasingly seeing those domain roadmaps are starting to deliver more bold- ness in trying new things. What I’m really excited about is the way those domain plans are actually giving DST challenges to see
FROM THE SOURCE
PROF TANYA MONRO
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