Page 98 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2021

96 LAND FORCES
PROTECTION
JUNE 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
have the ability to deliver swarms of cheap and expendable reconnaissance or explosive-laden drones onto the battle- field. Defence is examining options to repel these threats.
Conventional threats from fixed and rotary wing aircraft, as well as large drones, are also being addressed through development of the Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) program.
Project Land 19 Phase 7B Short Range Ground Based Air Defence is the vanguard for the wider IAMD Program. It will provide the land force a mobile, short range capability
LEFT: Private Benjamin Goodman from the 7th Battalion RAR, searches for enemy forces during a live-fire platoon attack serial part of Exercise Maroon Dawn 2021 at Cultana Training Area, SA.
able Health Capability aims to pro- vide Australia’s Defence personnel with world-class medical facilities and resources.
The ADF’s access to quality health- care will receive a significant boost with Defence signing a $337 million contract with Saab Australia as the lead industry partner under Joint Project JP2060 Phase 3. The Saab led team will deliver and support the most comprehensive deployable health transformation in the ADF’s history,
and will align the ADF deployable health capabilities with cutting-edge international military health capabilities. Saab has partnered with multiple healthcare leaders to deliver more than 500 deployable medical modules, along with critical support infrastructure that includes shelters, internal power and waste disposal.
CONCLUSION
The ability to anticipate the intentions and capabilities of adversaries, to operate undetected, and to respond quickly and effectively to immediate threats are driving current Defence tactics, as well as investment in materiel and training. Despite the cost, complexity and effort required, force protection is an ongoing challenge that must be met.
The current state of world affairs influences Defence in- vestment, which is vital if we are to protect Australia and its interests for future generations. The Australian Army’s current focus still reflects the position of its former head (now Chief of the Defence Force), General Angus Camp- bell, who said, “In planning for the future through our modernisation efforts we seek to protect, empower and support our Diggers to achieve their mission for Australia.”
It is no coincidence that ‘protect’ appears first in his list. The Australian community expects, and Government directs, that minimising harm to serving personnel is a cornerstone of Defence policy – both in peacetime and in conflict situations.
Asymmetric warfare has defined Australia’s involvement in armed conflict since the Vietnam era, and will likely be a dominant part of its future. As such, it will continue to attract a large share of Army’s planning and investment. However Defence must also address the possibility of a large-scale conflict with a peer (or superior) adversary. This mixed risk profile continues to test the investment strategies of Australia and its coalition partners.
This review examined some of the ways Defence is fo- cusing investment to ensure our forces are given the best possible protection in the service of our nation. ■
“THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY EXPECTS, AND GOVERNMENT DIRECTS, THAT MINIMISING HARM TO SERVING PERSONNEL IS A CORNERSTONE OF DEFENCE POLICY – BOTH IN PEACETIME AND IN CONFLICT SITUATIONS.”
that forms the inner tier of the IAMD system. This capability is currently in acquisition and will deliver the enhanced Na- tional Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (eNASAMS) to Army from 2023. It incorpo- rates Australian designed and manufactured CEA radar with a modern Air Defence system.
Designed to provide greater protection of deployed ADF forces from air and missile threats, along with great-
er interoperability with our coalition partners, Project AIR6500 Phase 1 Joint Air Battle Management System will deliver the core of the future IAMD capability.
In addition, AIR6502 Phase 2 Medium Range Ground Based Air Defence is currently a pre-Gate 1 project. It is intended to deliver a system that can operate independent- ly, and also as a component of the Joint IAMD capability. Key systems under consideration include command & con- trol, radar and missile launchers.
DEPLOYED MILITARY HEALTHCARE
Defence has identified deficiencies in the delivery of health clinical care for deployed military, humanitarian and disaster relief operations. JP2060 Phase 3 Deploy-
DEFENCE