Page 63 - Williams Foundation Future of Electronic Warfare Seminar

A New Approach and Attitude to Electronic Warfare in Australia

It is clear that the Aussie Army, like the US Marine Corps sees the importance of making EW effects available
throughout the ground maneuver force. The question is how best to achieve this result.

And the presentation by Captain Steve Dryden, from the Royal Australian Navy, also emphasized the
increased salience of focus and concern for the Navy with regard to information warfare issues.

Although he did not discuss this aspect, a key element shaping the way ahead for Navy contributions will
clearly be radar technologies and their ability to communicate across the fleet and the ADF and to provide
for a multi-mission information warfare functionality.

This will be enhanced as the new radars coming on line from CEA enter the fleet; and as the RAAF and the
RAN work integration between Wedgetail and Air Warfare Destroyer among other dynamic innovations
going forward.
The Army and the Navy have had specialized capabilities throughout their history, but the need now was to
shape an integrated capability or as Lt. General (Retired) Davis put it a server available to the warfighter to
pull down EW capabilities as appropriate to the fight.

The Department of Defence has formed a new department, the Information Warfare Division within the Joint
Capabilities Group, which is standing up capabilities to shape interactive IW tools and approaches.

Brigadier Stephen Beaumont, Director General Information Warfare, Joint Capabilities Group, argued for the
importance of shaping an enterprise wide EW system approach.

His perspective was encapsulated in the following slide:

Indeed, one could view the importance of such an office to be a clearinghouse to inform the various players
operating within government and the services of the activities of each other, as well as the technology
capabilities available to them through the work of their compatriots operating throughout the ADF and
government or among partners and allies.

This is such a dynamic and fluid area of development and operation that it is clear that open-ended learning
is a core requirement for mission success.

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