The Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Roger Lough, is responsible for the application of science and technology to meet the goals of Defence and the Government.
As Chief Defence Scientist, I look back at the scientific goals my staff have achieved over 2005–06, and am greatly impressed by their innovation and dedication to strengthening the capabilities of our Defence Force, within the wider goal of defending our nation and its people.
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) is Defence's in-house agency providing advice and support in the use of technology to benefit Defence. To keep up with the growing national security challenges faced by Australia we have, since 2004, followed a wider mandate which encompasses providing technology support to other government agencies engaged in domestic security. This aspect of our program, although small, is growing rapidly and is mostly focused on counter-terrorism technologies, drawing on the same technology base used to support Defence.
Enhancing present and future capabilities
Our work in Defence covers all of the capability life cycle and is not limited simply to equipment issues. Our strong and diverse research base is used to conduct analysis of future warfighting concepts, including the impact of emerging technologies. We develop technologies to meet new requirements, undertake research to provide advice on acquisitions, and look at technologies and techniques to improve performance and reduce the costs to Defence in owning and maintaining materiel. Our science and technology staff also have a growing role in directly supporting operations and we are becoming even more proactive in this role.
Excellent science through collaboration
One of my goals is to stimulate excellence in science and technology within industry, so that industry can help Defence. We have strategic alliances with many defence technology firms and work with them under a number of collaborative frameworks. DSTO manages Defence's Capability and Technology Demonstrator program which fast tracks the identification and use of new technologies for Defence needs. In 2005–06, 12 innovative projects worth a total of $26m were funded under this program. We also have an ongoing initiative to evaluate technologies developed within our laboratories for their suitability in the civilian marketplace.
Although we have bilateral cooperation activities with several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore, the primary vehicle for collaboration is the five-nation alliance with the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand known as The Technical Cooperation Program. This collaboration greatly enhances DSTO's access to a broad range of technologies necessary to support our obligations to Defence and domestic security.
People—our strength
I set great store in DSTO's people and infrastructure and seek opportunities for their ongoing development. We actively promote science in Australia, including supporting universities through scholarships and research grants, and utilising their services in meeting the ongoing educational needs of our staff. To further our research capacity, Defence is investing in new buildings for DSTO; a major upgrade of the Melbourne facilities is under way and will be ready for full occupancy in the next financial year. This will be a major improvement in our capabilities.
DSTO's budget for 2005–06 was $336m, with $20m against capital and the remainder for operating expenses. In addition, we obtain funding from other parts of Defence, mostly for project support, and from external agencies and industry on a 'user pays' basis. As at 30 June 2006, we employed 2,403 staff, including 21 military personnel, and I am proud to note that nearly 35 per cent of my staff are PhD qualified, a very high proportion that reflects our focus on good research.
Better client engagement through Renewal
DSTO is organised as a headquarters (located in Canberra), and three major laboratories located around Australia. These have a focus on platforms, information and systems sciences respectively. In addition, we have several smaller facilities across the country and we maintain representatives in the United States and the United Kingdom. In response to changes in Defence capability development processes, the increased operational tempo, and the expansion of work in support of domestic security, we have initiated changes, including organisational and cultural changes, to improve program management and client delivery mechanisms. This initiative, called DSTO Renewal, is expected to run through 2006–07 and I look forward, with confidence, to an even closer engagement with our clients.
Significant highlights in 2005–06
- Scientific analysis, operational research and experimentation to enable Defence to look at how it can best embrace new systems concepts such as network centric warfare, effects-based operations and uninhabited battlespaces.
- Expansion of the program supporting chemical, biological and radiological defence technologies.
- Demonstration of new integrated system concepts using unmanned vehicles to carry out warfighting scenarios.
- Continued commitment to understanding and improving the structural integrity of aircraft, especially aged aircraft such as the F-111.
- Initiation of a new collaborative program with the United States to advance hypersonic propulsion technologies, including establishing a new DSTO capability in Queensland.
- Rapid turnaround in the application of technology to solve high priority operational problems in countering improvised explosive devices.
- Collaboration with the United States on radar technologies applicable to the detection of ballistic missiles.
- Application of new materials technologies to improve the acoustic performance of submarines.
- Application of new command, control and communications technologies in support of the new joint operations command headquarters to be established at Bungendore.
- Forensic science support to ADF equipment failures.
- Establishment of a state-of-the-art laboratory to address systems and concepts in littoral warfare.