Defence: Communications

Senator Johnston asked the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 11 January 2010:

1. Given that video communications are integrated into robots, soldiers and unmanned aerial vehicles, network‑centric warfare is becoming the organising principle of war fighting, and frontline demands for bandwidth are rising at a rapid rate, for the period 1 July to 30 September 2009, what did the Australian Defence Force do and how much did it spend on:
   1. establishing a network centric‑warfare capability; and
   2. addressing the issue of increased bandwidth.

Senator Faulkner - The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

1. As agreed by the honourable senator 19 January 2010, this response is for the period 1 July to 31 December 2009.  The Australian Defence Force’s Network Centric Warfare Capability is being delivered primarily through the Defence Capability Plan.  Defence was engaged in the following network centric warfare activities from 1 July to 31 December 2009:
   1. The Network Centric Warfare Roadmap 2009 was released in October 2009.   This Roadmap builds upon the Network Centric Warfare Roadmap 2007 with an emphasis on the actions required to continue the Australian Defence Force’s transition to a networked force, and is aligned with the Defence White Paper 2009 and the Defence Capability Plan 2009.
   2. Over the period there have been a number of developments supporting network centric warfare milestones in the Network Centric Warfare Roadmap 2009:
      1. Defence has increased wide band satellite communications bandwidth to Major Fleet Units using Wideband Global Satellites and installing Australian ground station equipment into a United States of America satellite ground station at Honolulu, Hawaii and into a United States of America satellite ground station at Landstuhl, Germany;
      2. Defence has completed the installation and testing of the Link 11 and Link 16 hardware fitted to the four Adelaide class frigates;
      3. Defence has completed the installation and testing of a limited Link 16 capability embedded into the Eastern Regional Operations Centre at Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown, New South Wales to assist in the airborne situational awareness of F/A-18 aircraft; and
      4. Government approved Defence Project LAND 75 Phase 3.4, LAND 125 Phase 3A and Joint Project 2072 Phase 1 to provide land forces with advanced command and control systems through a new battle management system and new digital communications bearers.  This capability will enable the digitisation of the Army’s 7th Brigade.
   3. A networked Australian Defence Force capability also requires the preparation of personnel to operate in a networked battlespace.  This is being progressed through changes to doctrine, organisation, training and education with an emphasis on ‘learn by doing’.  As part of this process the Services' New Generation Navy, the Adaptive Army and the Air Force Adaptive Culture programs continue to prepare personnel to operate in a networked battlespace.
   4. The Rapid Prototyping, Development and Evaluation organisation, under Capability Development Group, has facilitated 10 Defence and industry activities to increase networked capability. $7.2 million has been directly attributed to developing and implementing network centric warfare through the Rapid Prototyping, Development and Evaluation organisation and the Network Centric Warfare Development Directorate in Capability Development Group.  Expenditure on projects within the Defence Capability Plan is not included in the summation of expenditure attributed to the establishment of a networked Australian Defence Force capability.
2. The requirement to meet frontline demands for increased bandwidth is being addressed through various projects to acquire satellite capabilities and enhanced tactical networks, including data link communications for Australian Defence Force elements and weapon systems.  On the specific matter of increasing satellite bandwidth, Defence was engaged in the following activities from 1 July to 31 December 2009:
   1. Defence continued the contracted acquisition and certification of interim ground station capabilities on the Australian west and east coasts to provide access to the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system.
   2. Defence continued milestone payments for the sixth Wideband Global SATCOM satellite.
   3. Defence began the development of a long term ground station capability on the Australian west coast.
   4. Defence expanded the fleet of wideband SATCOM terminals in Major Fleet Units, completing installation work on HMAS Melbourne.
   5. Defence continued the acquisition of an Ultra High Frequency payload on a OS-22 commercial satellite over the Indian Ocean Region, which will become operational in 2012.
   6. Defence explored opportunities to work with the United States of America to extend the Australian Defence Force’s access to Ultra High Frequency coverage throughout the Pacific Ocean region.
   7. The total cost of increasing satellite bandwidth within the period was $100.2 million.

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