ADMIRAL MARK HAMMOND, CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCE: Good morning, everybody. Thank you for joining us here today. Later on today we’ll be announcing the Defence Innovation Science and Technology Strategy, which is a significant step forward for the Defence Department in allowing targeted investment of resources into innovative technologies that are really going to make a difference to the war-fighting potential of the Australian Defence Force. Advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, hypersonics, et cetera. I’ll leave it to Professor Monro to fill in the gaps.

PROFESSOR TANYA MONRO, CHIEF DEFENCE SCIENTIST: Thank you, CDF. Today’s strategy marks an evolution, not a revolution, because the fundamentals of the previous strategy were right – partnerships, the focus on things that deliver the biggest difference, the need to work across the ecosystem, to need to do that securely. But a lot has changed in the environment. The environment shows us that technologies are changing very rapidly and current conflicts are using those emerging technologies to great effect.

And so as the CDF has said, this strategy really is a deliberate set of choices about where we focus resources in areas where Australia can get greatest deterrence and where we can create options from that science that give Australia choices into the future, because fundamentally that’s what defence science is about. Thank you.

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: Prof. Monro talked about evolution, not revolution. And I think it’s important to remember that for over 50 years scientists from DSTO and now DSTG have been integrated into the Australian Defence Force, making a significant difference on a daily basis. The first time I went to sea in an Australian submarine as a junior officer there was a DSTG scientist embarked doing important experimental work. This truly is evolution. But what this really does is give us the connected tissue between the National Defence Strategy and the defence industry, science, technology partners around Australia. So if you’re a member of that community and you want to make a difference to the effectiveness, the lethality, the survivability of the Australian Defence Force personnel, this is your opportunity – engage with this strategy that will be announced today, and we look forward to partnering with you.

CORRIE MCLEOD: Hi, Corrie McLeod from InnovationAus.com. Congratulations on your new role. As you both said, it’s an evolution. This is a hard nut to crack in terms of the speed and agility in which to invent science and research SMEs into defence supply chains. The world has changed. What is it culturally and specifically that’s going to do this faster with the new strategy and with you at the helm, along with the Chief Defence Scientist?

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: Look, for my part it gives a very clear articulation of the technologies – technology areas that we think are going to make a significant difference. So whether it’s long-range fires, artificial intelligence, hypersonics or the other focal areas that we’ll announce today, it enables industry to understand what’s important to us, what we think is really going to make a difference to the survivability and war fighting potential of the Australian Defence Force and for them to start the conversations with Defence Science and Technology Group, with Defence and with our industry partners in order to actually make a significant difference. So it’s the targeting nature of the strategy which I think is really powerful.

PROFESSOR MONRO: I can build on that just very briefly to say the other thing that it allows us to move at speed, is once we have those clear, deliberate priorities is the way we deliver programs. We invite in the partners from the ecosystem and we co-develop the programs. And that way we can make sure that any solutions do address the needs and can proceed at speed.

CORRIE MCLEOD: What are some of those things in the environment that you said have changed so much from the last strategy?

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: It depends on where you start. Let’s start in the Ukraine. You see an unprecedented employment of uncrewed systems resulting in disproportional effect. One of the greatest examples, I think, was about 117 drones worth about a thousand dollars each being employed by Ukraine with devastating effect on Russia’s strategic bomber capability – about $7 billion worth of damage. That to me is a shining example of the utility and cost benefit offering of uncrewed systems.

Similarly, uncrewed surface vessels and underwater vessels have been used to great effect in the coastal waters off Ukraine against the Russian navy. So there are a few examples in that regard which are pretty eye-opening.

In our own region we’ve seen the development of hypersonics and testing of long‑range intercontinental ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles at a scale and with the capability that we haven’t seen before in our lifetime. So in the context of a very challenging and arguably fragile strategic environment, development of technologies that either leverage these capabilities or counter those capabilities is a much-needed value add for the Australian Defence Force.

JONATHAN LEA: Chief, there’s obviously concerns around the ethics of AI at the moment. Would you support an international agreement banning fully autonomous weapons?

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: Jonathan, that’s a decision for government. From the Australian Defence Force perspective we are looking to leverage the benefits of uncrewed systems whilst mitigating any risks associated with their integration, particularly when it comes to the employment of artificial intelligence. One example where AI is particularly useful is in the Ghost Shark program. The artificial intelligence capability employed in that uncrewed underwater vehicle enables it to behave much like a crewed submarine and to prioritise safety of mariners on the surface and underwater. So there are advantages that we need to leverage, but there are risks that we are aware of and that we need to continue and explore and understand.

JONATHAN LEA: Can I ask just as a follow-up, you obviously know that wars are won with whoever can shoot first, furthest, fastest. If our enemies are utilising their technology to take humans out of the loop, do you think it’s inevitable that we would end up following?

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: Let me start by saying, Jonathan, I agree with part of your premise, but wars are usually won by strategic thinkers that understand that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. In the context of Australia’s geography and population size, our best options are to ensure we are partnering with like-minded allies and partners to best effect. So we are a relatively small population by world standards. We have incredible talent in this country, and we use the opportunity to partner with allies and other like-minded nations to best effect – leveraging the technology and intellect in this country and the best of breed from our allies and partners as well.

So in the context of strategic competition, we are better off not standing alone, and we’re very, very grateful to the allies and partners that we have, both internationally and domestically here in Australia.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct].

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: So later this morning I’ll be delivering about a 20-minute presentation. My commander’s intent is included. So let’s save that question for the completion of my remarks today and the panel session I’ll be participating in. Thank you.

JONATHAN LEA: Can you say anything of where do you need AI to cover? We’re an enormous continent. You’ve spoken before about our trade routes. We only have a small ADF in number and budget. When you look around at these amazing minds, where do you need AI to really step up and help you cover?

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: I’m going to throw this one to Professor Monro; she’s more of an expert on AI than I am.

JONATHAN LEA: We’ve got a one-on-one later.

PROFESSOR MONRO: Thank you. It’s simple: wherever we need to be able to make decisions quickly and there’s too much information for the human to process that, that is where AI comes into its own, which is why our approach is AI for decision‑making, whether that be looking at the, you know, vast information we get from satellites or the huge amount of information in a battlefield, AI is a tool in the hands of the expert and the war fighter. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: Just on behalf of our Canberra bureau, can you clarify what sort of onboarding access the US submarines will have to HMAS Stirling once the SRF West ends in the early 2030s?

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: It will be enduring access. The government’s clarified that towards the end of last week. It is enduring access.

Can I just say, though, with SRF West, this isn’t new; this is also evolution. In World War II we had SRF West 1.0, more than 300 US submarines [indistinct] more than 300 US submarine combat patrols were watched out of Fremantle during World War II, more than 500 from continental Australia. There was a rotational force of submarines operating in Brisbane in World War II, and after World War II we had a rotational force of British submarines operating from Sydney until our Oberon submarines arrived. So in the context of the conversation around Submarines Rotational Force West, there is a degree of evolution, not just revolution, there as well.

JOURNALIST: Just lastly, what can you tell us about the allegations facing a very senior naval officer at Henderson and how [indistinct]?

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: What I can tell you is that that case is subject to a suppression order ordered by the Chief Judge Advocate. The Chief Judge Advocate, Director of Military Prosecutions, sits outside of the chain of command of the Australian Defence Force. They are statutory appointments that report directly to government. Given that there is a suppression order in play and there are legal proceedings underway, I make no comment.

JONATHAN LEA: On this Summit, it’s obviously about harnessing Australian companies and know-how. One of the great frustrations have been that the ADF doesn’t buy our own kit. It’s been said to me before that Americans often marvel at the reason why we don’t support our own. Do we need to do more to support the Australian industry, and perhaps is it time that we started to see a set percentage of our budget focused on local industry to help support them?

ADMIRAL HAMMOND: Jonathan, I think there’s always going to be a claim for more investment by the Australian Defence Force in defence industry here in the country. But it’s worth highlighting that Ocius Bluebottle is a wholly owned Australian company. Ghost Shark being built here in Australia, developed here in Australia. Speartooth being developed here in Australia. Ships being built in Adelaide. Ships being built in Western Australia. There is a significant investment in Australian defence industry.

The opportunity exists to leverage this strategy to partner more with small and medium enterprise in technologies that will make a difference. There are a lot of companies in this country that compete against each other. Those that partner to meet the needs of the Australian Defence Force are often more successful than others.

I look forward to partnering with as many companies as we can during my time, but I don’t have an unlimited wallet. It must be targeted. And, again, that’s the beauty of this strategy – it allows for targeted investment in technologies and capabilities that will really make a difference.

I will ask you a question, just to give you a bit of a teaser. So my priorities, my commander’s intent makes it very, very clear – we’ve got to optimise the use of every cent, every second and every person to maximise the lethality and war fighting potential of the Australian Defence Force while also enhancing the wellbeing and resilience of our people. Ultimately, that is the duty that we are charged with in a very resource-intense environment against a strategic environment which is both fragile and unpredictable. So you’ll see a real sense of urgency and prioritisation in the application of resources whilst I’m in command of the Australian Defence Force.

Media Note

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