PETER LA FRANCHI / CANBERRA
Move follows policy to give Washington priority above other supplier nations
Australia is to give greater priority to interoperability with US forces in future equipment deals. It unveiled a new policy last week stating that integration would be pursued selectively to ensure seamless coalition operations.
Australian defence minister Robert Hill said interoperability would be pursued on three levels, coupled with the development of network-centric warfare capabilities.
Speaking at the Australian Defence Force's Network Centric Warfare Conference in Canberra, Hill said: "Our highest priority is to ensure that our own forces are interoperable with each other and that our legacy systems can be accommodated in the future networked environment."
The second priority was "appropriate" interoperability with US forces, he said. "We must be interoperable with the USA, as recent operations have demonstrated. "The USA would set future systems standards, he added.
The third priority was for interoperability within "broad coalitions, including the capacity to lead coalitions in our region", he said.
Defence strategic policy head Shane Carmody told the conference: "Priority will be given to develop appropriate force options to operate within an international coalition for tasks that support our wider interests. The most important aspect of this priority will be the further development of the ability of selected ADF units to operate with current and future US forces." ADF force elements targeted by the interoperability policy will be determined in a new Network Centric Warfare Roadmap, to be considered by the government in December.
The new policy follows closed briefings to Australia's defence industry in March, advising it of an increased emphasis on placing new equipment purchases with the USA ahead of other supplier nations.
Immediate defence acquisition priorities include electronic warfare self-protection systems, communications systems and weapons. These dominate the country's long-term defence capability plan (DCP).
Anew DCP is due for release later this year after Canberra reviews lessons from the Iraq war.
Source: Flight International
