ArMy PreSence in South AuStrAliA - Defence SA

Land warfare development Centre
131. The Land Warfare Development Centre (LWDC)
is the Army’s principal conceptual research
institution. It supports the Chief of Army,
Army Headquarters and the Army at large
through a range of research, publication,
conference and visiting fellow programs.
Headquartered in Puckapunyal Victoria the
LWDC comprises almost 400 staff in 15
locations around Australia.
132. LWDC is tasked to promote the wider
understanding and appreciation of land
warfare, provide an institutional focus for
applied research into the study of land
warfare and raise the level of professional
and intellectual debate within the Australian
Army. The LWDC research staff’s areas of
interest cover a broad spectrum of topics
relevant to the Army today and in the future. 24
In doing so, the Centre works closely with
the Land Operations Division of DSTO based
at Edinburgh.
133. There appears to be a real opportunity for
elements of the Centre and DSTO Edinburgh
to work more closely to undertake deeper
research into Army’s war fighting doctrine
and to test various scenarios. Relocating the
Force Development Group (one of the four
LWDC directorates and with a keen interest in
experimentation) to Adelaide, possibly based
at Keswick Barracks or DSTO Edinburgh, could
enhance force development and maximise
the synergies between the two organisations.
In addition, the new simulation capabilities
established at Horseshoe Barracks, perhaps
also linked to exercises taking place at CUTA,
could be utilised to enhance this research
capability and enhance integration.
134. Re-location from Puckapunyal to Adelaide
would also better support the Centre’s staff
who are largely mid-ranking officers with
families. Being relocated to a capital city would
provide a broad range of housing, education,
spouse employment and family support
benefits to the staff over and above those
available at Puckapunyal.
Recommendation 4
Defence SA proposes to Army the relocation
of the Force Development Group within the
Land Warfare Development Centre (LWDC)
to Adelaide (from Puckapunyal).
Combined Arms Fighting System Centre
135. As part of the current Army modernisation,
two supporting integration centres have been
established within Army being:
• The Land Network Integration Centre
in Fyshwick is a physical centre
to identify and resolve user issues found
in the in-service communications,
command and control and battlefield
management systems.
• ‘Diggerworks’ within the DMO and
DSTO in Melbourne is a virtual centre
focussed on achieving integrated soldier
combat systems.
It is understood that a third integration
centre, the ‘Combined Arms Fighting System
(CAFS) Centre’ has been considered but its’
establishment is on hold.
136. The Study was initially advised that because
of the scale and complexity of modern military
weapon, vehicle and information systems,
it was proposed to establish an integration
centre to integrate all those systems that make
up the CAFS. Subsequently, the Study learnt
that Army may be seeking to combine all Army
and defence industry integration centres into
one virtual ‘super’ integration centre.
137. The EDP offers an excellent opportunity
to develop this concept and leverage the
proximity of DSTO, the 7th Battalion RAR
Battle Group, the simulation centres at
Horseshoe Barracks, the local defence industry
and the expanded CUTA. To develop this
opportunity in the near term, Army could
consider using Keswick Barracks or the now
vacant office complex in suburban Felixstow
in Adelaide until recently occupied by DMO
for the AWD project.
53 Army Presence in South Australia Maintaining the Momentum 2012