2016 DEFENCE WHITE PAPER

Australia’s security environment 51
and anti-submarine warfare, and better link the ADF’s individual
capabilities to each other.
2.46 As countries in the Indo-Pacific continue to develop their military
capabilities, opportunities will emerge for increasingly sophisticated
practical military cooperation. The more advanced technologies being
brought into service will improve the ability of regional countries,
including Australia, to share situational awareness, communicate and
cooperate in response to shared security challenges.
SECTION ONE STRATEGY
2.47 Military modernisation also has the potential to increase strategic
competition as countries seek military advantages over their
neighbours and the likely consequences of conflict in the event of any
miscalculation.
2.48 Sustained and genuine commitment by all countries in our region to
transparency and to cooperation through strengthened regional security
architectures is essential to ensure that strategic competition does not
escalate through miscalculation or misadventure into tension and conflict.
Cyber and space
2.49 Beyond the increasing regional military modernisation, the strategic
environment over the next 20 years will be shaped by complex nongeographic
threats, such as the threats in cyberspace and space. The
security environment of the future, both in peacetime and during armed
conflict, will feature increased threats from offensive cyber and spacebased
capabilities.
2.50 Cyber attacks are a direct threat to the ADF’s warfighting ability given its
reliance on information networks. State and non-state actors now have
ready access to highly capable and technologically advanced tools to
target others through internet-connected systems and we are seeing
greater use of offensive cyber operations. This trend is likely to continue.
2016 DEFENCE WHITE PAPER