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Capability priorities 87
4.13 The Government will increase the capacity of the ADF to monitor the
approaches to Australia with the P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance
and response aircraft and the high altitude MQ-4C Triton unmanned
aircraft. Short-range maritime tactical unmanned aircraft will be acquired
to improve the situational awareness of our ships on operations.
Space
4.14 Space-based systems for intelligence collection, communications,
navigation, targeting and surveillance play a vital role in all ADF and
coalition operations. Defence’s imagery and targeting capacity will be
enhanced through greater access to allied and commercial space-based
capabilities, strengthened analytical capability and enhanced support
systems. Enhancements to our imagery capacity will provide the basis
to further develop our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
capabilities in the longer term, including through potential investment in
space-based sensors.
4.15 Satellite systems are vulnerable to space debris, which could damage
or disable satellites, and advanced counter-space capabilities, such as
anti-satellite missiles, which can deny, disrupt and destroy our spacebased
systems. It is therefore important to be able to detect and track
objects in space so Defence can plan to manage the effects of any
possible damage to our space-based capabilities.
SECTION TWO CAPABILITY
4.16 In cooperation with the United States, Australia is strengthening its
space surveillance and situational awareness capabilities. At the centre
of this work is the establishment of the space surveillance C-band radar
operated jointly by Australia and the United States, and the relocation
of a United States optical space surveillance telescope to Australia.
Both assets will be located at the Harold E. Holt Naval Communications
Station near Exmouth in Western Australia. The radar and telescope will
increase our capacity to detect and track objects in space, including
space debris, and predict and avoid potential collisions. Additional
2016 DEFENCE WHITE PAPER