Defence Business_Issue 41 (Nov 17 – Jan 18)_DTC_Web

TEAM AUSTRALIA
10 November/December 2017/January 2018 Defence Business
The strategic partnership approach can also be seen in the way the Government
is taking an enterprise approach to the procurement of combat systems for naval ships.
“We will mandate that the Saab combat management system will be used on
every ship in the fleet, except the Air Warfare Destroyer and the Future Frigates,” it
was announced.
“The AWD and the Frigate will have an Aegis Combat Management System
with a Saab Australia developed interface to manage the non-Aegis systems like the
Australian developed Nulka rocket and the CEA radar.
“We estimate that this decision will create hundreds of jobs across Saab Australia,
CEA and Lockheed Martin.”
In another example, ASC, Saab and Raytheon have been chosen as the prime
partners for the remediation control and communications system enhancements in the
Collins fleet.
The announcement said the Government continues to “demonstrate the worldclass
expertise that Australian industry can provide to our economy and defence of our
nation”.
When the approved two major upgrades valued at $540million which include
the submarine’s ship control system and the communications capability. The suite of
satellite communications upgrades include the Super High Frequency and Advanced
Extremely High Frequency communications platforms. There is considerable Australian
industry involvement in this program.
The Government is not shying away from the fact that a significant proportion
of acquisition spending is on equipment from the United States: “… we will continue
to source advanced technology and military equipment from here and invest in
capabilities that strengthen our alliance by enhancing our interoperability.”
Minister Pyne is unequivocal in his support for this approach and how it fits in
with sovereign capability.
“The ability to transfer technology and industrial capability to Australia in order
to grow the ability of our defence industry to meet our sovereign capability needs
will be an important part of our acquisitions from the United States. A stronger, more
resilient and capable sovereign Australian defence industry will be better equipped to
deliver solutions that meet our unique needs and requirements, including the sovereign
sustainability of our defence capabilities.”
WORKFORCE
Global strategic partnerships encompass more than just industry. The network
extends across state and overseas governments, commercial partners, academia,
science, technology and research.
The 2016 Defence White Paper and the 2017 Naval Shipbuilding Plan depicted
an Australian naval shipbuilding and sustainment capability as a strategic asset.
Specifically, it articulates a vision of a naval shipbuilding enterprise with
Australian workers, in Australian shipyards, supplied by Australian resources.
That requires an appropriately qualified workforce, something that cannot be
successfully achieved by any one State or any one institution. That’s why the Defence
Industry Education and Skills Consortium (DIESC) includes five universities, two TAFEs,
and bodies such as the Indigenous Defence Consortium and Defence Teaming Centre.
The Government’s initial investment of $25 million in a Naval Shipbuilding
College at Osborne from 2018 is central to this. The College will operate on a hub and
spoke model, extending opportunities to education and training providers across the
country.
The College will attract, train and re-train more than 1,500 students across
Australia in its first few years.
Another project that lives up to the Team Australia ethos is Lockheed Martin,
which has been chosen as the preferred tenderer as the Combat System Integrator.
Lockheed Martin has had a Submarine Combat System Laboratory in South
Australia since 2016 to pursue opportunities in relation to the Future Submarine
Program. Saab Australia and Thales Australia are working with Lockheed Martin
Australia on this initiative.
At the same time Lockheed Martin is also investing an initial $13 million over
three years to the Science, Technology and Engineering Leadership and Research
Laboratory – the STELaR Lab – in Melbourne. It is Lockheed Martin’s first research and
development facility outside the United States.