{"id":86617,"date":"2024-04-23T19:50:34","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T09:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=86617"},"modified":"2024-04-23T19:50:34","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T09:50:34","slug":"national-defence-strategy-a-missed-opportunity-for-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/national-defence-strategy-a-missed-opportunity-for-space\/","title":{"rendered":"National Defence Strategy: a missed opportunity for space"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Last week\u2019s <\/span>release<\/span> of the <\/span>National <\/span>Defence<\/span> Strategy<\/span><\/a> (NDS) and its accompanying Integrated Investment Program (IIP) gave <\/span>only <\/span>passing mention to <\/span>one of the most important operational domains for the <\/span>Australian <\/span>Defence<\/span> Force\u2014<\/span>s<\/span>pace.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Altogether, <\/span>they <\/span>express a continuity of policy\u2014and regrettabl<\/span>y fail <\/span>to <\/span>promote development <\/span>of <\/span>a national space-launch capability or <\/span>even <\/span>to flag opportunities for explo<\/span>i<\/span>ting the country\u2019s <\/span>commercial<\/span> space<\/span> sector.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The NDS initially recognises the space domain predominantly as a \u2018critical enabler of military operations, supporting communications, targeting and situational awareness.\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>It also recognises a \u2018space domain\u2019 as part of five operational domains in multi-domain approach to a strategy of denial<\/span>. It furthermore\u00a0<\/span>acknowledges that the space domain allows an adversary to challenge Australia\u2019s security in ways not bound by geography alone.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The IIP once again reiterates the \u2018enabling function\u2019 of the space domain<\/span>,<\/span> stating that \u2018space capabilities underpin the ADF\u2019s warfighting effectiveness by providing critical services, including communications, weather, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and positioning, navigation and timing information.\u2019 <\/span>The IIP lifts spending on space in comparison <\/span>with <\/span>the previous Coalition policy laid out in the 2020 Force Structure Plan, from <\/span>the <\/span>then planned <\/span>$7<\/span> billion<\/span> to the 2024 IIP\u2019s proposed spending of between <\/span>$9<\/span> billion and <\/span>$12<\/span> billion<\/span> through to 2034. But only <\/span>$590 million of this is approved between now and 2034 to cover \u2018enhanced space capabilities\u2019, including satellite communications, space sensors and space control.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Satellite communications will be focusing on Defence project JP9102 to provide Australia\u2019s \u2018first sovereign-controlled satellite communications system\u2019 to enhance ADF communications in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with Lockheed Martin<\/span> the preferred tenderer. JP9102 will <\/span>put<\/span> two<\/span>, three or<\/span> four large military communications satellites into geosynchronous orbit (GEO) at 36,500km<\/span>,<\/span> where a satellite\u2019s orbital velocity matches the Earth\u2019s rotational velocity and so appears fixed in one point in the sky. The IIP also supports growing the ADF\u2019s ability to <\/span>undertake<\/span><\/a> space domain awareness <\/span>missions, and specifically mentions the agreement signed last year to host the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability<\/span> as a collaborative project with the US and <\/span>Britain <\/span>that gives an ability for space situational awareness out to GEO. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, the IIP and NDS continue to recognise the importance of Australia developing a <\/span>s<\/span>pace <\/span>c<\/span>ontrol<\/span> capability. The IIP states that government investment will include:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026measures to enhance <\/span>Defence\u2019s<\/span> space control capability to deny attempts to interfere with, or attack, Australia\u2019s use of the space domain. <\/span>These<\/span> will help ensure that the ADF is able to continue using the space capabilities it needs to support its operations.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This continues a<\/span>n ambition\u00a0<\/span>that <\/span>appeared in <\/span>the 2020 <\/span>Defence Strategic Update<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Force Structure Plan<\/span><\/a>, recognizing the growing challenge posed by adversary counterspace capabilities, <\/span>which <\/span>continue to <\/span>proliferate<\/span><\/a> and grow in sophistication in the military capabilities of adversaries such as China and Russia.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In essence, the 2024 NDS and IIP suggest more continuity than change in how Defence approaches space. As noted in the 2023 <\/span>Defence Strategic Review<\/span><\/a>, the current government see<\/span>s<\/span> space in the context of \u2018capability assurance and communications provision.\u2019 <\/span>Hopefully, m<\/span>ore money <\/span>will <\/span>be spent on space capabilities for satellite communications and space domain awareness, and it is good to see this government take the counterspace threat seriously, by continuing to recognise the importance of developing a space control capability for the ADF.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But they could have done so much more.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Australia is blessed with very favorable geography for sovereign space launch. Emerging launch sites in northern Australia are close to the equator, allowing lower cost per kilogram into equatorial orbits that can support defence missions in Australia\u2019s air and maritime approaches<\/span>. P<\/span>rospective launch sites in the south are <\/span>good <\/span>for reaching polar and sun<\/span>–<\/span>synchronous orbits, <\/span>which are <\/span>ideal for <\/span>such <\/span>defence and national security tasks <\/span>as intelligence<\/span> and<\/span> surveillance<\/span> missions. Australian commercial launch providers are building <\/span>space <\/span>launch<\/span>ers<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as well as the launch sites, whil<\/span>e<\/span> Australian commercial space companies are developing sophisticated small satellite capabilities. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The NDS and IIP completely ignore the civil-military nexus in space. Whilst investment in projects such as JP9102 may see some work going to Australian commercial space <\/span>small and medium enterprises<\/span>, <\/span>the <\/span>ND<\/span>S<\/span> and IIP suggest <\/span>a complete unwillingness to bring that commercial advantage into directly supporting ADF missions<\/span>.\u00a0 It<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s almost as if Australia doesn\u2019t have a vibrant commercial space sector at all.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the key requirements for any state serious about operating in the space domain is assured access. This is not just about <\/span>satellite constellations <\/span>owned and operated <\/span>by Australia, <\/span>such as that envisaged under JP9102, but about an ability to launch Australian satellites <\/span>rapid<\/span>ly<\/span> and responsive<\/span>ly<\/span> on Australian launch vehicles from Australian launch sites<\/span>. <\/span>That c<\/span>apability <\/span>should also be available <\/span>to <\/span>allies and <\/span>key <\/span>partners. That then builds resilience for ADF and allied space capabilities, allowing the augmentation of satellite networks, particularly in low and medium earth orbit (<\/span>LEO<\/span> and <\/span>MEO<\/span>) using locally produced small satellites for proliferated LEO (<\/span>pLEO<\/span>) mega-constellations for satellite communications, intelligence and reconnaissance and other militarily relevant roles. Likewise, that assured access approach offers an ability to rapidly reconstitute lost capability in the event of adversary use of counterspace capabilities such as anti-satellite <\/span>weapons.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This ability to make full use of Australia\u2019s commercial space sector to support defence and national security missions in space is completely missing from both the NDS and IIP.\u00a0<\/span>E<\/span>ven an extra paragraph noting the <\/span>defence <\/span>role of <\/span>the <\/span>commercial space <\/span>would have been a huge boost to <\/span>the <\/span>sector, stimulating confidence and growth, expanding jobs and building high<\/span>–<\/span>tech industrial capability.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2024 NDS and IIP thus miss a<\/span>n <\/span>opportunity to do something new with space. <\/span>The documents have <\/span>an overly cautious and conservative perspective that is out of sync with the rapid innovation inherent in global commercial space activity and seem<\/span> oblivious to the benefits of a commercial-defence space nexus. Perhaps, had Australia had a national space strategy<\/span>,<\/span> this might have been more clearly elucidated, but <\/span>the <\/span>government<\/span> has put development of one <\/span>on hold. As it stands, the NDS and IIP are more continuity than change on space<\/span>\u2014<\/span>and that is such a missed opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week\u2019s release of the National Defence Strategy (NDS) and its accompanying Integrated Investment Program (IIP) gave only passing mention to one of the most important operational domains for the Australian Defence Force\u2014space.\u00a0 Altogether, they …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":86618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17,1114,2425,1979,3541,1640],"class_list":["post-86617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-australia","tag-defence","tag-defence-capability","tag-integrated-investment-plan","tag-national-defence-strategy","tag-space"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNational Defence Strategy: a missed opportunity for space | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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