Enhancing and Accelerating the Integrated Force: An Operational Perspective
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Aim
The aim of the September 2024 seminar is to examine the enhancement and acceleration of the Integrated Force from an operational perspective.
The seminar seeks to identify the most significant factors which impact the Whole of Australian Government, Defence and industry, as well as international partners in a multi-domain context with an increasingly complex set of threats and operational risks.
Background
In a transition from an agenda focused on the 5th Generation Australian Defence Force, the 2024 seminars examine contemporary Defence challenges, gaps, and opportunities in the context of the current round of Defence and defence industry reviews across the time periods highlighted in the 2024 National Defence strategy:
Now until 2025 – the Enhanced Force-in-Being will focus on immediate enhancements that can be made to the current force.
2026 to 2030 – the Objective Integrated Force will see the accelerated acquisition of critical capabilities.
2031 and beyond – the Future Integrated Force will see the delivery of an ADF that is fit for purpose across all domains and enablers.
Four strategic themes provide a focus for the Sir Richard Williams Foundation; they cover mass and depth, agility, industry involvement, and redundancy.
The intent of the themes is to provide an objective consideration of those measures which balance combat effectiveness with an increasing demand for efficiency in a fiscally constrained national security environment.
BUILDING COMBAT MASS AND DEPTH ACROSS DOMAINS: How can new technology be applied to the extant force structure to enhance a focussed force and achieve critical mass and depth. The ability to mass power, plus sustain and replace it includes consideration of force protection and generation requirements for sustained operations across multiple rotations in a high threat environment where success is by no means assured.
GENERATING TEMPO ACROSS DOMAINS: How can the ADF respond at speed and scale across a vast geographical area in strategically relevant timeframes and remain survivable.
ENHANCING INDUSTRY CAPABILITY AND THE NATIONAL SUPPORT BASE: How can industry be more involved in planning to mitigate key sustainment and preparedness risks not least in relation to cost, and the broader demand for increased capacity and workforce integration.
SURVIVE TO OPERATE: How does the ADF build redundancy to sustain integrated operations across multiple domains and critical nodes in the face of an increasingly complex and lethal threat. Beyond the ADF there is the broader need for an objective assessment of industry competencies, workforce preparedness, and national will. Moreover, a central question emerges around whether the nation is ready for the realities of a future war?
Seminar Agenda
The September seminar will focus on enhancements to the focussed force, and the gaps and risks emerging from the NDS and Integrated Investment Program. The seminar will seek to support the transition to a Future Integrated Force that is fit for purpose across all domains and enablers that considers the rapidly accelerating threat and the need to prioritise investment in capability which is operationally relevant, survivable, lethal, sustainable, and delivered with the lowest political risk.
The proposed industry focus is: How can industry be more involved in planning to mitigate key sustainment and preparedness risks in the integrated force, and introduce new technology to add mass and depth plus the ability to sustain and replace it?
Cutting across each of the strategic themes are policy, process, technology, infrastructure, and workforce considerations including, but not limited to:
Financial members are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Sir Richard Williams Foundation.
Agenda
Capability Readiness and Resilience at the Speed of Relevance
Senator The Hon David FawcettSenator for South Australia
David served in the Australian Defence Force for over 22 years. An Army pilot, he flew helicopters and fixed wing aircraft and was the Senior Flying Instructor at the School of Army Aviation in Queensland.
Graduating as an experimental test pilot from the Empire Test Pilots’ School (UK), he finished his full time career in Defence as the Commanding Officer of the RAAF Aircraft Research and Development Unit.
Elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Wakefield (SA) in 2004, he served in the Parliament until 2007. David continued to fly as a test pilot and ran a small business working in the Defence and Aviation sectors prior to being elected to the Senate in 2010, 2016 and again in 2019. In the 45th Parliament, David was sworn as the Assistant Minister for Defence. David is currently the Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, a member of the Senate Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade – both Legislation and References, and a member of the Senate Standing Committee of Privileges.
David’s experience in aviation has helped to facilitate change in Australia’s aviation policy and approach to aviation safety regulation. With tertiary qualifications in science and business administration, he is known for his evidence-based approach to policy development and oversight with a focus on outcomes that are in the national interest.
David is a strong advocate for initiatives that would lead to a more effective and efficient national defence force, including the development of a sustainable defence industry capability. His extensive and widely respected policy understanding has led to a number of appointments, including Assistant Minister for Defence and Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade during the 45th and 46th Parliaments.
As Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services in the 44th Parliament, he led an inquiry into the educational and professional standards of the financial advice industry. This body of work has been a catalyst for significant legislative and industry-led reforms in the finance sector.
Having lived in Asia, the UK and across Australia, David is proud to call South Australia home. He is a keen sailor and is married to Lorna and together they have two adult daughters.
Sir Richard Williams Foundation
