EDITORIAL

Initial Point STATEMENT OF INTENT

Andrew McLaughlin

The 2020 Defence Strategic Update (DSU) and accompanying Force Structure Plan (FSP) released on July 1 provides arguably the most significant statement of intent for the ADF since the 1987 White Paper.

In 1987, the White Paper claimed that Australia faced no credible threats, and that we would have 10 years’ warning time to deal with any threat that might arise. In three decades since, the ADF has participated in several regional skirmishes and police actions, and drawn-out coalition counter-insurgencies. At the same time, it has progressed ad-hoc updates and improvements to the individual services as new technologies and capabilities have developed, and new requirements emerged.

In the years after 1987, the Defence mission was broad and the threats distant. In contrast to past strategies, the 2020 DSU and FSP have set out and identified the new geostrategic reality Australia now faces. With a large and somewhat belligerent neighbour increasingly asserting itself across the Indo-Pacific, the documents demonstrate that the ADF will soon have sufficient capability to deter aggression against Australia’s interests at tactically-relevant ranges, or to cause sufficient damage to give a potential adversary pause.

But if pressed, the ADF must be prepared to fight as a system that links all the elements of national power. The defence of Australia will only be effective if the ADF uses a systems approach to counter the threats arrayed against us, and it is those systems that the FSP seeks to build and integrate.

So now, the ADF needs to deliver a countercommand capability for the Government. The old counter-force option is no longer enough.

But while the capability goals of the FSP are admirable, the public documents were short on detail and, in some areas, somewhat puzzling. It confusingly refers to replacements for the RAAF’s KC-30A MRTT, E-7A Wedgetail, EA-18G Growler, and Army’s M1A1 Abrams, all of which are yet to complete even half of their planned lives-of-type, and all of which will be upgraded many ‘...the DSU and FSP have set out and times before they are withdrawn sometime in the late 2040s or after. identified the new geostrategic The FSP also discusses additional fuel storage and bunkerage for ADF bases and reality Australia now faces.’ assets, but makes no mention of bolstering Australia’s strategic reserve, or at least moving it closer to Australia than the US so it can be quickly accessed in the time of crisis.

NO DEFENCE If you’ve just come from the Contents page of the magazine or if you’ve read ahead, you may have noticed we have published a non-defence story this issue.

Owen Zupp (below) recently came on board with ADBR’s parent company Felix Defence as an Executive Analyst in Human Factors and Aerospace Technologies, so I’m in the very enviable position of being able to more regularly draw upon Owen’s vast experience and talents as a pilot and author to provide some fantastic stories for ADBR.

Although he has written for ADBR previously, Owen’s Jumbo Finale story on page 34 is a great way to introduce him to our readers. And, as one of the operating crew members of Qantas’ final 747 flight on July 22, Owen’s unique insight into the technical and planning aspects of the occasion is, frankly, too good a story not to share.

I hope you appreciate it as much as I did. And if you do, check out Owen’s numerous book titles at owenzupp.com.