Australia’s multi-year military procurement process is dangerously out of step with modern warfare’s pace, Anduril Australia’s CEO has warned.
Grant McHerron
The application of autonomy and rapid development cycles has never been more important for today’s military. Anduril’s capabilities and its experience with the US Army can ensure Australian soldiers remain effective in rapidly changing battlefields.
The battlefield of today has become increasingly transparent as low-cost drones, commercial sensors and electronic surveillance have dramatically reduced the time between detection and attack. Armies must remain dispersed as small units or individuals, move frequently, and make rapid decisions, all while reducing their physical and electronic signatures and operating despite denied or degraded communications.
Hard-won lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East must be assessed and translated to align with the realities of Australia’s geography at home and in the Indo-Pacific region. Large distances and terrain varieties introduce differences, but conflicts will likely be prolonged, supply lines will be challenged, and sovereign production of munitions and autonomous systems will be vital. The ADF will need rapid and ongoing software updates, frequent hardware upgrades, support for disconnected operations, and cost-effective defences against large, mixed attacks from drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
“Operations across large ocean distances result in limited infrastructure support and extended, vulnerable supply lines,” said David Goodrich, Anduril Australia chief executive and chairman. “This places a premium on range, endurance, mobility, and logistical resilience. Low-cost autonomous systems give countries like Australia the ability to conduct persistent surveillance, carry supplies, protect positions, and deliver sensors and weapons forward, without unnecessarily exposing soldiers, sailors, or aviators.”
Goodrich notes that the greatest benefit from autonomous systems is achieved when they are connected to other platforms, sensors and weapons through a common Command and Control (C2) system. This requires open interfaces and clear data rights to ensure all components contribute to a central understanding of the battlefield. He cites the US Army’s recent Operation Jailbreak, conducted earlier this year, as an example of military and industry working together to rapidly establish interconnectivity between disparate systems. During the event, one of Anduril’s teams integrated separate vehicles, autonomy software, radar, C2 software, and a counter drone effector in a few days.
The exercise demonstrated rapid, iterative development with user involvement while also contributing to improved situational awareness and reduced times between detection and response.
On the modern battlefield ... communication architectures must offer multiple, redundant pathways ... to reduce the chance of detection.
In addition to participating in Operation Jailbreak, Anduril has been supporting several major US Army modernisation programs, including C2, counter UAS operations, robotic vehicles, and soldier-born technology. Under the Next Generation C2 (NGC2) program, Anduril led the Common Data Baseline component of the Integrated Battle Command System Maneuver Program, working with the 4th Infantry Division to integrate operational data, applications, sensors, and communications into a common environment. The company’s Lattice open architecture operating system is being used to connect different counter UAS sensors and effectors, allowing operators to manage an increasing number of threats while supporting faster incorporation of new technology.
On the modern battlefield, systems must be designed from the beginning under the assumption that communications will be intermittent, contested and, in some cases, unavailable. To support this, communication architectures must offer multiple, redundant pathways including different radio bands, meshed networks, and multiple satellite links, with traffic seamlessly routing via the optimum available carrier. To reduce the chance of detection, forces need to communicate more selectively through short transmissions, data compression, emission control and low probability of detection techniques.
Soldiers and their autonomous systems must be able to support data processing at the tactical edge, interpreting local sensor data and carrying out their commander’s intent without the ability to reach back to headquarters.
The US Army has recently tested its NGC2 system under cyber and electromagnetic attack, including at the division scale. They have simulated degraded and denied communications during exercises to ensure soldiers experience operations in these conditions. Goodrich notes that the architecture, development model and lessons learned from these tests are directly relevant to the Australian Army, with Anduril being well positioned to help progress Australia’s interoperability with US systems. This would facilitate Australia sharing information and co-ordinating efforts with allied forces during combined operations while enabling local industry to contribute technology and capabilities.
With the Australian military having its own requirements, governance, and operational environment, it will be necessary to tailor successful solutions from the USA or Europe to ensure they can be integrated with existing and future systems from multiple suppliers. This will require regular experimentation with operational units to help ensure the capability is rapidly developed through short cycles of testing, feedback and improvement.
“A vehicle, hardware, sensor, or weapon may serve the needs of the army for decades, whilst its software may need to change every few weeks,” said Goodrich. “The ADF’s current multi-year process of specify, document, tender and acquire no longer aligns with the speed of change currently being experienced. Acquisition and accreditation processes will need to change to support an incremental delivery model, with contracts focused on outcomes and upgrade pathways, while cybersecurity and testing are built into the development process from the beginning. This provides usable capability earlier and ensures it reflects the actual operational need.”
Ukraine and the Middle East demonstrate the need for the Australian Army to support the rapid development of capabilities, along with ongoing updates at a pace considerably faster than currently experienced. Processes must change to support iterative development alongside soldiers. Lessons learned from the US Army can be applied to the Australian Army and Anduril is well positioned to assist.
