The Guardian
Australian military looks to build crucial space capabilities that will support Aukus nuclear subs
Story by Tory Shepherd • 4h ago - 23-3-2023
A senior defence strategy and capability analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Malcolm Davis, said while space was critical for Aukus’s pillar two, it would also be crucial for pillar one, in terms of communicating with submarines.
“If you go down the laser optical route [instead of low frequency radio] you get voice, internet, the works. Satellites and space are going to be important for comms,” he said.
“They also open up avenues for anti-submarine warfare, using light detecting and ranging (Lidar).
“In pillar two, in terms of countering hypersonic threats, in terms of autonomous systems, space is crucial to all of that.”
The Space Industry Association of Australia has argued that Aukus should be used to bolster space capabilities through technology and infrastructure sharing.
Related: Former SAS soldier arrested and charged in NSW for alleged war crime over killing of Afghan civilian
The partners should build new constellations of satellites to reduce their dependency on existing technology, thereby minimising the impact of military attacks on satellites, the association’s then director of operations, Philip Citowicki, wrote in a 2022 piece for the Australian National University’s National Security College.
He argued that a loss of access to space, or the destruction of space-based assets, would have “catastrophic effects”, but the Aukus partners could work together to reduce the risks.
Guardian Australia has asked the defence minister, Richard Marles, if Australia needs to do more on space defence.
Davis warned that China, particularly, has offensive space capabilities. He paraphrased a quote from British army commander Bernard Montgomery, who said “if we lose the war in the air, we lose the war and we lose it quickly”.
“The same might be said of space, we lose the war and we lose it quickly,” Davis said.
Photograph: CSIRO
© Provided by The Guardian
Australian military looks to build crucial space capabilities that will support Aukus nuclear subs
Story by Tory Shepherd • 4h ago - 23-3-2023
A senior defence strategy and capability analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Malcolm Davis, said while space was critical for Aukus’s pillar two, it would also be crucial for pillar one, in terms of communicating with submarines.
“If you go down the laser optical route [instead of low frequency radio] you get voice, internet, the works. Satellites and space are going to be important for comms,” he said.
“They also open up avenues for anti-submarine warfare, using light detecting and ranging (Lidar).
“In pillar two, in terms of countering hypersonic threats, in terms of autonomous systems, space is crucial to all of that.”
The Space Industry Association of Australia has argued that Aukus should be used to bolster space capabilities through technology and infrastructure sharing.
Related: Former SAS soldier arrested and charged in NSW for alleged war crime over killing of Afghan civilian
The partners should build new constellations of satellites to reduce their dependency on existing technology, thereby minimising the impact of military attacks on satellites, the association’s then director of operations, Philip Citowicki, wrote in a 2022 piece for the Australian National University’s National Security College.
He argued that a loss of access to space, or the destruction of space-based assets, would have “catastrophic effects”, but the Aukus partners could work together to reduce the risks.
Guardian Australia has asked the defence minister, Richard Marles, if Australia needs to do more on space defence.
Davis warned that China, particularly, has offensive space capabilities. He paraphrased a quote from British army commander Bernard Montgomery, who said “if we lose the war in the air, we lose the war and we lose it quickly”.
“The same might be said of space, we lose the war and we lose it quickly,” Davis said.
Photograph: CSIRO
© Provided by The Guardian
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