The Army must be fully equipped for archipelagic warfare in the Indo-Pacific, newly appointed Head Land Capability Major General Kurt Brown told a gathering of industry leaders.
Speaking at the annual Land Environment Working Group (LEWG) at Hotel Realm Canberra in August, Major General Brown said Army must control Australia's maritime approaches.
"Army is optimising for littoral manoeuvre," Major General Brown said.
"Land-based systems provide physical presence to conduct surveillance, reconnaissance and, if required, strike enemy forces.
"Foundational to realising long-range strike is the underpinning C4 [command, control, communications and computer] systems, automation and logistics - in particular, power generation and storage.
"Further, Army is normalising autonomous systems and moving from industrialisation to employ capability at a greater scale across the littoral and maritime domains."
The LEWG, hosted by Land Capability Division, is Army's primary engagement with industry and provides an update on Army's current and emerging land capability priorities and investment plans.
'The ADF must evolve into an integrated, focused force and this means capability reform remains ongoing, always requiring adaptation.'
Major General Brown said these included low-cost interceptors in support of integrated air and missile defence and counter-uncrewed aircraft systems; long-range fires; automation of capabilities; building logistical resilience in contested environments; and flattening the physical and electromagnetic signatures of warfighters.
More than 500 attendees were also briefed by Head Capability Development Major General Richard Vagg on the recently established Capability Development Division (CDD).
"This is about speed to capability," Major General Vagg said.
"The CDD is now the sponsor for all five warfighting domains - land, maritime, air, cyber and space. It's a redesign of the defence capability system to provide a clear line of authority and accountability.
"The ADF must evolve into an integrated, focused force and this means capability reform remains ongoing, always requiring adaptation."
The LEWG also featured a panel discussion on key threats facing Australia's security, chaired by Peter Dean, Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University.
