Australia and Japan have further strengthened their defence partnership through an engagement focused on cyber operations and command, control, communications and computers (C4) interoperability.
Head of Cyber Operations and Strategic J6 Major General Warren Gould hosted his Japanese counterpart, Director General C4 Systems Department Major General Akitsugu Kimura, during a recent visit to Australia.
The visit marked Major General Kimura's first engagement in Australia since his appointment as Director General C4 Systems Department.
"Australia and Japan are committed to strengthening our partnership in the cyber domain and C4 integration is critical to ensuring our forces can operate effectively together," Major General Gould said.
"This is crucial in increasingly complex environments where secure communications and resilient networks are critical to operational success."
Since 2014, the Australian Defence Force and the Japan Ministry of Defense have engaged in cyber domain and C4 discussions, leading to the establishment of the annual Australia-Japan Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Cooperation Forum.
Enhancing bilateral secure communications was a key planning outcome of the visit, along with alignment of ICT priorities across enterprise and warfighting communications and information systems.
Major General Kimura also visited Australian Defence sites, including a tour of the Defence Network Operations Centre and Headquarters Joint Operations Command, giving insight into the ADF's approach to operating and defending Defence's Cyber Terrain.
