Australian Department of Defence’s Transition to IPv6. Air Commodore David Richards Director General Information Policy and Plans

IPv6 Policy Australian Department of Defence issued policy in February 2005 mandating transition to IPv6 by 2013 Department of Defence DEFENCE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT POLICY INSTRUCTION NO 1/ February 2005 Note: These instructions are of a permanent nature and remain in force until cancelled. They should be reviewed by the sponsor every three years and repromulgated only where a significant change of content is necessary. Publications can be accessed on the Defence Intranet at DEFENCE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT—TRANSITION TO INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (IPv6) Policy 1. The Defence Information Environment (DIE) will transition from the current Internet Protocol (IP) version 4 (IPv4) to IPv6 and all DIE networks are to have completed transition to IPv6 by the end of All capability management, development and acquisition staff are to address DIE IPv6 interoperability requirements when developing their architecture in accordance with the Defence Architecture Framework and when implementing associated projects.

IPv6 Transition Drivers Drivers for transitioning to IPv6 –Ensure the Defence Information Environment will meet the needs of it users into the future – real time information sharing –United States Department of Defence’s decision to transition to IPv6 – uninterrupted interoperability –Defence’s believes the transition to IPv6 is inevitable, introduction needs to be managed – controlled transition –Defence’s desire to help foster Australia’s IT industry –increase technology solutions available to Defence

IPv6 Transition Timeframe Transition by 2013 –Balancing risks of an early transition to IPv6, against pressures to transition as soon as possible Risk mitigation strategies –Incorporate the lessons learned by the US Defence IPv6 Transition Office –Incremental transition rather than a ‘big-bang’ approach Transition process –Many parts of the Defence Infrastructure Environment will transition before 2013 –A few legacy systems will not meet the deadline

Status of IPv6 Transition IPv6 Transition Plan –Planning for the transition commenced January 2005 –First version of the IPv6 Transition Plan completed, next version already in planning stage. –Transition Plan is a living document that will continue to evolve Challenges in transitioning to IPv6 –Management of IPv4 and IPv6 traffic on the same network –‘Selling’ IPv6 to both internal and external stakeholders –Determining the number of IPv6 addresses required

Conclusion Challenges –Defence faces many challenges transitioning to IPv6, but the capabilities IPv6 brings to Defence will significantly improve Defence’s operations Opportunities –Significant capability enabler - information sharing opportunities that are not possible using IPv4