1. Chief Information Officer Group
BRANCH Division
Radiofrequency Spectrum - Opportunities and Challenges from a Defence perspective

2. SCOPE Defence Use of Spectrum – Some Context
Factors Influencing Defence Use of spectrum
Emerging Defence Spectrum Issues and Opportunities
Defence Spectrum Management Commitment

3. The first duty of the Australian Government is to provide for the security and defence of Australia and Australian interests. Government must ensure that we have defence capabilities to respond to a range of contingencies as well as a robust capacity to deal with military threats of a conventional kind should they arise.
Australia’s National Security – A Defence Update 2005, © Commonwealth of Australia 2005 ISBN

4. The first duty of the Australian Government is to provide for the security and defence of Australia and Australian interests. Government must ensure that we have defence capabilities to respond to a range of contingencies as well as a robust capacity to deal with military threats of a conventional kind should they arise.
Defence planning must provide for both the needs of the present and the possibilities of the future.
Australia’s National Security – A Defence Update 2005, © Commonwealth of Australia 2005 ISBN

5. Australia’s Strategic Environment
Increased uncertainty – possibility of little warning
Technology revolution – challenges Australia’s technological advantages
Asymmetric threats – reduces the value of Australia’s strategic geography
Non-state players – strategic threat from transnational terrorist organisations
Regional military capabilities – growing and leveraging modern networking, data fusion, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance systems
Australia’s National Security – A Defence Update 2005, © Commonwealth of Australia 2005 ISBN

6. The role of Defence in protecting Australia
Whole of government approach to national security
Defence Contribution will go far beyond warfighting
Border protection command
Science and Technology
Increased Defence focus on domestic security
Specific roles for reserve forces in domestic security
Australia’s National Security – A Defence Update 2005, © Commonwealth of Australia 2005 ISBN

7. Spectrum Legislation
The Crown and as a consequence Defence is bound by the Radiocommunications Act 1992.
The Act exempts Defence Employees and Defence Force members from offences under the Act
The provision of “adequate” spectrum is one of the 8 competing objects of the Act
The act allows the responsible Minister to make restrictive orders during a declared emergency (up to 3 months)
Defence ensures compliance with the act through a series of internal Defence policies and supporting procedures
Look forward to the review of outcomes of the independent review of Government spectrum holdings which may identify strategies for better managing spectrum for national security purposes

8. Implications for Defence Spectrum requirements
Increasing demand for spectrum for Defence systems
Spectrum is not just required for offshore operations - Defence requires reasonable surety of access to spectrum for operations in Australia
Training within Australia must be realistic and cannot always be confined to training areas or be simulated
Management of spectrum resources has therefore become an important risk mitigation strategy for Defence in both investment and operational terms.

9. Network Centric Warfare
Key enabling concept that underpins the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) Future Joint Operations Concept
Does not dictate how the ADF intends to fight
The ADF’s NCW capability will provide the means for transition from a network aware force to a seamless, network enabled, information-age force.

10. So what is NCW?

11. Defence Spectrum Consumption
About 8.58GHz of spectrum
Defence bands have reduced from GHz in the last decade
Defence holds a wide range of additional apparatus licences
Defence spends in the order of $10.5 million on spectrum per annum
Defence is normally consulted during consideration of alternate uses of “Defence bands”

12. Defence spectrum – some factors
Growth in requirements:
Longer term growth in requirements is difficult to estimate
Growth partially driven by Government desire for the ADF to retain a technologically advantage
Our Spectrum Strategic Plan endeavors to provide a longer term view of Defence spectrum requirements.
The need to maintain allied interoperability

13. Defence spectrum – some factors
Frequency bands are often determined by the threats
Long lead time in the procurement of some Defence capabilities
It is impractical in some cases to modify the spectral requirements of systems procured overseas to meet Australian allocations
Defence systems typically stay in service for extremely long periods of time

14. Defence spectrum – Opportunities
Technological Developments
Convergence
Software Defined/Cognitive radios
Ultra-wideband systems
Other spread-spectrum systems
Advanced EHF SATCOM
Improved waveforms
Laser free space communications
Smart Antennas
etc

15. Defence spectrum – Opportunities
Improved management

16. Critical Defence spectrum bands
HF Band
UHF Band from 230 to 400 MHz
UHF Band from 420 to 450 MHz
UHF Band from MHz
UHF Band from MHz
SHF Band GHz
SHF Band 7/8 GHz
SHF Band GHz
SHF Band 15 GHz
SHF Band 27 GHz

17. Risks to Defence capability
Communications
Surveillance
Network Centric Warfare
New Air Combat Capability/JSF
Air Warfare Destroyer
Telemetry

18. Enduring Features of Defence Spectrum Planning
• Spectrum is a national resource shared with non Defence users.
• Spectrum is vital to the conduct of ADF operations and training in support of operations.
• Demand for spectrum will continue to grow.
Spectrum must be harmonised with Allies as far as possible
• Technology developments will produce new options for using spectrum and also opportunities to use it more efficiently.
• Warfighting concepts, tactics and weapons will continue to evolve and create new challenges for spectrum management.

19. Defence spectrum management commitments
Defence recognises that spectrum is a national asset
Defence will do all that is possible to meet its obligation to Government to retain access to sufficient spectrum
Defence will manage growth in demand for spectrum
Defence will work with allies to harmonise spectrum use
Defence will pursue technological innovation
Spectrum requirements will be considered in developing warfighting concepts
Defence will be an efficient and effective manager of its spectrum assets

20. Questions?