Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee, , 3:11:43 to 3:16:17
Examination of delivery milestones for medium-range air defense, contrasting early 2030s goals with previous project priorities and industry engagement.
Topics: ADF, Procurement
Speakers: Robert Chipman, James Paterson, Meghan Quinn, Unknown Speaker
So that that is not the intention of uh you know we're aiming to do it as soon as possible. Uh and my expectation given the technological advances that are occurring within this area of of capability is that we we will have different capability at different stages through time. It is a rapidly uh developing area um as we can see what's happening in Ukraine and the Middle East where we're seeing significant innovation uh as a result of of live action. Uh and so we have been instructed to put together a program of work to have uh activity in the early 30s. That is what we're aiming for. But this is not going to be a set and forget. This is going to be an ongoing iterative process as we respond to the capabilities that are available to us in the marketplace.
>> Sure. But I mean I've asked for timelines and I've been provided with 2030s and the reporting says 2030s. I mean
>> it says mid there's a difference between early 30s and mid30s and we are aiming to do it as quick as possible.
>> Okay. But I mean I've heard mid 2030s. Let's for argument sake now say it's early 2030s. Let's say that's what we're aiming towards
>> and the way I would characterize it and Miss Kman might have a be able to strengthen this argument. We have put framing questions to industry. We are soliciting information from them. What we haven't yet done is taken that information that we've got back from industry and and built a deliberate program around it. But it is a as the secretary has said it is a very dynamic environment and the fact that there is such a high expenditure of these type of weapons and they're in such demand around the globe at the moment does mean that we need to understand what the market looks like today.
>> Okay. But um surely when we're asking for industry to provide information, we should be as ambitious as possible and ask for it to provide it as capability to provide it as soon as possible. I mean, I think it was the DSU in 2020 which first said the 10-year warning time for conflict was gone. uh if we're hoping to field a critical capability like integrated air and missile defense by the early to mid 2030s almost a decade away or half a decade away if we do better doesn't feel like we're living up to those warnings that we've got in all our strategic documents for years
>> No Senator um but that would be to suggest that that there is no integrated air missile defense capability in Australia today which is not the case. This is part of a layered system. It is a it is a groundbased medium-range system that we are seeking to prioritize and the discussion that we had at the last hearing and the decisions that were taken by government with the last IP was to change the priorities in the way we were delivering integrated air and missile defense. You'll recall that that previously we had focused on command and control systems. The decision that was taken for medium-range air defense to accelerate it was one that descoped the more advanced elements of command and control systems and focused on delivering the medium-range. So this is a change in emphasis. It absolutely responds to our circumstances. Would I like these capabilities today? Yes. But we have changed our priorities and and the government has made a decision to increase its its expenditure focus to to deliver as quickly as we can.
>> Sure. But this is not the first time the government has changed its priorities. You're right. In the NDS 2026, there were changes to IMD. There were also changes in the 2024 NDS to IMD as well,
>> Well, Senator, that's the purpose of a bianual cycle is to look at our environment, to look at technology, it's evolving, to respond to to disruptions in our delivery program, and to prioritize our investments.
>> So, why was air 6502 cancelled in the
2024 NDS? 6502 was not cancelled in the 2024 NDS. The scope of 6500 was broadened to incorporate an 6502. So there was never an intent not under 6500 in the 2024 national defense strategy not to deliver medium-range air defense that was to be delivered under a future phase of 6500. What we have done is rep prioritize within 6500 and rather than deliver it under 6500, we have stood up a new project under army land 6504 to deliver medium-range air defense.
>> What were the timelines for air 6502 before it was changed?
>> I I'd have to take that on notice. Senator,
>> was it to deliver medium-range capability earlier than it will now be
>> No, the the absolutely not. that the intent in 2026 was to accelerate the delivery of medium-range air defense.
>> Okay. Um in the reporting it says that