Thought Leadership

By: Nic Maan, Vice President Australia Defence and Security Solutions

In an era increasingly characterised by geostrategic complexity and rapid technological change, competitive military advantage will increasingly rely on successful integration.

Integration—harnessing the power of policy, technology and industrial partnerships—delivers real strategic advantage because it is a powerful operational force multiplier.

Australia’s defence landscape will never be static. Shifting power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region, including the emergence of cyber warfare and the proliferation of autonomous systems, demands the realisation of a truly joint and integrated Australian Defence Force to counter emerging threats, both traditional and asymmetric.

A system of systems approach is necessary. We need to better connect our operating domains, departments and borders, in both physical and cognitive realms. We must also now bridge the gap between what humans have done and what artificial intelligence and machine learning will bring to the fight.

Technology becomes an exponential enabler when it is integrated. We know the future battlespace will be multi-domain: land, sea, air, space and cyber. Winning in this environment requires systems that seamlessly interface, share data in real time and which can dynamically and, potentially, autonomously adapt to change.

This is not just a technical challenge. It is now a national challenge. Defence innovation must become a focus of national research agendas. Procurement reform must be linked to sovereign industrial capability development. While there are many definitions, as a minimum, we need a sovereign capability to connect and network our ADF and enterprise platforms and systems in accordance with national requirements. We can't outsource this because we need to guarantee that it can deliver on our own sovereign Defence imperatives. If we do this, seamless integration will ensure every dollar spent on defence delivers maximum value in both cost and effectiveness.

Australia’s investment in world-leading defence capabilities must also be matched by investment in the digital backbone that connects them. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing and secure communications are not just concepts - they are the glue that will bind our future capabilities together.

KBR is learning and acting on this in our own endeavours. We have been commissioned to deliver critical integration enhancements to the Air and Space Operations – Command and Control System, enabling Defence’s diverse and specialised aviation workforces to plan and conduct modern air operations. Enhancements will focus on an electronic information management system, enabling superior decision-making and system integration by providing critical information in complex airborne missions.

In applying a modern stewardship support model in support of sovereign capability requirements, we will identify and drive efficiencies in the delivery and interoperability of the three key mission systems – Mission Planning, Electronic Flight Bag and Air Resource and Scheduling. Ensuring these capabilities work together cohesively will enable faster, more informed decision making for operators, ultimately supporting the generation of an integrated force.

Sovereign capability also reinforces coalition capacity. At a higher level AUKUS, our most strategic undertaking in generations, aims to link the industrial, scientific and defence innovation capacity of three nations in ways never before attempted. Its success will transform our industrial bases, militaries and nations into a cohesive force paving the way for greater integration. The ability to project power, deter aggression and respond rapidly begins with policy and shared doctrine, and is then normalised through joint training which generates trust and interoperability. It builds integrated military capabilities across many nations where the whole becomes greater than the sum of their parts.

Interoperability is more than just technical integration. It is also about creating a shared operational rhythm. When an Australian submarine commander receives intelligence from a UK satellite, which is then processed by US artificial intelligence systems, cuing a response using technologies cooperatively designed by all three nations, it resonates as true alliance capability. 

This type of integration must also characterise the future human-machine interface. Defence personnel must be equipped not only with cutting-edge tools but with the training and cognitive support to use them effectively.

No nation wants to defend alone. Australia’s strategic partnerships— with the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and our wider security cooperation with our regional neighbours, remains central to our security. These partnerships are evolving beyond the traditional expressions of joint exercises and shared deployments - true integration now demands shared doctrine, interoperable systems and trust in our collective potential.

Our success as a strategic partner will depend on how well we integrate our national and military capabilities, across cultures, systems and timelines, including cyber, autonomous weapons, artificial intelligence and space. Australia has a role to play not just as a beneficiary of global security but as a co-architect of its rules and a contributor to its governance for the benefit of all.

All that said, integration is never easy. It is technically and procedurally challenging. It requires the dissolution of silos, challenging legacy ways of thinking and embracing new levels of complexity. But the payoff is profound: a defence posture that is more robust, smarter, faster, and more resilient.

In a world where our threats are now networked, our response must be as well. Integration is how we will turn capability into advantage, and strategy into real security.