Spotlight Brief 6/21

Welcome to the sixth issue of Future Land Warfare Branch’s Spotlight Brief from the Australian Army Research Centre (AARC).

This issue has a particular emphasis on issues relating to robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) in addition to its usual areas of interest. RAS forms a vital part of the Australian Army as it modernises to meet the challenges brought on by accelerated warfare where the rate of change of technology is increasing. The Army RAS Strategy 2019 and the ADF Concept for Future Robotics and Autonomous Systems 2020 outline the opportunities and plans to introduce, maintain and expand RAS across the force. The Army is committed to expanding this area, with unprecedented funding and support within Force Structure Plan 2020 and advanced trials across land, air, and cyber domains.  In addition, Army is expanding its cognitive capability in these fields, with the MakerSpace program part of that effort as well as an increase in people selected for advanced education programs. This work, spearheaded by the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Implementation and Coordination Office (RICO) within Future Land Warfare Branch, also seeks to address the ethical and moral judgements raised through the proliferation of RAS and enable disruptive technologies such as quantum power and energy. Spotlight 6 explicitly reflects some of the challenges that Army and the Joint Force are tackling about the responsible use of uncrewed and autonomous platforms.

Spotlight Briefs provide a curated overview of issues relevant to Australian Landpower. They are derived solely from open source material. Importantly, inclusion of material in a Spotlight Brief does not imply or reflect Australian Army, Australian Defence Force or Australian Commonwealth Government policy or endorsement. The brief will be published monthly, distributed by email, and on the Australian Army’s Land Power Forum.

The Australian Army Research Centre welcomes feedback on all publications. If you have a comment, or would like to suggest a pertinent article for the next issue, please contact the AARC Strategic Analysis team via our Contact form. Issue 7 will have a focus on the future of land warfare.