MSP Program Cards_240816

@AustralianArmy #ModernArmywww.army.gov.au/our-future

Soldier Combat Systems

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How are more effective combat soldiers integral to Army’s pact with Australia?The combat soldier is at the heart of Army’s ability to fight. Because they determine mission success for Australia’s objectives on land, the soldier must be an expert in close combat: eyes up and hands on their weapon. To achieve mission success across diverse operational environments, combat soldiers must be:

• lethal – potent and precise

• mobile - move faster, longer

• protected – survive the environment and adversary attacks

• sustainable – effective and persistent

• situationally aware – detect, confirm and decide

In addition to these qualities and the systems that enable them, combat soldiers must be highly skilled, adaptive, courageous, hardy and resilient. These qualities are realised through the application of superior training and education – without which, the employment of modernised weapons, gear and equipment would be ineffective.

Effective soldier combat systems are pivotal to Army’s utility and flexibility and its unique role as the only branch of the ADF that can enact sustained change on land. Army is continuously modernising soldier combat systems to further enhance and develop this capability and ensure the fighting effectiveness and survivability of

its combat soldiers. Improvements to the equipment, training and preparation of its combat soldiers are the best way that Army can counteract the relatively small size of its land forces.

Current efforts in modernisation to soldier combat systems are targeted at developing the overall effectiveness of soldiers and preparing them for a variety of evolving challenges and threats in combat scenarios. The following projects each enhance an element of the soldier’s combat system, which in turn enhances the overall effect and efficiency of Australian combat soldiers. And because the combat soldier is at the heart of the combined arms team, these projects help enable Army to fulfil its pact with Australia.

At the heart of all Army capabilities is the Australian soldier: they must outthink, outlast and outperform their adversary.

How is Army modernising soldier combat systems?Lethality (Land 125-3C enhanced F88 and Land 40-2 light weight automatic grenade launcher)These projects will enable our combat soldiers to achieve a significant combat overmatch when identifying, targeting and engaging adversaries.

Lethality (Land 159 and Land 4108 small arms and heavy weapons modernisation)These projects will redefine combat soldier lethality systems over the coming decade.

Situational awareness (Land 53-1BR enhanced night fighting equipment)The state-of-the-art equipment provided by this project will allow our combat soldiers to identify adversaries at night without being seen. The combat soldier who sees first, acts first.

Situational awareness (Land 53-2 and Land 4110) These projects will transform Army’s leading analogue night fighting system into a heads-up-display, which enables multi-spectral perception, information reception and dissemination and decision superiority – without overburdening the combat soldier’s cognitive capacity.

Mobility and survivability (Land 125-3B soldier combat ensemble)This provides combat soldiers with superior, lighter and customised body armour and load carriage equipment to increase their survivability on the modern battlefield.

Sustainability (Land 125-4 continuous modernisation)Enabling combat soldiers to outlast, outthink and outperform adversaries through a variety of equipment and training solutions.

Modernising and developing soldier combat capabilities


Armoured Fighting Vehicle Systems

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How can Army conduct sustained close combat and protect its soldiers?Threats to soldiers in the field are evolving in their complexity and lethality. These threats are as likely to come from asymmetric enemies as they are from conventional forces. The Australian Army, however, will always be required to face these threats.

The best protection to Australian soldiers in combat comes from armoured vehicles. Armoured vehicles provide a unique blend of protection, mobility and firepower that can see soldiers enter combat, achieve their objectives and return home. Armoured vehicles are a key component of the combined arms team and an important element of Army’s land forces.

Army works to enhance the ability of armoured fighting vehicles to provide firepower, protection and mobility to its combined arms teams. At ground level, this is integral to their ability to get the job done. Current efforts in the modernisation cycle are targeted at enhancing these unique characteristics while also evolving armoured fighting vehicles for the full spectrum of complex challenges they are likely to face. By being ready to face these challenges, armoured fighting vehicles help enable Army to fulfil its pact with Australia.

The best protection for Australian soldiers in combat is provided by armoured vehicles. Only the absolute best will do.

How is Army modernising armoured fighting vehicles?Mounted Combat Reconnaissance Capability (Land 400 Phase 2)This project rolls out a fleet of highly protected and capable combat reconnaissance vehicles (CRVs). These CRVs will possess levels of protection and firepower vastly superior to the old platforms. The new CRVs will provide the combined arms team with an enhanced capability to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance in highly lethal environments.

Mounted Close Combat Capability (Land 400 Phase 3)Army’s ability to enter combat, engage with enemies and achieve objectives will be significantly enhanced through the introduction of the new infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). These IFVs will be able to engage in mounted close combat while delivering dismounted infantry to the point of engagement, supporting them in achieving their objectives.

Tanks and armoured fighting vehicles combine elements of armour, firepower and mobility

Main Battle Tank Upgrade (Land 907 Phase 2)The upgrade to Australia’s main battle tanks will ensure they remain a credible and deployable protected close combat capability. The main battle tank provides the highest level of battlefield mobility, precision direct fire and protection within the land force. This allows it to provide protection to the ground force during manoeuvre and overwhelming firepower during close combat. It provides a viable and credible deterrent to adversaries which reduces the likelihood of casualties.

Assault Crossing and Breaching (Land 8160 Phase 1)Army will be required to operate in more unpredictable and dangerous environments. In order to protect its personnel and help its combined arms teams achieve their objectives, Army is enhancing its armoured vehicles’ ability to overcomes obstacles such as minefields, anti-tank ditches, drains and canals. This will enable the land force more freedom of movement and the ability to outmanoeuvre the enemy, developing a more agile and flexible land force.


Combat Support

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How does combat support enhance the ability of the combined arms team to fight and manoeuvre?The combined arms team is a team of teams. Each element of the team works to support the strengths of others or protect their vulnerabilities, enabling them to achieve their objectives. Combat support elements of the land force exemplify this concept.

Through a combination of artillery, joint firing control, engineering, mobility systems and air-land protection, combat support elements provide the combined arms

team with a blend of offensive and defensive capabilities. For a small land force like Australia’s, this kind of utility and flexibility counteracts our relative size deficit and contributes to a formidable, world class combat team.

Modernising these diverse capabilities ensures Army is prepared, ready and deployable into a range of settings and scenarios. Efforts within modernisation are aimed at developing the spectrum of offensive, protective and defensive elements within combat support elements. These projects ensure Army is continuously able to achieve its objectives on land while providing increased utility to commanders and Government.

Combat support elements enable the combined arms team to achieve its objectives, while protecting land forces from enemy threats.

How is Army modernising combat support?Ground-based short range air defence (Land 19-7B)This project will enhance the short range air defence capabilities of land forces. It is aimed at defeating low level threats such as indirect fires, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and low flying aircraft.

Long range rocket capability (Land 8113)This project will enhance Army’s firepower with a new long-range rocket system. The new system will be capable of providing fire support to defeat threats to personnel at ranges of up to 300 kilometres.

Land force mortar replacement (Land 136)The capability outcome is upgrade of the 81 mm mortar to one that is digitally networked. The mortar ensures indirect fires is available to the manoeuvre force organically and is a capability usually employed by the infantry.

Counter IED capability (Land 154)Army will invest to enable the joint force to combat the highly dynamic threat of improvised explosive devices.

Army will improve its route clearance, detection and neutralisation capabilities with the introduction of explosive material exploitation.

Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear Defence (Land 2110-1B)This project will enhance the joint force’s ability to manoeuvre and achieve their mission in a contaminated environment. It will ensure the protection of personnel from the strategic, tactical and physiological impacts of exposure to toxic industrial chemicals and materials and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Engineer support platforms (Land 8120)This program will overhaul the ADF’s horizontal construction and material handling fleet ensuring the joint force can sustain itself through the construction of routes and deployed infrastructure.

Enhanced gap crossing capability (Land 155)This project will enhance Army’s ability to cross a range of wet and dry gaps. It will provide the capability to tackle complex physical terrain features such as rivers, ravines and other natural and man-made gaps to achieve the agility required in the future operating environment.

Mobility

Counter- Mobility

Sustainability

Force Protection

Joint Fires

Air land Integration

Enhance Manoeuvre

Shape Terrain

Support endurance

Survive Surprise

Increase lethality

Integrated effects

Army’s combat support elements provide defensive and offensive capabilities for the land force


Combat Service Support

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How does Army sustain its forces in the field?Increasing demands are placed on our soldiers to face a variety of challenges in our region and across the globe. For a small land force, a key to Army’s success is being flexible and manoeuvrable. In war, these traits help us defeat an enemy. In peace, they enable us to provide assistance to people on land. Combat service support elements support both peace and war functions of our Army, and they are a key contributor to the sustainment and capability of deployed land forces. Without modern combat service support, Australia’s land forces cannot be sustained in the field.

Army works to improve its ability to support and protect its soldiers through the provision of combat health and personnel support, support engineering, equipment maintenance and resource distribution. In its current cycle of modernisation, Army is focused on the following projects aimed at enhancing combat service support’s level of service. By continually modernising combat service support through these projects, Army fulfils its pact with Australia as the only branch of the ADF that can enact sustained change on land.

To enable Army to project and prevail in remote, austere and hostile environments, the land force must be sustained.

How is Army modernising combat service support?Deployable health capability (JP2060-3)This modernised health services capability will support the ADF on operations from combat to humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Depending on the situation, this capability will be expected to operate independently, as a member or leader of a coalition, or to support government and non-government agencies.

Through the acquisition of modernized health materiel for Army and Air Force, this project will enable best practice military medicine for the Australian Defence Force.

Deployable health knowledge management (JP2060-4)Phase 4 will deliver health knowledge management to acquire new health technology, equipping the ADF with an information management capability to meets its future health support requirements.

Aviation refuelling vehicles (JP157) This project seeks to modernise and replace the current aviation ground refuelling capability, ensuring sustainment of all current and future ADF fixed and rotary wing aircraft fleets. This equipment fleet will operate within the Australia.

Bulk liquid distribution (JP2059-2)This project seeks to address the bulk fuel and water distribution requirements generated by the concurrent deployment of a brigade based joint task force and a battalion group on independent operations. This includes unit line field refuelling requirements of helicopters.

Deployable infrastructure solutions (Land 8140)Through all stages of planning, costing, establishing, sustaining, adapting and returning a force, this capability provides environmental and threat-appropriate infrastructure in support of combat operations or disaster relief requirements.

Enterprise Resource PlannerThis project will unify all of Army’s management data into a single source. Through increased digitisation, materiel management will become less reliant on paper while commanders will be able to exploit increased situational awareness of their force elements’ equipment, gear and combat readiness.

Deployable infrastucture solutionsCombat service support can provide landscape-tailored and ready-to-use infrastructure to deployed forces whatever the environment.


Aviation

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How does modernising Army’s aviation strengthen Army’s land forces?Aviation provides a significant advantage to the land forces. Operating as a link between the land, sea and air domains, aviation further increases the flexibility and utility of Army’s combined arms team. Through the use of helicopters and unmanned aircraft, Army aviation offers a range of enhanced capabilities otherwise unavailable to land based forces. Aviation supports ground forces with such capabilities as air and sea lift, special forces deployment, electronic warfare, joint fire coordination, air-to-air / air-to-surface combat, reconnaissance and casualty evacuation.

Army is working to modernise aviation’s significant and diverse range of supporting capabilities to the combined arms team. The ability to face future challenges as a small land force operating in hostile environments will be strengthened through the modernisation and continued development of Army’s aviation capability.

Army aviation strengthens the combined arms team by providing speed of response and flexibility across the air, land and sea.

How is Army modernising aviation?Armed reconnaissance helicopter replacement program (Land 4503 – 1)Aviation will replace the current fleet of Tiger helicopters with a platform that offers enhanced reconnaissance, surveillance and combat capabilities. This could consist of aircraft that are manned, unmanned or a combination of both.

Multi-role helicopter capability assurance (Land 4510 – 1)Multi-role helicopters will continue to be introduced to Army’s aviation corps, with increased tailoring for role-specific capabilities that cover a range of functions including logistics support, tactical mobility, limited fire support and reconnaissance.

Deployable light helicopter program (Land 2097 – 4) A fleet of light, rapidly deployable helicopters will be introduced within the next decade. These helicopters will have enhanced reconnaissance and attack capabilities and will provide air mobility support optimised for special operations.

Chinook upgrades (Land 9000 CH C.A.P)Increasing the fleet of Chinook medium lift helicopters, and continuously upgrading them, ensures that this inexpensive, reliable workhorse will be relevant for many decades to come.

Tactical unmanned aerial system (Land 129-3)Unmanned aerial systems support the combined arms team through long endurance observation – especially in dangerous environments where a manned aircraft would be exposed to high risk.

The Australian Army Aviation Corps enhances the capabilities of the land force.

The ways in which Army Aviation supports the land force include:


Land Intelligence, Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Electronic Warfare

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How does enhancing situational awareness help Army achieve its objectives?crowded and contested. In order to counter these challenges, its forces must be able to prepare, deploy and manoeuvre on the basis of sound intelligence. This intelligence often comes from diverse data and sources that must be processed into reliable and relevant material – and delivered to where it is needed. The delivery of this intelligence provides Army with situational awareness that can offer the land forces significant decision-making advantages.

In order to give its commanders an advantage at the point of decision, Army must generate ‘always on’ regional understanding of the potential operating environment – from pre-conflict through mission initiation to mission completion. This advantage is a key strength for the combined arms team and one that counters Army’s relatively small size.

To ensure that Army is able to assert this strength, it must take every opportunity to exploit the advantages of sound intelligence. Efforts to modernise are focused on enhancing the ability of Army to gather and share data while improving its ability to engage in electronic

warfare. In a field that relies primarily on information technology and communications, Army must ensure its modernisation in this area keeps pace of rapid technological change.

Underpinning the ‘always on’ philosophy is the need for seamless access to a broad range of information from every level through the habitual use of familiar systems, applications and databases. Only then can Army and its commanders continue to assert their decision-making advantages and protect the interests of Australia.

Future challenges will require globally engaged, forward focused, ‘always on’ Army intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Army’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities gather data and information from a variety of sources.

How is Army modernising land intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance and electronic warfare?Remediation of land tactical electronic warfare (Land 500-1)This project will develop the current land electronic warfare capability to monitor and exploit enemy communications systems in support of close combat operations. The capability is both mounted and dismounted with a variety of different sensor systems.

Geospatial support systems for the land force (Land 1771)The provision of timely, accurate and relevant military geospatial information, imagery analysis and intelligence is essential to commanders. This project will aim to enhance this capability and maintain decision-making superiority for Army over extended ranges to multiple and dispersed locations. It further aims to ensure that geospatial intelligence is central to the fusion of data

across the operations and intelligence disciplines so that commanders are provided with consolidated products that are readily digestible.

Force level electronic warfare, signals intelligence and vehicles (Land 555-6)This project aims to deliver a mounted land force electronic warfare capability to monitor, exploit and attack enemy communications systems. This system will also enhance joint and coalition electronic warfare interoperability.

Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance integration (JP2096)This program will enable support operation of military and intelligence force elements. It will create an integrated mission dataset that enables users to discover, access, analyse, manipulate and publish ISR information and intelligence in a timely manner, regardless of location, organisation, activity or information source.


Land Command and Control Communications

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How do command and control communications enable the combined arms team?The desired effect of the combined arms team is only achievable through a reliable communications network. Command and control communications enable elements of the land forces to coordinate and integrate their capabilities, ensuring that Army and the joint force are able to conduct manoeuvres and complete their tasks. Due to the small size of Australia’s Army and the nation’s partnerships and alliances, overseas deployment often means insertion into a coalition force. This creates an added challenge to the ongoing development of Army’s command and control communications and their need to integrate with the networks of Australia’s allies.

Reliable communications link together the capabilities of the combined arms team and enable a small land force to achieve large effects.

Because working in a team enables Army forces to achieve a greater sum effect together than they would individually, land command and control communications is a key area for continual modernisation. Army’s efforts in the following projects ensure that individual elements of the land forces can form teams, which in turn form the teams of teams that constitute Army’s combat brigades – the ultimate units of utility that allows Army to enact sustained change on land.

How is Army modernising land command and control communications?Land battle management system and digital combat radio systems (Land 200)Land 200 continues the upgrade of digital combat radios in Army’s mobility network and seeks to provide a land networking solution between army formations, special forces, and Navy and Air Force. This project improves the link between sensors and weapons systems, helps enable force elements to achieve their objectives, and enhances the overall effect of the combined arms team and the joint force.

Replacement of battlefield telecommunications network (Land 2072 Phase 2b)New battlefield communications equipment will increase Army and ADF capability to exploit modern information technology to create a networked environment that increases information exchange. unit and command responsiveness and overall operational efficiency.

Military satellite program (Joint project 2008)

The progressive rollout of this upgrade will significantly improve the entire ADF’s satellite communications capabilities, increasing the capacity for joint force operations and providing greater situational awareness at tactical and strategic levels.

Land command and control communications allow Army to work together as a team.

Communications systems enable the various units of army to speak to one another, both internally and externally, and transfer data and intelligence as needed. These functions are essential for Army to be able to achieve its objectives. Some of the interactions these networks facilitate include:


Land Mobility Systems

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Why are land mobility systems a defining element of Army? For a small land force to outmatch an adversary or to respond to a large humanitarian or disaster relief mission, the ability to rapidly manoeuvre its force elements is paramount. The land mobility systems program achieves this through the maintenance and development of Army’s protected and unprotected land mobility fleets. It provides capabilities to force elements that enable them to operate on land and riverine and in coastal environments through the provision of many of the systems that support and enable the Army combined arms team. Land mobility systems support Army’s role across the full spectrum of conflict, providing the land force with its defining characteristic: the ability to enable manoeuvre through flexible, tailored and reliable mission systems.

The ability to manoeuvre on land, coastal and riverine environments is vital for the deployment, sustainability and continuous operations of a force in the field. Because of this it is crucial for Army to continuously modernise these capabilities to enable this function. The following projects outline Army’s main effort to ensure that we optimise in the most effective manner to enable our land forces. These projects will ensure that the land force delivers the right personnel and equipment, to the right place and at the right time – allowing the combined arms team to deliver the right effect. This enhances Army’s ability to achieve its objectives and fulfil its pact with Australia.

Rapid, protected manoeuvre of the land force is key to Army’s ability to fight and win the joint land battle.

Overlander (Land 121)Overlander is providing the new fleet of protected and unprotected field vehicles, modules and trailers to the ADF over the next decade. These vehicle systems will provide all combat, combat support and combat service support elements with the required mobility and capacity to transport personnel, munitions, fuel, critical supplies and, when necessary, evacuate casualties. The vehicles introduced under this project will provide significant advances in the protection to their operators and passengers with enhanced networking capability and lift capacity. Overlander seeks to deliver around 7300 protected and unprotected vehicles under all classes of mobility.

Bushranger (Land 116)Bushmasters fulfil a range of roles across Army and Air Force, with variants of the Bushmaster including: troop, command, mortar, direct fire weapon, ambulance and

air defence. These are soon to be joined by general maintenance, explosive ordinance disposal and electronic warfare variants.

Riverine patrol craft (Land 8702)From around 2022, this project will provide a fleet of lightly armed riverine and coastal boats that will be able to embark small combat teams, light vehicle platforms and stores in order to conduct directed mission sets. This capability will further extend Army’s operational reach through enhanced tactical mobility of the combined arms team.

Army water transport (Land 8710)Army’s landing craft will be capable of operating in shallow waters and carrying heavy loads such as vehicles, general stores and troops. This development of Army’s mobility systems will further integrate the land forces with the joint force, while taking advantage of the economy of moving goods over water and operating within the littoral.

Land mobility systems enable land forces to manoeuvre, essentially supporting the warfighting functions of the ADF.


Special Operations

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What contributions do special forces make to Army’s spectrum of operations?Special operations is an important and unique component within Army and the Australian Defence Force. Special operations forces are specially designated, organised, trained and equipped forces that utilise techniques and modes of employment not standard to conventional forces to achieve strategically important operational outcomes. Special forces complete this role through a variety of missions that range from reconnaissance to recovery, and support to direct action. In an increasingly complex and threatening operational environment, the utility of special forces provides the Australian Government with a range of options when protecting the nation’s interests.

Because of the unique nature of special forces, their relatively small footprint and their specialist roles, modernisation is a key factor in determining their capability edge. Army is working to further evolve and integrate Australian special forces capabilities with its regular forces, with Navy and Air Force capabilities and with key international security partners.

The following projects will continue to modernise and sustain the ADF’s special operations capability and enhance its utility to protect the interests of Australia.

Special operations provides tailored and scalable forces that deliver integrated global response effects in support of Australia’s national security.

How is Army modernising special operations?Special operations capability assurance program (L1508 or Project Greyfin)Project Greyfin will provide an enduring line of funding that will enable a routine refresh of the ADF’s special operations capability, across all components of the fundamental inputs to the SO capability. This will enable special forces to maintain a capability edge over current and emerging threats.

Deployable special operations engineer capability (L3025)This project’s objective is to evolve the specialist engineer capabilities within special operations command in order to support manoeuvres, specialist searches and the ability to counter chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats.

Special operations rotary wing program (AIR 2097 – Phase 4)This project will further support and integrate special forces into the ADF by providing specialised rotary wing capabilities to special operations command. This will extend the utility and tactical deployability of Australian special forces.

Special forces support and are supported by a range of stakeholders

Documents

MSP Program Cards_240816