12 August 2021
by Ashley Roque
The US Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) is moving ahead with creating a revised joint warfighting concept, dubbed ‘expanded manoeuvre', and its next strategic directive will provide the services with a unified integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) vision, according to Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General John Hyten.
The four-star general, set to retire in November, spoke on 11 August at the annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium, and said that now that the JROC has approved a strategic directive for four areas – joint fires, contested logistics, joint all-domain command and control (JADC2), and information advantage – it will devise one for IAMD.
“As you look at the portfolio of integrated air and missile defence, and see where the JROC has identified gaps and capabilities … you'll find out that we have not [done that],” Gen Hyten told the audience. “And because we have not, the services actually do the best they can to identify where the gaps are … but we never give the overarching structure … to plug into.”
29 March 2024
by Ridzwan Rahmat
Italian Navy Thaon di Revel-class PPA ITS Francesco Morosini seen at Langkawi during its 2023 Asia-Pacific tour. (Janes/Mansasvi Sharma Shanker)
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced on 28 March that it has signed a EUR1.18 billion (USD1.27) contract for two multirole offshore patrol ships (Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura: PPA) with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
However, Indonesia's ability to fund this commitment is presently unclear given the lack of an allocation for this programme in the country's defence budget.
The PPA is a class of 143 m warships that can be configured for a wide spectrum of missions ranging from ‘light' low-tempo maritime surveillance operations to ‘full combat' higher-end warfighting scenarios. Depending on the configuration, the vessels displace between 5,800 and 6,300 tonnes.
Italy has commissioned three of the vessels and the ships were inducted between March 2022 and September 2023. The Italian Navy is expected to receive its fourth and fifth PPAs in 2024.
28 March 2024
by Jon Grevatt
New Australian legislation aims to support defence trade between partners working on the AUKUS submarine. A visual concept of the submarine is pictured above. (BAE Systems)
Australia's parliament passed legislation on 27 March that will support the country's AUKUS partnership with the United Kingdom and United States but toughen rules on the transfer of technologies to other foreign countries.
The Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra said the new Defence Trade Controls Amendment Act 2024 (DTC Act) will enhance the protection of “Australian technology and information as well as that of key partners”.
It added that the law will “fast-track the delivery of high-end capabilities to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) by streamlining trade and collaboration with our AUKUS partners, maintaining Australia's capability edge”.
The cornerstone of the legislation, which amends the existing Defence Trade Controls Act 2012, is the easing of red tape in defence trade between AUKUS partners by supporting the establishment of a “licence-free environment for Australian industry”, the DoD said.
28 March 2024
by Oishee Majumdar
Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle taking off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on 21 March. The rocket carried a US satellite, which includes an experimental communications payload developed by the NZDF. (Rocket Lab)
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has launched an experimental communications payload into orbit with the help of a research satellite developed by the US Navy's (USN's) Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).
This communications payload, named ‘Korimako', will “allow defence scientists to conduct space communications research”, the NZDF said on 28 March. Korimako is the first payload to be launched into space by the NZDF.
“A team of scientists from the NZDF's Defence Science & Technology (DST) will monitor and interact with Korimako via our Whangaparaoa Ground Station, north of Auckland,” the NZDF added.
The NZDF said initial tests conducted by the DST indicate that Korimako is “operating as expected”.
“[Korimako will facilitate DST to conduct research that] aims to build practical experience in space science and technology, test processes for New Zealand government space operations, and generate knowledge to enable future NZDF and wider government space development,” David Galligan, DST director, said.
The US Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) is moving ahead with creating a revised joint war...
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