07 Nov 23. AWA to Train Australian Workforce for AUKUS Submarine Program.
Tri-Lateral Alliance Set to Address Critical AUKUS Workforce and Skilling Opportunities. Defense companies HII and Babcock Australasia (Babcock) have joined forces with the University of Adelaide, Curtin University, and the University of NSW to form the AUKUS Workforce Alliance (AWA) — a dedicated partnership committed to preparing a skilled workforce in support of all steps of Australia’s optimal pathway to sovereign nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS Pillar 1.
The AWA will work together in a tri-lateral alliance, combining proven and trusted knowledge, skills and unrivalled experience from across Australia, the U.K. and the U.S.
The AWA seeks to address the current and future workforce needs that are required to accelerate sovereign capability, capacity and resilience for Australia’s defense sector.
Working together, the AWA will educate the thousands of qualified Australian engineering, maritime and nuclear trade and professional workers required to support the nation’s nuclear-powered submarine enterprise from infrastructure, sustainment, supply chain through to disposal.
The AUKUS Workforce Alliance will:
–Establish a proactive, innovative and internationally recognised platform for skill enhancement and leadership to support development of a sovereign, nuclear-powered submarine workforce in Australia.
–Lead the development and execution of critical upskilling programs, focusing on harnessing the full potential of Australia’s industrial base.
–Foster cutting-edge research and practical experience for the future workforce.
HII President Nuclear and Environment Services Group Michael Lempke said: “HII is proud to work with Australia’s education institutions and to bring more than 60 years of nuclear shipbuilding expertise to the training of a workforce capable of supporting, and ultimately executing, nuclear shipbuilding. The AWA is an investment in the security, and economic and technological progress of Australia. This comprehensive and rigorous training approach is also a commitment to the safety and protection of people and the environment and fostering public trust.”
Babcock Australasia Managing Director AUKUS and International Sir Nick Hine KCB said: “Babcock is proud to be partnering with HII and some of Australia’s top universities in a true, tri-lateral alliance to form the AUKUS Workforce Alliance.
“Collectively, we will equip the workforce with the knowledge and the skills required to deliver the most complex and largest defence agenda in Australia’s history. Given our extensive global experience in sustainment, nuclear safety and stewardship, Babcock stands ready to assist Australia in delivering this very significant opportunity, including growing the required workforce to support the delivery of the nation’s first nuclear-powered submarines.”
University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Peter Høj AC, said: “The University of Adelaide is pleased to be joining the AUKUS Workforce Alliance (AWA). This alliance will strengthen and broaden the university’s partnering with industry in developing the workforce for the nation’s naval shipbuilding enterprise.
“The University of Adelaide has an outstanding global reputation for teaching and research as well as a strong track record of working closely with industry, government and our global partners. This partnership marks another step in the journey towards Australia realising the goals of the AUKUS partnership.”
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Harlene Hayne said: “Curtin is proud to be a foundation partner with global defence industry leaders HII and Babcock, and the University of NSW and University of Adelaide, in developing a highly skilled workforce to support the nuclear-powered submarine program in Australia and Western Australia.
“Drawing on our significant expertise in building strong, sustainable communities of practice and in resilience and defence capabilities, Curtin will generate WA’s talent pipelines in collaboration with our key strategic partners within state and federal governments, industry, and the broader education sector, noting initial workforce deployment will be centred around WA.”
University of NSW Professor Attila Brungs, Vice-Chancellor and President of UNSW, said: “UNSW is pleased to be contributing our unique expertise and capabilities to the ground-breaking AUKUS Workforce Alliance. We look forward to supporting the Australian Submarine Agency’s “whole of nation” skilling objectives through collaboration with our partner universities in Adelaide and Perth, as well as with two global defence industry primes, in Babcock and HII, boasting a deep shared submarine capability sustainment heritage.
“Our postgraduate and short courses across many faculties are geared to skill-building in advanced capabilities. Coupled with UNSW’s nation-leading faculty of engineering, the only nuclear engineering program in Australia with cutting-edge work on nuclear safety, UNSW is already pivoting towards generating the workforce needed across the entire nuclear ecosystem, from social licence to manufacturing facilities to regulatory authorities.”
HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/HII)
09 Nov 23. USMC Rotational Force-Southeast Asia and Philippines. Marine Corps to Conduct the Seventh Iteration of Kamandag. Service members from the United States, Philippines, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, along with observers from the United Kingdom, will begin training exercise KAMANDAG 7 on Nov. 9, 2023 to improve multinational military readiness, partnership, and mutual capabilities.
KAMANDAG 7, derived from the Tagalog phrase “Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat,” meaning “Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea,” is an annual exercise led by the Philippine Marine Corps and U.S. Marine Corps. The two nations have conducted KAMANDAG annually since 2016, and it is one of many exercises demonstrating the participating nations’ long-standing commitment to defense cooperation and regional security.
“I am confident that KAMANDAG will not only strengthen our operational capabilities but will also foster a sense of trust and mutual understanding among our forces,” Brig. Gen. Jimmy D. Larida, Director, Exercise Directorate Headquarters, KAMANDAG 7, PMC.
“When you talk about dedication to shared regional security, stability, and a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, KAMANDAG is just that. This seventh iteration is historic for many reasons,” said Col. Siverts, commanding officer of MRF-SEA. “One reason is our continued strengthening Alliance reflected in the sheer scope of this year’s exercise. Secondly, MRF-SEA only participated in this exercise last year, and now we are privileged to be leading all U.S. Marine forces in this year’s exercise. Most importantly, we’re able to capitalize on relationships established a year ago. We’re leading and improving interoperability alongside the very same Philippine Marine Corps counterparts.”
The exercise, scheduled from November 9 to 20, will be conducted at various training sites throughout Luzon, Batanes, Zamboanga, Tawi-Tawi, and Palawan. During KAMANDAG 7, approximately 950 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and 850 U.S. Marines from across I and III Marine Expeditionary Forces will train alongside the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Marines. The United Kingdom Armed Forces will bring observers to KAMANDAG 7.
Participation from the JGSDF, the Republic of Korea, and observers from the U.K. in this year’s iteration underscores the global importance of maritime security, demonstrating our combined commitment to maintaining stability and peace across the Indo-Pacific region.
“I am confident that KAMANDAG will not only strengthen our operational capabilities but will also foster a sense of trust and mutual understanding among our forces,” said Brig. Gen. Jimmy D. Larida, Director, Exercise Directorate Headquarters, KAMANDAG 7, PMC.
During KAMANDAG 7, participating forces will conduct humanitarian aid and disaster relief training to include chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear training operations, littoral search and rescue, coastal defense training, and amphibious operations; conduct medical subject matter expert exchanges; and participate in staff integration events along the eastern and northern coasts of the Philippines.
Marine Rotational Force Southeast Asia, headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA, will lead the Marine Corps’ participation in KAMANDAG 7. (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/USMC)
09 Nov 23. Thales demonstrates the excellence of its naval solutions during NATO exercises.
- During the Portuguese Navy and NATO REPMUS 23 (Robotic Experimentation Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems) exercise and NATO Dynamic Messenger 23 exercise, Thales once again demonstrated its expertise in implementing new capabilities in support of maritime operations.
- Alongside military personnel from more than ten nations, industrial companies and researchers, Thales provided support in the fields of electromagnetic warfare, mine countermeasures and connectivity at sea.
- Thales has helped to ensure seamless cooperation between surface and submarine platforms, thanks in particular to its M-Cube mission system and its ability to integrate heterogeneous sub-systems.
During the REPMUS and Dynamic Messenger exercises, Thales demonstrated the excellence of its naval solutions, enabling forces to obtain a complete vision of the mission and improve interoperability in the conduct of operations to control the seabed. Thales’ innovative and collaborative electronic warfare technologies experimentations, including an interoperable mine warfare mission management system, improve situational awareness beyond the ship’s sensor horizon.
A mission management solution promoting interoperability between NATO networks, capable of easily integrating third-party systems, for the protection of the seabed
The aim of these two exercises, which took place in Portugal was to demonstrate new operational concepts and test new technologies in order to develop more flexible maritime UxV systems that are interoperable with conventional systems.
On this occasion, Thales demonstrated new mine detection capabilities, particularly in the strategic and complex area of the coastal waters. The open architecture of Thales’ mine action mission management system, M-Cube, enables the rapid and flexible integration of third-party sensors. For example, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 UAV incorporating the Austrian company RIEGL’s VQ-840-G LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system was able to carry out a complete airborne mine countermeasures operation with 100% mine detection success and 0% false alarms, thereby achieving the best results recorded during the exercises.
These innovations in mission management enabled the forces to obtain a complete view of the tactical situation in order to achieve their operational objectives. This is the first time that the advantages of the distributed architecture of the new generation M-Cube system have been demonstrated in a NATO naval exercise combining traditional platforms and UAVs. In addition, the M-Cube system, with its open architecture, shows that it is compatible with NATO major communication networks and able to manage missions at an operational group command level.
In addition, Thales, through its MiMap solution, contributed to the protection of critical submarine infrastructures by identifying a cut in a submarine cable during the Dynamic Messenger exercise. MiMap is a mission analysis tool that enables operators to analyse sonar data in real time or recorded during a mission. It provides an efficient way to study the seabed, classify and locate contacts and detect changes from the last known status of an area, presenting speed, area coverage and false alarm rate unrivalled to date
“The MiMap and M-Cube solutions have made the BBPDs (Base Bomb Disposal Diving Vessels), which date back to the mid-80s, even more efficient and effective in their use of 21st century drones. MiMap is a powerful tool for processing sonar data, and was particularly appreciated by my teams responsible for operating mine warfare sonars. My crew were also very pleased with the ease of installation and integration of the MiMap and M-Cube systems.” Lieutenant-Commander Claude-Louis, commander of the GPD Méditerranée and the BBPD Pluton.
Multi-static electronic warfare for improved situational awareness
Electronic Warfare (EW) enables signals in the electromagnetic spectrum to be detected, interpreted, controlled or disrupted. Today, Radar Electronic Support Measures (R-ESM) are required to simultaneously receive and identify multiple complex radars. During these exercises, Thales deployed collaborative electronic warfare resources based on UAV micro-ESM solutions in partnership with a SME (ESROE), and our multi-purpose digital radar electronic support measurement system (R-ESM) on board a frigate. In this way, the Group has demonstrated in real conditions how sensors’ collaboration in multi-domain will enable to refine situation awareness.
Thales in the naval domain
With more than 50 years of experience as a provider of naval equipment, systems and services, Thales offers naval forces around the world unrivalled expertise and proven operational benefits. Thales understands how naval and maritime affairs are evolving today, and leverages those insights to help ensure the success of a broad range of naval missions around the world.
Thales air defence, surface defence, anti-submarine warfare and maritime safety & security systems are now in service with more than 50 navies.
06 Nov 23. Dassault subsidiary SOGITEC opens simulator production facility. Dassault Aviation subsidiary SOGITEC has opened a new simulator production facility at its Bruz site in France, which is intended to provide training capabilities for French Armed Forces operators of the Rafale fighter and NH90 helicopter.
A 3 November release from Dassault Aviation stated that the site will also produce simulator equipment for UAV training requirements and follows SOGITEC’s recruitment drive at its two sites in Suresnes and Bruz. Representatives from the civil and military authorities also attended the event, alongside site employees.
The global military simulator systems market was valued at $2.2bn in 2020 and was forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.49% to reach $3.4bn by 2030.
According to GlobalData France’s defence budget is forecast to grow from $47.1bn (€43.8bn) in 2022 up to $52.0bn in 2023 and $57.6bn in 2028. This trend is reflected in the small but steady annual increases to the defence budget since 2019, as the French Government continues to ramp up spending to meet the strategic objectives and modernization requirements outlined in the Military Planning Law 2019–25.
However, the budget’s annual growth rate is likely to slow over the coming years, with current forecasts estimating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.0% between 2024 and 2028, compared to a CAGR of 7.1% between 2019 and 2023.
GlobalData analysis of France’s Air and Space Force inventory show 117 Rafale fighter currently operational, which were introduced into service between 2006-2022, and single F4 variant which was delivered in March 2023. The French Navy has 27 NH90 helicopters in service, delivered between 2007-2021. (Source: airforce-technology.com)