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The presentation took place at the  Human Performance Optimisation Symposium  hosted by 1 Brigade at the Darwin Convention Centre on 16 September '22.

Dr Michael (Mick) Drew is the Director of Defence Health Research within the Joint Capabilities Group. He oversees the strategy, governance and partnerships relating to health research as well as undertaking and commissioning research that preserves and optimises the health of the ADF. The primary purpose of health research in Defence is to: preserve the force to support ADF capability and optimise members' health over their life.

In his speech, Dr Drew discusses how health services support human performance, the relationship between an individual's health and their performance and the steps taken by Joint Health Command to enable ADF capability through health research.

This Cove Clips explores his work within the ADF Health Strategy, focusing on Pillar 4: Force Optimisation. The priority themes are musculoskeletal injuries, mental health and well-being, health system performance and efficiency, and health of the future warfighter. How is Defence enabling performance through health research and innovation?

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LATEST NEWS

June 26, 2023

House Appropriations Committee approves FY24 Defense Appropriations Act

On June 22, the House Committee on Appropriations approved its version of the fiscal year 2024 Defense Appropriations Act. Approved 34 to 24 along party lines, the bill would provide $826.45 billion for defense spending in the fiscal year starting October 1, staying within spending caps negotiated in the debt ceiling agreement.

The House Committee mark largely includes funding for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRPs) at existing fiscal year 2023 levels. The bill provides $10 million to create a new arthritis research program. Arthritis is currently an eligible condition in the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP).

The House version of the bill will likely be brought to the House floor for consideration in July. The House may choose to first consider the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act when it reconvenes on July 11.

In a related development, on June 22, the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved allocations for its versions of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills, including $823.3 billion for defense spending.

_______________________

November 22, 2022

The Defense Health Research Consortium and dozens of its affiliated members today sent a letter to House and Senate leadership, calling on them to “work toward the enactment of the fiscal year 2023 Defense Appropriations Act, to ensure full funding levels for the Defense Health Research Programs, including the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).”

November 16, 2022

Rep. Ken Calvert has survived his re-election and will serve as chair of HAC-D

End-of-Year Outlook: What’s Left on the Congressional Agenda

Congress returns to Washington next week with a full agenda before adjourning for the year. Here is a look at what issues they may consider:

FY 2023 Appropriations

One benefit of the close elections is the path to finishing fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations may have gotten easier as Republicans will not have the leverage to punt the spending package into the new Congress. The current CR expires on December 16 th and Democrats in the House and Senate intend to negotiate and enact an omnibus spending package by then, or by the end of the calendar year. An omnibus would likely include supplemental Ukraine funding, disaster relief, mental health authorizations, and other priorities.

The $31.4 trillion debt limit will need to be raised by before the end of 2023. Influential Republicans have described the debt limit as a tool they will use to extract major spending cuts, despite the risk of crashing the economy. Therefore, Democrats and moderate Republicans are discussing the possibility of including a debt limit increase, or abolishing the debt limit, during the lame duck. President Biden opposes the abolishment of the debt limit, claiming it would be “irresponsible.” It is unclear there will be enough votes attached to this proposal to the omnibus. However, it would protect the economy under President Biden while solving the issue for the next Congress by taking it out of their hands.

Congress Passes Another Continuing Resolution to Extend Fiscal Deadline Through December 18

December 11, 2020

The Senate passed a one-week continuing resolution (CR) late Friday afternoon via voice vote, sending it to President Trump for his signature just hours before the midnight deadline. The President signed the bill Friday evening to keep the government open for another week while lawmakers work to reach an agreement on a spending package before the new December 18 deadline.

Lawmakers and staff worked over the weekend to finalize and file an omnibus package by COB today, but sources tell us lawmakers are still uncertain whether it is possible. Rumors are circulating that House Appropriations Committee staff have drafted a three-month CR that they could rely on if a final spending package isn’t ready by early this week. However, appropriators in both chambers are outwardly optimistic, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who told reporters he is hopeful that progress on these items will produce a final bill this week.

Senate Passes FY 21 NDAA Conference Report

The Senate this afternoon passed H.R. 6395, the $740.5 billion FY 21 NDAA conference report, by a vote of 84 to 13.

President Trump had threatened to veto the bill because it excluded language repealing a legal shield to tech companies and included bill language that calls for renaming military bases named after confederate soldiers. The House passed the bill earlier this week by a strong vote of 335-78.

Congress Passes Continuing Resolution, Extending Fiscal Deadline

September 30, 2020

Today, Congress passed the continuing resolution (CR) to extend the fiscal deadline through December 11. According to a person familiar with the planning, President Trump will sign the CR on Thursday, but there won’t be a lapse in appropriations because of his intent to sign the measure, which the Senate cleared Wednesday on an 84-10 vote, several days after the House voted 359 to 57 to approve the bipartisan bill.

House Democrats Unveil a Short-term Spending Bill

September 22, 2020

House Appropriations Committee Chair Nita Lowey (D-NY) introduced a short-term CR to extend Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 funding beyond the September 30 fiscal deadline until December 11.

The Democrats reportedly introduced the bill on their own without support of the White House or House or Senate Republicans.

The Latest on the CR Negotiations

September 15, 2020

We are hearing the House is planning on filing a continuing resolution on Friday, and plan to take it up on the floor next week. How long the CR will last is still unknown, but it seems that Speaker Pelosi is in favor of February or March. Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin unsurprising prefer the CR expire in December.

House Approves Fiscal Year 2021 Defense Appropriations Act

July 31, 2020

The House has approved the Fiscal Year 2021 Defense Appropriations Act, as part of a larger minibus package.  There were no amendments that would have adversely impacted the CDMRPs.  Now on to the Senate, which may not act on this until after the election.

The House has sent its members home for August but will call them back with a 24 hour notice if there is a deal on the next COVID-19 relief package.

EXTERNAL LINKS

• Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) – Home Page
• CDMRP – Research Programs Page

• Joint Domain

A RANGE OF KEY PROJECTS FROM OUR Joint DOMAIN PORTFOLIO.

Informatech provides services to Government, Defence Industry, and System Integrators spanning many technical and non-technical disciplines both for the delivery of project work as well as governance/assurance over work undertaken by other companies.

Joint Capability Group Test and Evaluation Maturity

Provide Test and Evaluation (T&E) support to the JCG T&E Principal to develop a testing capability and framework for all joint Defence Projects, as well as governance and assurance over all Projects.

JP2060 Phase 4 – Health Knowledge Management

JP2060 Phase 4 seeks to acquire and sustain a commercial, information technology (IT), enterprise knowledge solution that captures health data, and collates and manages the information across the ADF health care continuum within the deployed and non-deployed, garrison environment.

ACSC – Operations and Sustainment

The ACSC integrates the national security cyber capabilities across the Australian Signals Directorate cyber security mission, cyber security experts from the Digital Transformation Agency, the Defence Intelligence Organisation strategic intelligence analysts, the Computer Emergency Response Team, the Cyber Security Policy Division of the Department of Home Affairs, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation cyber and telecommunications specialists, Australian Federal Police cyber crime investigators, and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission cyber crime threat intelligence specialists. The Centre is also a hub for collaboration and information sharing with the private sector and critical infrastructure providers, state and territory governments, academia and international partners.

JP9102 – Australian Defence Satellite Communications System

The Australian Defence Satellite Communications System (ASDSS), will deliver a self-reliant, resilient and agile satellite communication capability to the Australian Defence Force (ADF), optimised for coverage over the Australian continent and the Pacific and Indian oceans. ASDSS is comprised of three solution components, namely the Sovereign Satellite Communications (SATCOM) (SSC), International Agreements, and Commercial Satellite Communications.

Joint Health Command – ADF Health Research Framework 2021-2025

The ADF Health Research Framework 2021-2025 outlines the importance of health research to the ADF. The purpose of the Framework is to shape a pathway by which health research will transition from knowledge to action to maximise Defence capability. A key deliverable of this work was the development strategic priorities to focus research to preserve the force, supporting ADF capability and optimising members’ health over the life course.

JP2096 – Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Integration

JP2096 Phase 1 will provide functionality to the Defence Secret Network (DSN) to create a unified, 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.

JP9711 – Joint Simulation Capability

Joint Project 9711 Phase 1 will provide the services required to deliver a Core Simulation Capability that will provide critical training support to the future force through a significant upgrade and expansion of its simulation capability.

JP2008 – Military Satellite Communications

JP 2008 is a coordinated set of projects seeking to deploy an integrated wideband satellite communications capability to the Australian Defence Force. It seeks to establishing new satellite ground stations in eastern and western Australia, deliver a family of transportable land terminals to support tactical elements, and provide an integrated whole of ADF wideband SATCOM Network Management System.

JP9131 – Defensive Cyberspace Operations

JP9131 is a multi-faceted program to strengthen the ADF’s deployed cyber resilience to ensure that Defence can actively defend its deployed networks and combat platforms against rapidly evolving cyber threats. The project includes the construction of a modern, purpose-built Joint Information Warfare Facility.

JP2068 – Computer Network Defence

JP2068 is a multi-phased project to progressively develop a survivable Defence Network Operation Centre capability, which will enable Defence to more effectively manage, monitor and secure its major communications networks and information systems.

JP9111 – Joint Command and Control

JP 9111 aims to provide a Joint Command and Control (Joint C2) information environment to support the planning and execution of operations and exercises at all levels of command, either independently, as part of an Australian-led coalition, or as a component of a wider Five Eyes coalition. JP 9111 will also establish the organisations and processes that ensure the Joint C2 capability is able to meet evolving threats and leverage emerging technology opportunities over the life of the project.

JP2097 Phase 1B – Enhancements to Special Operations Capability

JP2097 project is to enhance the ADF Special Operations capability. Phase1B of this project addresses the communications and Land Mobility deficiencies by providing selected elements of a Networked Special Operations Capability and a modern fleet of Special Operations Vehicles. The MICT system is intended to provide scalable services, ranging between full SECRET connectivity between deployed users and SOCOMD Defence enterprise users, to a stand-alone MICT user to user encrypted system with a more limited application and services suite.

JP2289 – Joint Information Environment

Project scoped to deliver a single information environment for the joint force.

JP2044 Phase 5 – Defence Geospatial Intelligence Capability Enhancement

Defence Geospatial Intelligence Capability Enhancement project is to improve access to commercial satellites to improve space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

Middle East Refresh Communications and Information System (MERCIS)

MER CIS Upgrade Program will provide a modern, stable, secure and standardised CIS infrastructure in the Middle East region. The program is comprised of four projects: Satellite Communications (SATCOM), Wide Area Network/Base Area Network (WAN/BAN) Upgrades, Enhanced Deployable Local Area Network (EDLAN) and Cyber Security.

JP2047 – Terrestrial Communications

JP2047 is a multi-phased project to maintain and improve the Defence networked communications infrastructure to provide a modern, integrated multimedia transmission and switching capability.

JP2221 – Multi-National Information Sharing Project

Deployable FIVE-EYES Mission Partner Environment solution connected to the strategic Defence Secret Network to enable high level information exchange between FIVE-EYES partners.

See our other projects.

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Departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs Human Research Ethics Committee

Established on 1 July 2017, the Departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs Human Research Ethics Committee (DDVA HREC) is the institutional ethics committee for Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The DDVA HREC is registered with:

• the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (EC00460)
• the Office for Human Research Protections in the United States as an Institutional Review Board (IORG0007579).

After World War II, there was concern around the world about unethical human experimentation. This led to the World Medical Association developing the Declaration of Helsinki. The declaration was first adopted in 1964 and provides a set of ethical principles to guide medical research involving humans as participants. This declaration has since been established as a cornerstone guideline in the ethical standards of researchers conducting human experiments.

Human Research Ethics Committees play a central role in facilitating ethical research. The DDVA HREC follows the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, the National Statement, and other relevant human research guidelines, policies and legislative instruments. The purpose, scope of responsibility, relationship to other processes of research review, and categories of membership are outlined in the DDVA HREC Terms of Reference.

Terms of reference (PDF, 439.46 KB)

Analysis-Missile Defence Successes in Gulf, Ukraine Fuel Global Urgency to Acquire Systems

FILE PHOTO: Serviceman patrols in front of the Patriot air defence system during Polish military training on the missile systems at the airport in Warsaw, Poland February 7, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

By Gerry Doyle

(Reuters) - The success of ballistic missile defences facing their first complex, high-stakes combat scenarios in Israel, the Red Sea and Ukraine will encourage militaries globally to invest in the pricey systems, experts say - and intensify missile arms races.

Iran launched as many as 120 intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Israel on April 13, U.S. and Israeli officials say. U.S. SM-3 and Israeli Arrow interceptors destroyed nearly all of them, leaving drones and smaller threats to the Iron Dome system.

War in Israel and Gaza

In previous months, interceptors fired from U.S. Navy destroyers stopped Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles, while in Ukraine, U.S.-made MIM-104 Patriot batteries have shot down advanced Russian Iskander and Khinzal missiles.

Reuters spoke with six experts who said more militaries would look to invest in ballistic missile defence, a potential windfall for companies such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, which build those types of systems.

"It's undeniable that any wealthy country with the technological wherewithal will continue to invest in missile defence," said Ankit Panda of the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a defence and security think tank. "All of this is a recipe for a conventional arms race."

Photos You Should See - April 2024

European countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Poland already operate RTX subsidiary Raytheon's Patriot batteries, the most common Western advanced ballistic missile defence system.

Saudi Arabia has used its Patriots for years to defend against Houthi attacks; it and the United Arab Emirates also operate the Lockheed Martin Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system. Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain have Patriot batteries as well, and Oman has expressed interest in missile defence.

In the U.S., Lockheed Martin in April won a $17.7 billion contract for a next-generation interceptor for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program - designed to shoot down small numbers of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) aimed at the continental United States.

But the impact may be most acute in Asia, where China has invested heavily in conventionally armed ballistic missiles. A 2023 Pentagon report said the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force has about 500 DF-26 missiles, designed to accurately strike targets thousands of kilometres away.

That puts U.S. and allied bases in Japan and Guam within range of an attack that may only come with 20 to 30 minutes' warning.

"In the Pacific, you’ll see further interest in missile defence, which will push the Chinese to build more systems," said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California. "Countries will want to acquire (offensive) missiles because they see other countries using them ... That will drive up demand for missile defences."

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and China's Ministry of Defence did not respond to requests for comment.

China rarely discusses its missile arsenal beyond statements that its forces are meant to preserve peace and are not aimed at any specific country.

Raytheon did not respond to a request for comment. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson referred questions to the company's first-quarter earnings briefing in late April, in which it said it continued to lead the industry in "missile defence missions, which, given world events, are becoming more critical than ever".

DOLLAR SIGNS

Ballistic missile defence works by spotting an attacking weapon either at launch or in flight, then using a surface-based radar to guide an interceptor to the target.

Interceptions can occur in the atmosphere or in space, and each domain requires different hardware. For instance, fins won't work outside the atmosphere - interceptors must have small steering rockets to function there.

The necessary high-powered computers, far-seeing radars and missiles as large as telephone poles are not cheap, together stretching into the billions. In 2022, for example, the U.S. approved the sale of both Patriots and THAAD systems to Saudi Arabia, in deals worth as much as $5.3 billion.

In the Indo-Pacific region, wealthier countries such as Japan, Australia and South Korea are prime candidates for missile defence, Lewis said, while nearly every country in Asia is already investing in missiles.

Japan's defence ministry said the country "needs to fundamentally and swiftly reinforce its defence capabilities, including integrated air and missile defence". It said it is investing in improved Patriot missiles, better radars and enhanced naval anti-missile capabilities.

In its latest defence budget, South Korea increased funding by 12% for its Korea Air and Missile Defense System to expand it "from the existing lower-level defence concept," the country's defence ministry said in a statement.

"Cases such as the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war have reaffirmed the importance of a 'ballistic missile defence system' to respond to increasingly sophisticated missile threats," the ministry said.

In mid-April, Australia announced a A$500 million ($328 million) contract with Lockheed Martin to deliver its Joint Air Battle Management System for tracking and destroying aircraft and missiles.

The cost of a ballistic missile is often much cheaper than the system meant to stop it.

But that isn't the right way to consider cost, said Yoji Koda, former commander in chief of Japan's Self-Defense Fleet, and an advocate of stronger missile defences in his country.

"In a war economy, the cheaper the better. But sometimes what is necessary, is we need to protect key infrastructure, or key command centres, at any cost. Because without them we would lose."

THE CHINA QUESTION

Most of China's conventionally armed ballistic missiles are designed to hit targets on land.

But it also fields steerable warheads meant to hit ships at sea, including the DF-21D and variants of the DF-26, developed by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Such anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) had never been used in combat until late 2023, when Houthi forces in Yemen began firing Iranian-made models at ships in the Red Sea.

Between November - the first documented use - and April, U.S. Central Command reported at least 85 ASBMs fired in the region, with 20 interceptions and one civilian ship reported sunk.

CENTCOM has declined to provide specifics about the effectiveness of Iranian ASBMs but has noted missiles posing no threat were not engaged and most that were not intercepted landed harmlessly.

The effectiveness of missile defences on land and at sea will catch China's attention, said Tong Zhao, a senior fellow with the Nuclear Policy Program and Carnegie China.

"It raises the possibility that the U.S. and its allies could depend on missile defence significantly against a ballistic missile attack," Zhao said.

Although the technical specifics of China's missiles are closely held secrets, the country's heavy investment means they are likely to be more reliable, and are widely believed to use complex countermeasures to complicate interception.

"For opponents such as China which have missile stockpiles an order of magnitude larger than that of Russia or Iran and which field more sophisticated systems ... it's not clear that the lessons learned invalidate existing operational constructs," said Sidarth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

But the political and practical incentives to invest in missile defence will be too attractive for many countries to ignore, Lewis said.

"All defence procurement decisions are ultimately about politics," he said. "The politics of this stuff is really simple: do you want to defend the country or not? And the winning answer is always 'Yes'."

($1 = 1.5225 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Gerry Doyle. Additional reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Albee Zhang, Jack Kim and Takenaka Kiyoshi; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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Tags: Iran , Russia , United States , Israel , Middle East , Bahrain , Europe , Japan

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