Australia’s hidden combat multiplier
Dr Matthew Ilic, a 32-year Army veteran, now with digital infrastructure provider Vocus, says Australia has an untapped combat multiplier: its telecommunications industry.
While manufacturing has declined since the 1950s, our telecommunications industry remains particularly strong. It offers Australia the opportunity to establish a global role in strengthening regional diplomacy, aid, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and enabling security and stability operations.
When the ADF deploys into an area for a regional stability operation, the burden of establishing new comms infrastructure often requires the deployment of a squadron or company of signals specialists (more than 100 people) before a mission can even commence.
This subtracts from the number of people able to work on the ADF’s core responsibility of readiness to defend Australia and its national interests.
It doesn’t need to be this way. Australia’s sovereign telecommunications industry already excels in high-speed, low-latency and secure global communications, ensuring safe passage for our allies and friends’ data around the world.
The next logical step is to establish high-bandwidth, expandable communications sites on secure, friendly islands with cooperation between their government and ours.
This would enable rapid ADF deployment for local stability operations without the difficulty of establishing ad-hoc comms infrastructure upfront.
But equally importantly, it would provide host nations with fast, reliable comms infrastructure.
Other countries are vying for influence over our neighbours by providing cheap internet and cloud services.
Australia can counter this by federally coordinating our telecommunications industry to provide services in the region, secured to global best practices, with the full involvement of the beneficiary nation.
This could become our neighbours’ trusted preference, elevating the industry to a global powerhouse consistent with our middle-power nation, regional leader role.
Australian telcos own subsea and land-based fibre optic network reaching into Asia and the Pacific. Where there’s a gap, they can provide coverage with blanket low-earth orbit satellite or private mobile networks.
Leveraging this powerhouse capability across the whole region could enhance regional peace and stability.
It could reduce ADF deployment burden by providing ready-to-use regional communication hubs.
And it could be a game-changer for Australia’s role in the region by significantly boosting our regional influence, security and diplomatic efforts.
The potential benefits are clear: enhanced regional stability, expanded diplomatic influence, reduced burden on our defence forces, and a thriving sovereign telecommunications industry.
It’s time for Australia to leverage its telecommunications prowess as a key pillar of our regional engagement strategy.
By establishing ourselves as the trusted telecommunications partner for our neighbours, we can ensure the regional ICT landscape supports and enhances economic prosperity and stability.
This is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss. The strategic use of our telecommunications assets will yield returns for our diplomacy, security and economy for decades to come.
It’s time for Australia to unleash our telecommunications industry as a powerful tool for regional influence and stability.
