Login
iscover
President of Palantir Technology Australia, Dr. Mike Kelly, reflects on the Defence Data Strategy and how we can accelerate procurement decisions by investing in platforms that are modular, upgradable and have a roadmap of continual improvement.
The recently announced Defence Data Strategy 2021-2023, highlights unarguable priorities, considerations, and outcomes. Sound procurement decisions will be the key to ensuring that we acquire the right tools to deliver on this strategy. It is critical that we find a process to determine the veracity of claims regarding capacity to solve our problems and justify the cost.
On one level, we can ensure interoperability and expedite our evaluations of cost effectiveness and reliability by working closely with our Five Eyes (FVEY) colleagues and key allies. It is also interesting in this context to note recent changes to how our FVEY partners are procuring IT systems. The Other Transition Authority (OTA) and Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quality (IDIQ) contracts in the U.S. are examples of where procurement is enabling innovation and flexibility.
It is not an unfair criticism to say that historically the process of finding solutions to effectively manage data in Australian Government has been less than satisfactory. We have seen a few siloed in-house data management solutions developed in agencies with costs that outweigh the benefits and come with enduring problems.
A key point of evaluation in the procurement of platforms under the Defence Data Strategy must be speed to capability. Speed of deployment, speed of the system itself and the speed with which users become proficient with the tools. To keep pace or get ahead of our rapidly evolving adversaries, we cannot afford to have lengthy drawn-out processes. Equally, we cannot afford to rush developing technology into service without strong guard rails and testing.
We can accelerate procurement decisions by investing in platforms that are modular, upgradable, in a position of technical superiority, and expected to remain ahead of the curve for the foreseeable future. We need platforms that deliver out of the box, don’t take months or years to develop, and have a roadmap of continual improvement once in service.
An important consideration with this procurement is the increasing focus of Australian policy makers on ensuring national resilience through maintaining skills and supply chains in Australia. This is demonstrated through initiatives like the Sovereign Industry Capability Priorities and Modern Manufacturing Strategy. What constitutes a sovereign capability can be complex. Can Australian resources leverage products from overseas and extend their capabilities in a local context?
In WWII there were significant automobile industrial facilities operated by US companies in Canada. The US remained neutral until the attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941, but the Canadians were nevertheless able to convert production at these facilities to the war effort, and they became a critical supplier to Commonwealth forces.
In an increasingly contested and complex IT landscape, how do decision makers leverage the investments made by coalition partners to our benefit while evolving to our needs and ensuring survivability?
Leveraging large scale investment in R&D, traditionally not a strong point in Australia, is essential to achieving the decisive technical advantage, along with the criticality of interoperability, particularly in dealing with peer level conventional threats. When we are working with foreign companies, we must see a commitment to raising our skills and ensuring we can reasonably tailor what we are procuring to our specific needs, without creating a legacy of sustainment issues.
It was great to see the Government outline an ambitious plan in the Defence Data Strategy and recognise Defence Data as a strategic asset. Most large organisations have a wealth of siloed data assets, but falter in transforming that raw data into valuable outcomes. With good data and the right technology, modern military institutions can solve hard problems.
As Minister Hastie said in launching the Defence Data Strategy, “lifting Defence’s data maturity across the organisation will position us to achieve a strategic advantage over our adversaries.” We are at a vital point of inflection in making Data Strategy procurement decisions, let’s make sure we get this right with the appropriate speed and flexibility.
