ADF releases Concept for Future Robotics and Autonomous Systems

The ADF’s Force Exploration Hub has released its Concept for Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS). This describes the challenges and opportunities provided by RAS, and what actions Defence must take to create advantage in the future operating environment.

It was approved by the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, whose organisation hosts the Hub as part of its Force Design Division, in November 2020.

The RAS concept considers the military problem: How will Defence’s future force exploit RAS to gain advantages throughout the spectrum of conflict, and how can Defence counter threats posed to the future force by RAS?

The concept identifies that RAS provides opportunities for Defence to exploit, especially enhancing its combat capability by employing RAS in human-commanded teams to improve efficiency, increase mass and achieve decision advantage while decreasing risk to personnel. To counter adversary RAS the concept discusses how attacks on environmental perception and control systems, information warfare and platform destruction can be used to mitigate these threats.

The concept is intended to be used by those in Defence, industry, and research institutions involved in operational planning, force design, force exploration, experimentation, and in the delivery of professional military education and training. Download a copy here.

The release of the Concept for Robotic and Autonomous Systems follows the release earlier this year of the RAN’s RAS-AI Strategy.