A key project underpinning Australia’s military communications with US forces has been added to Defence’s infamous Projects of Concern list, with long-running $233 million Satellite Ground Station – East and Wideband SATCOM Network Management System flagged for rehab.
As the stakes in the space communications game get higher and real estate gets tighter, defence industry minister Pat Conroy has given Northrop Grumman the official hurry-up notice for the new automated satellite station being built near Wagga Wagga on the Kapooka Military Area.
The project is supposed to create an anchor point for Wideband Global Satellites, essentially a large array of dishes that can bounce signals between ‘birds’ that Australia and its allies use for military communications that underpin everything from guidance systems to surveillance and reconnaissance.
But the project, designated JP2008, has been dragging on, with Northrop Grumman awarded the contract to roll out the new facility back in 2017, a full decade after Australia joined the Wideband Global SATCOM system in 2007, a constellation of satellites for military communications.
“Joint Project 2008 is a large multiphase project to deploy an integrated wideband satellite communications (SATCOM) system for the ADF,” Northrop Grumman said at the time it was awarded the contract.
“Under Phase 5B2 of the program, Northrop Grumman and its partners ViaSat Inc. and Optus will deliver a satellite ground station at Wagga Wagga in New South Wales and a wideband SATCOM network management system that supports home station and deployed forces.”
Defence’s move to put JP 2008 on the Projects of Concern list is predicably scant on detail, but the fact the project involves both Optus and ViaSat will likely furrow a few brows.
While the government has characterised the Optus hack as a case of sloppy corporate information security enabled by a rogue API, the ViaSat hack is a more cut-and-dry affair.
ViaSat was hacked just an hour before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in a so-called hybrid cyber attack that sought to deny communications by using wiper malware dubbed “AcidRain” but the attack cascaded and took out EU internet connections, notably connections to 5800 German wind turbines.
The spilling of the Russian malware to hit other connections has raised questions as to the vulnerability of current satellite networks and what should be done, aside from running separate secure networks.
While that debate rages on, Pat Conroy wants the dishes delivered to Wagga to be fired-up sooner rather than later.
“While infrastructure for the project has been delivered, including three large ground antennae, it is facing ongoing schedule delays due to other technical challenges,” a statement issued by Conroy said.
“The project is designed to transform and improve new and existing Defence wideband ground stations and deployed systems across Australia to meet the increasing need for greater satellite communications capacity.”
The Defence industry minister is betting the red flag listing “will increase the momentum between Defence and Northrop Grumman Australia to remediate the Wideband SATCOM Network Management system component of the project.”
“This new listing demonstrates the Albanese Government’s commitment to remediating underperforming projects, in order to deliver the capabilities urgently needed by the Australian Defence Force,” Conroy said.
“We look forward to working closely with Northrop Grumman Australia to get this project back on track and deliver the Wideband SATCOM Network Management System.”
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