Talking at the SIAA’s annual conference, the service’s chief said he “personally doesn’t like the term of space as an enabler” because it doesn’t “cover the full root of what we do”.
It comes after last year’s Defence Strategic Review (DSR) ruled out turning Space Command into a US-style Space Force and instead shifted it to the ADF’s Joint Capabilities Group.
Now, its formal aim is to provide “enabling capabilities” to the rest of the Australian military.
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However, MAJGEN Novak, the formal head of Space Command, talked up his organisation’s increasing importance within the ADF.
“We do much more than enable. We are a peer operationally of the other domains of maritime, air and land, and we make equally significant contributions,” he said.
He added you won’t achieve fully integrated operations if you continue in the mindset that space is just a “bolt-on”.
Earlier in his speech, MAJGEN Novak said that for “a lot of years”, access to space technology was “pretty much assured”, but now the domain is more contested than ever.
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“We are in a much more contested and congested space at home than we’ve been in the past, and all the indicators are that trend will continue into the future.”
In 2023, Space Command formally shifted from operating within the Air Force to being within the ADF’s Joint Capabilities Group.
The move – revealed as part of the DSR into the military – was part of a broader shake-up that saw the newly formed No. 1 Space Surveillance Unit (1SSU) assume operation of Defence’s space domain awareness capabilities.
The Labor federal government hoped the combined changes would “increase the importance” of Space Command and allow it to integrate better with other military branches.
The DSR – penned by former defence minister Stephen Smith and former defence chief Sir Angus Houston – also said a method should be established for building and sustaining a trained Defence space workforce, including a defined career path.
MAJGEN Novak, meanwhile, replaced former Space Commander Cath Roberts, who left her role to a standing ovation.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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