Establishing a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise for Australia: International and Domestic Lessons Learned

Australia's 2020 Defence Strategic Update calls for increased weapon inventories across the Australian Defence Force, and the authors of this report describe the relevance of five international case studies to Australia in relation to the creation of a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise. Comparable enterprises in Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Canada and Norway are reviewed to identify the most relevant aspects of each country's experience and its lessons for the development of an Australian Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise. The examination provided is not meant to enumerate a list of definitive recommendations based on similar experiences in other countries but rather to highlight areas for consideration and broad early insights (or 'overall lessons') for the Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise. To support ongoing enterprise deliberations, the authors craft a framework for the enterprise, based on established best practices. The authors draw seven lessons for establishing a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise. First and foremost is the need for such an enterprise to be bespoke to the Australian domestic and strategic context. Recognition of the complexity of creating such an enterprise is also crucial. The remaining lessons focus heavily on ensuring sustainable economic conditions for a sovereign enterprise, as well as prioritising partnerships and collaborations. Book jacket.