Soundings Papers: Some Capability and Operating Implications Arising from Australia’s Antarctic and Southern Ocean Interests

This paper considers the capability implications for the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) of:

• current and changing policy and issues in relation to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean
• the impact of related planning, environmental and other change.

This includes developing an understanding of the implications for Defence capability if a government, now or in the future, expects it to do more in the Southern Ocean or Antarctica.

In addressing the scope of the environment scan, this paper outlines:

• current situation: activities, interests and capabilities relevant to Defence
• change factors: implications of key shapers, variables and drivers of demand and change
• principles: conclusions for Defence, derived from current circumstances and change factors
• capability and operating: practical implications for Defence.