Operations

DST Group’s number one priority is to support Australian troops undertaking military operations around the world.

Our support and advice in this area helps to ensure that missions are conducted safely and successfully.  In addition to providing behind-the-scenes support, DST scientists are often deployed on military operations to provide immediate, on-the-ground advice and assistance. Such assistance has been made available to Australian operations in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and Iraq.

We provide this support through Fly Away Teams made up of scientists with particular skills to address particular needs. These teams can be put together at short notice in cases of urgent need. Should scientists on the ground face a problem they are unable to solve with available resources, they can call on scientists back in Australia for assistance through a support facility called Reachback.

Operational support activities DST has worked on include:

  • Developing survivability enhancement kits to protect Defence vehicles against land mines.
  • Conducting operations and technical analysis to examine and mitigate the threat from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
  • Providing operations analysis to enhance force protection measures for Navy ships in the Arabian Gulf.

Related research projects

View all projects  
A convoy of land vehicles drive across a desert.
Joint Project 2097 Phase 1B seeks to enhance two high priority Special Operations (SO) capabilities.
Combat ration pack

DST Group supports the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) in the science and technology (S&T) areas of food and nutrition, and in specialised food production.

Soldier combat ensemble

DST makes a vital contribution to the enhancement of the soldier combat ensemble through its role as a member of Diggerworks.

Terrestrial communications
JP 2047 is a multi-phased project to maintain and improve the Defence networked communications infrastructure.
An image of a mine roller trial.
During standard operations within the Middle East in 2011, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) became aware of an emerging threat in the region that was able to ruin any mariners’ day with little to no warning!
Image of HMAS Huon recovering its Double Eagle Unmanned Underwater Vehicle following a successful mine shape identification during a Mine Counter Measures and Hydrography exercise.
Deployable Mine Counter Measures (MCM) will provide deployed maritime forces with the capability to undertake mine detection, classification, identification, avoidance and, when necessary, neutralisation.