Australia's Chief of Defence Force meets with UK's General Jim Hockenhull
)
Every new year presents new opportunities and challenges. General Sir Jim Hockenhull met with General Angus Campbell, Australia’s Chief of the Defence Force, to discuss how to maximise the UK-Australia relationship to ensure we remain ahead of our adversaries, including through our growing cyber partnership, the opportunities provided by AUKUS and the sharing of lessons and experiences.
Australia remains one of the UK’s closest partners and in an increasingly dangerous world, collaboration and cooperation with our international partners has never been more important. Over the past three months, General Sir Jim Hockenhull has engaged in regular dialogue with senior Australian Defence officials, including visits from Vice Admiral David Johnston, Australia’s Vice Chief of Defence Force, and Tom Hamilton, Deputy Secretary for Defence Strategic Review Implementation.
As the battlefield is constantly changing due to the emergence of new threats and technologies, the two Generals discussed in detail the cyber partnership between the UK and Australia, with General Sir Jim Hockenhull also speaking of Strategic Command’s ongoing efforts to harness digital lessons from the recent Australian Defence Strategic Review. Having a strong digital defence will prove to be crucial over the coming years, especially with the advent of AI and our adversaries’ interest in unconventional means of disruption, such as ransomware attacks.
Another key point of discussion was how the conflicts of today can help us predict and prepare for tomorrow’s battles. Asymmetric warfare is commonly employed by many our adversaries, with both the UK and Australia agreeing that innovation and engagement with future technology will be critical to defending the interests of Europe and the Pacific. The importance of Britain’s presence in the Indo-Pacific was also discussed, alongside the value of our partnership in containing emerging threats from both the European and Pacific theatre.