Defence to establish full-time Space workforce

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) says it will establish a purpose-built space workforce for its Joint Capabilities Group’s Space Command.

The 2024 Defence Workforce Plan highlighted the need to recruit and retain highly‑specialised personnel for emerging capabilities, including space. To meet the demands of the evolving space domain, Defence says it will soon begin targeted recruitment and training for highly specialised roles to grow its existing space workforce across areas including satellite communications and operations, Position, Navigation and Timing, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).

Defence’s current space workforce consists of diverse Navy, Army and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) personnel as well as civilians. From 2026, says Defence, RAAF direct entry will be available for roles including Space Operations Specialist and Space Operations Officers.

The evolving space domain demands highly specialised roles, requiring targeted career development and training continuums, says Defence, adding that the workforce will eventually cover the full spectrum of space mission sets, including:

• Satellite communications
• PNT
• Space Domain Awareness(SDA)
• Missile warning
• Satellite operations
• Space control
• ISR
• Environmental monitoring.

“Our region is rapidly evolving, and space is a critical operational domain,” said Matt Geogh, Minister for Defence Personnel. “By establishing a permanent space workforce, we are preparing Defence to lead, integrate and innovate in this contested and congested environment.

“Space capabilities will play a critical role in the execution of activities as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 alongside the existing operational domains of maritime, land, air and cyber.”

Emerging space capabilities are a focus of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, with Space Command and other Defence personnel working alongside international partners to conduct real-time and on-demand space demonstration exercises in Townsville. During the exercise, personnel will use commercially available data to provide timely and accurate reporting on space events and activities to support military operations, says Defence.

During a visit to the Exercise in Townsville, Keogh had the opportunity to see first-hand the work of the Joint Commercial Operations (JCO) Pacific Cell as it conducted dynamic and time-sensitive space activities. The JCO Pacific Cell brings together personnel from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and Republic of Korea, with the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and India joining as participants.

The JCO is also being supported throughout the exercise by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s space weather team.

Beyond the technical edge, an ADF career in space operations will offer the opportunity to be part of a frontier mission at the intersection of science, strategy and service, says Defence. This purpose‑built space workforce would continue to work alongside Australian industry and commercial operations to deliver the capabilities and outcomes required by our strategic circumstances.