Defence Science and Technology Organisation
Encyclopedia
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) is a branch of the Australian Department of Defence
which researches and develops technologies
for use in the Australian defence industry.
DSTO is the Australian Government’s lead agency charged with applying science and technology to protect and defend Australia and its national interests. It supports Australia's defence by investigating future technologies for defence applications, advising on the purchase of defence equipment, developing new defence capabilities, and enhancing existing systems. Headed by the Chief Defence Scientist, DSTO has an annual budget of approximately $400 million and employs more than 2300 staff, predominantly scientists, engineers, IT specialists and technicians.
test range.
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Department of Defence (Australia)
The Australian Department of Defence is a Federal Government Department. It forms part of the Australian Defence Organisation along with the Australian Defence Force . The Defence mission is to defend Australia and its national interests...
which researches and develops technologies
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
for use in the Australian defence industry.
DSTO is the Australian Government’s lead agency charged with applying science and technology to protect and defend Australia and its national interests. It supports Australia's defence by investigating future technologies for defence applications, advising on the purchase of defence equipment, developing new defence capabilities, and enhancing existing systems. Headed by the Chief Defence Scientist, DSTO has an annual budget of approximately $400 million and employs more than 2300 staff, predominantly scientists, engineers, IT specialists and technicians.
History
DSTO was created in 1974 by amalgamating the Australian Defence Scientific Service with the Science Branch of the Department of Defence. Over the next 20 years various other Australian Defence laboratories were integrated with DSTO, including what remained of the Weapons Research Establishment, responsible for the WoomeraWoomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
test range.
- 1907 - Defence science begins in Australia.
- 1910 - The start of explosives research at a guardhouse (called the Chemical Adviser’s Laboratory) at Victoria Barracks, MelbourneVictoria Barracks, MelbourneLocated on St Kilda Road in Melbourne, Australia, Victoria Barracks Melbourne is of architectural and historical significance as one of the most impressive 19th century government buildings in Victoria, Australia.-Pre-World War II:...
. - 1911 - Explosives Ordnance Factory established at MaribyrnongMaribyrnong, VictoriaMaribyrnong is a suburb 8 km north-west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong, part of River Ward. At the 2006 Census, Maribyrnong had a population of 8242....
. - 1912 - Small Arms Factory established at Lithgow.
- 1921 - Munitions Supply Board created within Department of Defence.
- 1922 - Chemical Adviser’s Laboratory became the Munitions Supply Laboratories (MSL) of the Munitions Supply Board.
- 1929 - Proof Range established at Port Wakefield.
- 1939 - Aeronautical & Engine Research Test Laboratory established at Fishermans Bend as part of the Council for Scientific and Industrial ResearchCouncil for Scientific and Industrial ResearchThe Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the city of Pretoria...
(CSIR) Division of Aeronautics. - 1940 - Department of Munitions established. Salisbury Explosives Factory and Finsbury Munitions Factory built within rural environs of AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. - 1946 - Munitions Supply Laboratories (MSL) established at Finsbury, South Australia (later known as Woodville North when the suburb name was changed) as a branch of MSL at Maribyrnong.
- 1946 - Anglo-Australian Joint Project established at Woomera, with aviation support at RAAF Base Mallala.
- 1947 - Long Range Weapons Establishment (LRWE) formed in Salisbury, South AustraliaSalisbury, South AustraliaSalisbury is a northern suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the seat of the City of Salisbury, and in the South Australian Legislative Assembly electoral district of Ramsay and the Australian House of Representatives divisions of Wakefield and Port Adelaide...
to support the guided weapons facility at Woomera. - 1948 - Munitions Supply Laboratories changes its name to Defence Research Laboratories.
- 1949 - Fishermans Bend laboratory transferred from CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) to the Department of Supply & Development; renamed Aeronautical Research Laboratories (ARL). Australian Defence Scientific Service established, incorporating LRWE and the Defence Research Laboratories.
- 1949 - Laboratory established in Alexandria, NSW as part of Defence Research Laboratories to undertake research in physical metallurgy and metallurgical chemistry areas.
- 1949 - Three new laboratories formed in Salisbury - High Speed Aerodynamics Laboratory, Propulsion Research Laboratory and the Electronics Research Laboratory, collectively known as the Chemistry & Physics Research Laboratory.
- 1953 - Defence Research Laboratories changes its name to Defence Standards Laboratories.
- 1955 - LRWE and all the Salisbury laboratories amalgamated to form the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE). RAAF Base EdinburghRAAF Base EdinburghRAAF Base Edinburgh is located in Edinburgh, 25km north of the centre of Adelaide.It is primarily home to No 92 Wing's AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft that conduct surveillance operations throughout Australia's airspace....
established near Salisbury, superseding Mallala. - 1956 - The Royal Australian NavyRoyal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN) Experimental Laboratory established. - 1957 - Black Box flight recorder invented by Dr David Warren. It is named the ARL Flight Memory Unit. Its descendants are now installed in every aircraft built.
- 1958 - The Army Food Research Laboratories were formally established at Scottsdale, TasmaniaScottsdale, TasmaniaScottsdale is a town in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies on the Tasman Highway, around north-east of Launceston and south-east of the coastal town of Bridport. It is part of the Dorset Council....
under the Quartermaster General Branch, Army Headquarters. The Laboratories’ role included research and development of foods for the three Services. Laboratories re-named Defence Food Research Establishment-Vegetable Dehydration Division in 1958. - 1960 - The Defence Food Research Establishment-Vegetable Dehydration Division re-named The Army Food Science Establishment.
- 1961 - The Army Food Science Establishment re-named The Army Food Research Station.
- 1962 - Joint Tropical Research Unit (JTRU) established in Innisfail, QueenslandInnisfail, QueenslandInnisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns...
and operated jointly with the British Ministry of Defence. - 1967 - Built and launched WRESATWRESATWRESAT was the name of the first Australian satellite. It was named after its designer....
, Australia's first artificial satellite. - 1969 - RAN Experimental Laboratory changes name to RAN Research Laboratory (RANRL).
- 1971 - The Army Food Science Establishment re-named the Armed Forces Food Science Establishment.
- 1972 - ARL transferred to the Department of Manufacturing Industry.
- 1974 - As a result of Defence restructuring, the Defence Science & Technology Organisation (DSTO) is created by integrating the Australian Defence Scientific Service, the in-house R&D units of the Armed Services and the Science Branch of the Department of Defence. Defence Standards Laboratories becomes the Materials Research Laboratories (MRL).
- 1975 - Official transfer of all Defence R&D activities to DSTO in the Department of Defence. The Armed Forces Food Science Establishment (AFFSE) became part of the Service Laboratories and Trials (SLT) division of DSTO.
- 1977 - Joint Tropical Trials and Research Establishment established (JTTRE), merging JTRU and Tropical Trials Establishment situated at Cowley Beach, Queensland.
- 1977 - MRL, Woodville North transferred to CSIRO Division of Materials Science.
- 1978 - WRE split into four smaller laboratories: Weapons Systems Research Laboratory (WSRL), Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL), Trials Research Laboratory (TRL) and Advanced Engineering Laboratory (AEL).
- 1982 - The Armed Forces Food Science Establishment became a part of Materials Research Laboratories (MRL).
- 1984 - RAN Research Laboratory transferred to WSRL.
- 1985 - Materials Research Laboratories, Alexandria, NSW transferred to Army.
- 1987 - Five year restructuring of DSTO laboratories begins. New Surveillance Research Laboratory created and WRE’s Electronics Research Laboratory reorganised. RANRL transferred to MRL and re-named.
- 1989 - Control of Cowley Beach was returned to the Army and Innisfail became MRL, Qld.
- 1992 - The UK-Australia Tropical Research agreement terminated.
- 1991 - WSRL abolished to leave four laboratories in DSTO.
- 1994 - ARL and MRL merge to form the Aeronautical & Maritime Research Laboratory (AMRL) headquartered in Fishermans Bend. Surveillance Research Laboratory and Electronics Research Laboratory merge to form the Electronics & Surveillance Research Laboratory (ESRL) headquartered in Salisbury, leaving only two laboratories in DSTO.
- 1994 - The Armed Forces Food Science Establishment was re-named The Defence Food Science Centre (DFSC).
- 1997 - ESRL complex rationalised and new "Knowledge Systems Building" in Edinburgh, South AustraliaEdinburgh, South AustraliaEdinburgh is a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is an industrial suburb dominated by RAAF Base Edinburgh and DSTO Edinburgh.It was split from the suburb of Salisbury in 1997 when the Department of Defence decided to rationalise the then "DSTO Salisbury" site and sell off about 70%...
, (the newly renamed part of Salisbury containing DSTO), officially opened. The Defence Food Science Centre (DFSC) was re-named Defence Nutrition Research Centre (DNRC). Port Wakefield Proof Range became the Proof and Experimental Establishment. - 2002 - DSTO restructured, resulting in three laboratories: Platforms Sciences Laboratory, Systems Sciences Laboratory and Information Sciences Laboratory.
- 2003 - Maritime Operational Analysis Centre (MOAC) opened at Garden Island, Sydney
- 2004 - H A Wills Structures and Materials Test Centre officially opened at Fishermans Bend.
- 2004 - CBRN functions transferred from MaribyrnongMaribyrnong, VictoriaMaribyrnong is a suburb 8 km north-west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong, part of River Ward. At the 2006 Census, Maribyrnong had a population of 8242....
to Fishermans Bend. - 2004 - Torpedo Systems Centre and Maritime Experimentation Laboratory opened at DSTO Edinburgh
- 2005 - Laboratory Directors renamed to DCDS (Deputy Chief Defence Scientist):
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- Director, Platforms Sciences Laboratory renamed DCDS(Platforms & Human Systems),
- Director, Systems Sciences Laboratory renamed DCDS(Policy & Programs),
- Director, Information Sciences Laboratory renamed DCDS(Information & Weapon Systems) and
- First Assistant Secretary, Science Policy renamed Chief, Science Planning & Coordination Division.
- Air Operations Division to report to DCDS(Platforms & Human Systems).
- New stand-alone Information Integration Branch created in Edinburgh under DCDS(Information & Weapon Systems).
- 2007 - DSTO Maribyrnong shut down in May with all personnel moved to a new facility within the existing DSTO Fishermans Bend site.
- 2007 - DSTO celebrates 100 Years of Defence Science and Technology in Australia
- 2007 - Personnel at DSTO Canberra Fern Hill Park moved to new facilities at FairbairnFairbairn, CanberraFairbairn was a base of the Royal Australian Air Force located in Australia's national capital, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Over the years the name of the establishment, and the use of the land, has changed...
. - 2008 - DSTO Pyrmont commenced move to RedfernRedfern, New South WalesRedfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
. - 2008 - Professor Robert Clark appointed Chief Defence Scientist, the first external appointment to the post since 1991.
- 2010 - DSTO organizes the Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International ChallengeMulti Autonomous Ground-robotic International ChallengeThe Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge is a 1.6 million dollar prize competition for autonomous mobile robots funded by TARDEC and the DSTO the primary research organizations for Tank and Defense research in the United States and Australia respectively...
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Sites
DSTO has sites in each state of AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
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- EdinburghEdinburgh, South AustraliaEdinburgh is a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is an industrial suburb dominated by RAAF Base Edinburgh and DSTO Edinburgh.It was split from the suburb of Salisbury in 1997 when the Department of Defence decided to rationalise the then "DSTO Salisbury" site and sell off about 70%...
in AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, and Port Wakefield in South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland... - Fishermans Bend in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively.... - Various sites in CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in the Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory... - RedfernRedfern, New South WalesRedfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... - HMAS StirlingHMAS StirlingHMAS Stirling is the Royal Australian Navy's primary base on the west coast of Australia. It is located on Garden Island in the state of Western Australia, near the city of Perth...
at RockinghamRockingham, Western AustraliaRockingham is a suburb and primary centre in Western Australia south-west of the Perth city centre and south of Fremantle. It has a beachside location at Mangles Bay, the southern extremity of Cockburn Sound. To its north stretches the maritime and resource-industry installations of Kwinana and...
south of PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... - InnisfailInnisfail, QueenslandInnisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns...
in north QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... - ScottsdaleScottsdale, TasmaniaScottsdale is a town in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies on the Tasman Highway, around north-east of Launceston and south-east of the coastal town of Bridport. It is part of the Dorset Council....
in TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
See also
- NICTA (National ICT Australia) - Australia's national information and communication technology research centre
- CSIROCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationThe Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the national government body for scientific research in Australia...
(Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) - the national government body for scientific research in Australia - ANSTOAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology OrganisationThe Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation is a statutory body of the Australian government, formed in 1987 to replace the Australian Atomic Energy Commission. Its head office and main facilities are in southern outskirts of Sydney at Lucas Heights, in the Sutherland Shire...
(Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) - Australia’s national nuclear organisation and the centre of Australian nuclear expertise - TTCPThe Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP)The Technical Cooperation Program is a long standing international organisation concerned with cooperation on defense science and technology matters, including national security and civil defense...
(The Technical Cooperation Program) - An international defence science and technology collaboration between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. - South Australian Aviation MuseumSouth Australian Aviation MuseumThe South Australian Aviation Museum displays aircraft and aircraft engines of relevance to South Australia and aviation in Australia. It is also the home of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation's heritage rocket collection...
- repository of DSTO's historic rocket collection from the period 1950 - 1980.