DEFENDING THE NATION’S SOVEREIGNTY: EXPANDING ROLES IN WIDER HORIZONS / DEFENCE WHITE PAPER Several additional roles, important to comprehensively equipping the RBAF to protect the national interest, can be developed more progressively. In particular, there is a need to: * In supporting other national security agencies, reinforce the capacity of the land force to protect specific infrastructure and assets, particularly in urban environments. This skill is important across the spectrum of contemporary challenges ranging from VIP protection through the restoration of services and counter terrorism to the military defence of key national infrastructure. Important tasks include guarding duties, control of movement, cordon and search, and immediate area patrolling. Self protection and the ability to apply precise and graduated firepower, ensuring economy of force and limiting collateral damage, will be essential in circumstances of direct military threat. * Develop the capacity to effectively control the nation’s sovereign airspace. An enhanced awareness of airspace activity and the ability to exploit that environment for one’s own purposes (including surveillance and combat support), and to respond to airspace intrusions will be essential. These skills are complex. They should be _ introduced progressively - (i) strengthening the capacity to monitor national airspace; (ii) introducing an effective air defence system suitable to protect vital national assets; and (iii) acquiring a core air combat capability. * Strengthen the RBAF command, control and communications system against cyber attack and assist in protecting the national communications infrastructure. It is important that the nation implements a comprehensive response to safeguard national decision making, commercial and economic activity as well as national security capabilities. The Ministry of Defence’s primary concerns are the survivability of its own systems to ensure operational effectiveness, providing emergency communications should the national system fail, and contributing its expertise to strengthening national information capabilities.