The wars of the future will be won by those who train together in live, networked and constructive environments that reflect the full complexity of modern conflict. Australia’s training infrastructure has not fully kept pace with this reality, leaving gaps in how the Australian Defence Force prepares for high-end warfighting. To close this gap, Australia must make decisive investments in digital infrastructure across its exercise areas, particularly in the Northern Territory.
Modern militaries now require more than vast land or airspace to conduct realistic training; they need digitally networked environments that seamlessly integrate live forces with virtual and constructive elements across geographies. Such live-virtual-constructive (LVC) training allows commanders to rehearse operations with combat-like fidelity, linking sensors, shooters and decision-makers in real time.
The United States’ military, for instance, is rapidly building facilities such as the Virtual Test and Training Center at Nellis Air Force Base, enabling pilots to train live sorties alongside virtual adversaries and cyber operators. Similarly, the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center rotations across Hawaii and Alaska integrate LVC components to prepare joint and allied forces for Indo‑Pacific operations.
Australia has a unique opportunity to match these advances, but only with the right investments in digital infrastructure. The NT is central to this effort. Its geography, proximity to Southeast Asia and existing defence footprint make it a natural allied training hub. The US Marines already rotate through Darwin, and Exercise Pitch Black is among the Indo-Pacific’s premier air power exercises. Yet the real strategic opportunity lies in digitally integrating this activity across platforms, domains and borders to meet modern LVC rehearsal standards.
At the heart of this system is the Delamere Air Weapons Range, a standout asset. It combines vast space with advanced instrumentation: radar tracking, real-time scoring and electronic warfare emitters that recreate high-end adversary threats. Few ranges globally offer such realism. But its value won’t rest on live-fire alone; real impact comes when Delamere is digitally connected to naval units offshore, cyber ranges in Canberra and simulators across the Pacific. Imagine a pilot conducting a strike, coordinating in real time with maritime assets and network defenders. That’s the joint interoperability future our partners demand.
Defence has recognised the importance of LVC training, but more needs to be done to translate this into accelerated investment. Fibre backhaul, resilient data networks, cyber-hardened systems and interoperable simulation standards are vital to turn our ranges into integrated ecosystems.
Investment in digital training infrastructure isn’t only strategic; it also delivers local dividends. Fibre deployment and digital upgrades in the NT offer civilian connectivity, local industry participation and workforce upskilling. Just as defence basing underpins the region’s economy, so too can digital infrastructure transform the NT into both a training and digital hub at the heart of our economic and security future.
Of course, budget constraints are real and competition for defence dollars fierce. But digital training infrastructure is leverage, not just expense. It amplifies the value of every platform investment. Fifth-generation aircraft or submarines are only as effective as their crews are trained. Robust LVC infrastructure multiplies capability, readiness and allied confidence, a high strategic return on modest investment.
The question isn’t whether Australia can afford to upgrade its training infrastructure, but whether we can afford not to. The NT, with Delamere at its centre, offers the geography and capability to become a modern, digitally networked node in allied training.
Australia has prided itself on punching above our weight militarily. In the digital age, that means investing not just in platforms, but in the infrastructure that binds them together. Live, networked and constructive training is the new baseline of preparedness.