The Australian Amphibious Force’s latest exercise brought the cosmos to the coastline, with a space liaison officer taking part in wet-and-dry environment rehearsals at Cowley Beach Training Area.
Flight Lieutenant Rory Barrie is the first operational member of a new Maritime Space Integration Team permanently assigned to the amphib force.
“My job is to educate commanders on the relationship between space and naval effects by providing situational reports, space weather education and knowledge of the space domain,” Flight Lieutenant Barrie said.
He works with teams of surveillance operators at Australian Space Operations Centre and 1 Space Surveillance Unit to identify and categorise space threats that may affect operations.
These could disrupt radio and GPS as well as endanger satellites.
Surveillance operators also monitor space weather conditions, such as solar flares, which can affect the Earth’s magnetic field and disrupt satellite communications.
Flight Lieutenant Barrie believes space operations will factor heavily into future operations, with liaisons posted permanently to the amphib force, and deploying each time the ship goes to sea.
The embarked liaison uses information from on-shore surveillance operators to provide awareness for commanders and manage threat responses.
It was also Flight Lieutenant Barrie’s first time at sea with Navy, which he said was an interesting experience.
“It’s great to be able to speak to the other forces and see what their jobs entail so we can take that back to develop new capabilities to support their operations,” he said.
Watching two Super Hornets roar overhead during a childhood holiday inspired him to join the RAAF as an air battle manager.
He spent six years flying on the Wedgetail before a lifelong passion for space drew him to a new career path.
“I was always interested in rockets as a child, but as I got older and learned more about the space industry, I wanted to get involved instead of just sitting by,” he said.
While undertaking a Master of Space Engineering, he was posted to the Australian Space Operations Centre as the SO3 Space Awareness.
“It’s not typically a position for my trade, but I pushed hard and put my hand up, and the director of space operations threw me a bone and gave me a position,” Flight Lieutenant Barrie said.
“If I can keep doing this then I won’t return to flying. Space is the future and it’s only getting bigger.”
