Defence

INTEGRATIONkEy TO fuTuRE

ISSUE 1 | 2012

Contents

Feature stories

Editorial Cover story

Editor

Alisha Welch

(02) 6127 1971

alisha.welch@defence.gov.au

Photography

Lauren Black and David McClenaghan

Defence Digital Imagery

Defence is produced by the Directorate of

Senior Leadership Communication,

Communication and Media Branch,

Department of Defence

If you have a story you wish to submit to Defence,

forward it to defence.magazine@defence.gov.au

www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

Secretary’s column 4-5

Chief of the Defence Force’s column 6-7

Cover story 8-11

Simon Lewis ready for challenge

News 12-17

Defence leader in FOI compliance 18

CIOG sets the benchmark 19

Integrated, capable and committed 20-23

Physical challenge of reform 24-25

Defence 100 driving reform 26-27

No better workplace 28-31

A different perspective 32-35

Army maintains momentum 36-37

Collaboration equals success 38-39

People key to capability 40-41

Air Force set for year of consolidation 42-43

Defence scientist a leader in radar innovation 44-45

Building an inspiring culture 46-47

Achieving the right balance 48-49

The last word 50-51

Keeping things in order page 32-35

The Review of the Defence Accountability Framework in 2011

recommended the creation of two Associate Secretary positions

to enable better integration and performance across Defence. In

February, former Deputy Secretary Defence Support Simon Lewis

was named Associate Secretary Chief Operating Officer.

Cover image: Associate Secretary Chief Operating Officer

Simon Lewis. Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

Defence 100 driving reformThe Defence 100 is a forum for about 100 SES Band 3/3 Star and SES Band 2/2 Star people to take a leading role in influencing behaviours across Defence.

page 20-23

page 26-27

page 8-11

Integrated, capable and committedWarren King has been appointed the

Chief Executive Officer of the Defence

Materiel Organisation and is ready for

the challenge.

A different perspectiveDefence APS employee Annabelle

Haywood is attending the Australian

Command and Staff College this year.

She speaks to Defence about her

experiences from a civilian perspective.

Defence 2 3Issue 1 2012

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“The CDF and I are committed to ensuring that Defence provides a working environment that is safe, equitable and inclusive for all.” – Duncan Lewis, Secretary of Defence

By Duncan Lewis

ThE pace of work continues without respite

and already there have been significant

changes in Defence this year.

We have many challenges in front of us with

the transition in Afghanistan and East Timor

rating very highly in order of importance. We

also have challenges in getting our business

enterprise into better shape with continuing

Strategic Reform Program adjustments and

delivery of new capability.

There have been several senior leadership

appointments announced in the last few

weeks.

I congratulate Mr Simon Lewis (no relation!)

on his appointment to the new role of Chief

Operating Officer of the department. The Chief

Operating Officer role is responsible for the

management, coordination and integration

of Personnel Services and Policy, Defence

Support and Chief Information Officer groups,

and driving the Strategic Reform Program. I

look forward to working closely with Simon in

his new role.

I congratulate Mr Warren King on his

appointment as Chief Executive Officer of

the Defence Material Organisation (DMO).

Warren has extensive experience in Defence

acquisition and sustainment matters and

is well placed to continue to lead the DMO

through what will be some critically important

years as we progress some of the biggest

acquisition projects in our history.

Dr Alex Zelinsky has been appointed as Chief

Defence Scientist. Alex joins Defence from

the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial

Research Organisation and will commence in

Defence in March. his selection follows the

retirement of Prof Robert Clark late last year.

Futuredirections

Ms Carmel McGregor will be transferring

from her current role as Deputy Public

Service Commissioner to take up the

position of Deputy Secretary People

Strategies and Policy. Carmel led the Review

of Employment Pathways for APS Women

in Defence last year and I look forward to

working with Carmel again.

Mr Peter Jennings, who has been Deputy

Secretary Strategy since February 2010, has

accepted the position of Executive Director

of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute

and began in that appointment in early

March. Peter has left the department with

almost 25 years of experience in Defence

and strategic policy. I thank Peter for his

substantial contribution to Defence and wish

him well in his new role.

Finally, Mr Brendan Sargeant will transfer

from the role of Deputy Secretary Strategic

Reform and Governance to Deputy

Secretary Strategy, effective March 10.

You would have noticed that the Defence

magazine has had a face-lift. The new-look

magazine, now simply called Defence, is

an important medium for each of you to

stay in touch with key policy and structural

changes and general developments in

the department. The magazine is also an

important vehicle for maintaining clarity of

purpose and alignment across our Defence

community.

When I started in Defence in September

last year, I outlined my five priorities for

the department. This year I want to make

these priorities business as usual and I seek

the support of every person in Defence to

achieve this.

As I have already said, we have ahead of us

a very challenging year as we continue to

implement the Strategic Reform Program and

enhance accountability at all levels in Defence;

achieve against the Force2030 vision; develop

processes for whole of portfolio corporate

planning; improve our budgetary processes;

begin the transition process from Afghanistan;

and realise and integrate the outcomes of the

Defence cultural reviews.

We are currently developing a cultural reform

strategy in response to the culture reviews. This

strategy will be known as ‘Pathway to Change

– Evolving Defence Culture’. The CDF and I are

committed to ensuring that Defence provides

a working environment that is safe, equitable

and inclusive for all. We will be working with

the senior Defence leadership team and the

Defence 100 as we take this critical matter

forward.

In terms of the Strategic Reform Program, we

are still on track, however, there is no room for

complacency. There are tough decisions to be

made this year. We will need to make profound

changes to ensure our long-term sustainability.

As an organisation, we have to accept that

ongoing reform is ‘business as usual’ in

Defence.

The Review of the Defence Accountability

Framework, known as the Black Review,

is a critical element of our reform. I am

determined that we become more transparent

and accountable in the way we manage

our business. The CDF and I have recently

begun a process to ‘de-thatch’ our senior

committee processes. These changes are

cascading down the organisation and I expect

that very soon there will be substantially

fewer committees than we had last year. This

is important to improving decision making,

streamlining our processes and operating more

effectively and efficiently.

From Larrakeyah to Laverton, from Exmouth

to Enoggera, Defence is a geographically

diverse and dispersed organisation. This

certainly presents challenges but I am resolute

in our need to work as one integrated Defence

organisation – with unity in mission and culture.

Before closing, I want to extend my

congratulations to the recipients of this year’s

Australia Day medallions. These awards

recognise the important contribution or service

of individuals and teams in Defence. I strongly

believe that Defence’s achievements far

outweigh our shortcomings and it is important

that we take time to recognise and celebrate

success – we don’t do this enough.

I wish each of you the best for the year ahead.

I intend to continue my visits program getting

out and about and visiting as many Defence

sites and people as possible.

SECrETAry’S PrIorITIES

1. Support our operationally

deployed people – they

must always be front of

mind.

2. Provide the Australian

Government with the best

and most effective defence

capabilities we can field

within our resources.

3. Establish this department

as a can-do, no-nonsense

organisation focused on

getting the job done.

4. Pursue value for money for

the Australian taxpayer and

hold each of us to account

on that score.

5. Improve the professional

skills of the APS workforce.

I place high importance on

staff development and will

work hard with my senior

colleagues to achieve this

across the department.

Photos: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

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CoLumnSecretary’s

By General David Hurley

“I am extremely proud of the efforts of the ADF and the Defence organisation in our contribution to Afghanistan.” – General David Hurley, Chief of the Defence Force

Afghan mission on trackIN LISBON in November 2010, Afghan

President hamid Karzai and NATO leaders

agreed to end the combat mission in

Afghanistan by 2014.

The Lisbon Summit also set out the transition

strategy to guide the International Security

Assistance Force (ISAF) through the initial

phases. Eight months ago, the first tranche

of provinces began the transition to an

Afghan security lead. Today this process

is well advanced. The second tranche is

also under way and we are already seeing

the shift from ISAF-led combat operations

in some provinces to a more advisory role

known as “security assistance operations”.

When Tranche 2 is complete, Afghan National

Security Forces will have the lead security

responsibility for half the Afghan population.

In our own area of responsibility, Uruzgan

remains on track for transition to an Afghan

security lead. The ADF Afghanistan Campaign

plan is on track and we expect a conditions-

based transition to occur by 2014, or earlier.

The progression from a tactical support

posture to one of operational support will

see the individual kandaks of the 4th Brigade

of the Afghan National Army capable of

independent operations without a permanent

ADF presence. At the brigade level, ADF

advisors and forces will continue to support

the Afghan National Army for the command

and control of the province’s security

operations.

In concrete terms, the 4th Brigade is

increasingly taking the lead in planning,

preparing and executing tactical operations.

This has allowed Australian forces to

concentrate greater effort on advising and

partnering Afghan command and combat

support functions. Despite our progress,

the insurgency will continue its attempts to

undermine confidence in the Afghan National

Security Forces and the Afghan Government

and we should be prepared to accept that

we may suffer setbacks from time to time.

however we must remain focused on our

mission and we must ensure important gains

are not reversed.

In the past five years Australian Task Forces

have helped their Afghan partners build 18

new patrol bases and check points. The

Afghan National Police now control six of

these patrol bases and the Afghan National

Army is fully responsible for seven. Australia

will continue to work with the Afghan National

Army to transfer the remaining five bases to

Afghan control. The ADF will continue to work

with the Afghan National Army throughout

2012 to develop confidence but, perhaps

more importantly, we will work with our Afghan

partners to improve their skills base in key

areas like medicine, logistics and construction.

There is also still a great deal of work to do to

determine what the international contribution

to Afghanistan will look like beyond 2014

and how we get there. The Chicago Summit

will shape the long term strategic plan

for Afghanistan, including the size and

composition of the Afghan National Security

Forces and the international community’s

enduring assistance.

The ADF currently has around 1550 people

deployed on Operation Slipper and we can

expect to continue to play a role in Afghanistan

post 2014. While we are still considering what

that may look like, we can potentially expect

the ADF to continue to contribute to capacity

building with the Afghan National Security

Forces with military advisers and a Special

Forces presence.

Australian personnel are already making a

lasting contribution to institutional training in

Afghanistan. We are helping to develop the

Afghan National Army Artillery Training School

in Kabul and Australia is also considering

an invitation to support the UK-led Afghan

National Army Officers’ Training Academy.

We will continue to work with our Afghan and

ISAF partners to identify further institutional

training opportunities as we move through the

transition phase.

It is very clear we are at a decisive point in the

transition from an ISAF to an Afghan security

lead. The model is changing and this will be

more clearly articulated by the NATO summit in

Chicago in May this year.

There will be challenges ahead, but I am

confident in our ability to achieve our goals.

I am extremely proud of the efforts of the

ADF and the Defence organisation in our

contribution to Afghanistan.

Captain Alastair Robinson from Delta Company, Mentoring Task Force - Three, welcomes CDF General David Hurley to Patrol Base Mirwais, Afghanistan, in October.Photo: Petty Officer Damian PawlenkoPhoto (opposite): Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

Defence 6 7Issue 1 2012

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CoLumnChief of Defence Force’s

FORMER Deputy Secretary Defence Support Simon Lewis

has been appointed Associate Secretary Chief Operating

Officer.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith announced the senior

leadership appointment on February 13, saying Simon

would be responsible for the management, coordination

and better integration of People Strategies and Policy,

Defence Support and Chief Information Officer groups.

The creation of the new Chief Operating Officer position,

and that of Associate Secretary Capability, were agreed

by Government last year as a result of the Review of the

Defence Accountability Framework, which found there were

significant problems with performance in many parts of

Defence.

Simon, who has worked in Government since the 1970s,

says he is honoured to have been offered the appointment

and is looking forward to taking up the role.

“The bringing together of People Strategies and Policy,

Defence Support and Chief Information Officer groups into

the Chief Operating Officer organisation provides Defence

with an opportunity to really look at the best way to deliver

integrated corporate services to the department,” Simon

says.

“All three groups have been on a change journey for

some time with the Strategic Reform Program and Shared

Services Mark II. This important work will need to continue,

as will our provision of essential services that support

capability, while we create our new organisation.”

Strategic Reform and Governance and Ministerial and

Executive Coordination and Communication divisions will

also form part of the Chief Operating Officer framework.

Simon says a significant amount of work will be undertaken

by the leadership team over the coming months, focusing

on how the new organisation should be structured.

“I will be seeking the views of everyone in the Chief

Operating Officer organisation as part of this process and

encourage people to participate,” he says. “I will keep

everyone informed of our progress along the way.”

According to Simon, the introduction of the Associate

Secretary Chief Operating Officer role creates significant

challenges and opportunities.

“It will challenge us to re-think the way in which we currently

support Defence capability,” he says. “There is potential for

us to move to a more integrated service delivery business

than we are now, to minimise the different access channels

– websites, call centres and customer service centres –

and further integrate back-of-house functions that operate

across Defence business at the moment.

“In the future we are going to have to be organised

in a better fashion to deliver our reform targets under

the Strategic Reform Program and the more recent

shared services initiatives. In some cases, it may require

geographical changes in roles and functions – but this is not

something new.”

The Defence Support Group in particular has been “on a

journey” for several years, establishing business centres

in locations around the country, assuming some roles and

functions previously undertaken in regions and/or bases, in

order to consolidate those service delivery roles.

continued page 11

“The bringing together of People Strategies and Policy, Defence Support and Chief Information Officer groups into the Chief Operating Officer organisation provides Defence with an opportunity to really look at the best way to deliver integrated corporate services to the department.” – Simon Lewis, Associate Secretary Chief Operating Officer

Simon Lewis ready for

challengeBy Alisha Welch

The Review of the Defence Accountability Framework by Rufus Black in 2011

recommended the creation of two Associate Secretary positions to enable better integration

and performance across Defence. In February, Simon Lewis was appointed Associate

Secretary Chief Operating Officer and took the time to speak to Defence about his priorities

for the year ahead and beyond.

Newly appointed Associate Secretary Chief Operating Officer, Simon Lewis, ponders his new role in his Canberra office.Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

Defence 8 9Issue 1 2012

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from page 9

“We will be doing more of this and it’s a challenge for us as an organisation. It means some of our people will need to re-train and adjust the way they work. Flexibility will be required not just across the Chief Operating Officer organisation, but across the whole of Defence.”

Simon says the Government and the Australian community expects Defence to deliver capability and meet its core objectives in the most efficient way possible.

“This year I will be looking to staff for their ideas, inspiration and innovation in the way we can improve our jobs, be better organised and minimise waste to achieve those aims.”

Simon Lewis is looking to staff for their ideas and innovation as the new Chief Operating Officer organisation is formed.Photo: Corporal Aaron Curran

SINCE returning to Defence in April 2010 as Deputy Secretary Defence Support after fulfilling the role of General Manager Asset Management Group in the Department of Finance and Deregulation, newly appointed Associate Secretary Chief Operating Officer Simon Lewis has had a chance to reflect on Defence and the way it has evolved since he worked in Defence logistics during the 1980s.

“Some things change; some stay the same,” he says, “but the organisation does appear to work better than it did in the 1980s. Defence is a complex, deeply matrixed organisation – it was then and it still is.

“There is much more accountability to government now than there was at that time and, therefore, a much greater need for all of us to understand the machinery of government, work within it and deliver according to its requirements.”

Service delivery and implementing shared services reform was among Simon’s key priorities as Deputy Secretary Defence Support and remains a primary focus as he begins his new appointment.

In layman’s terms, he says shared services reform is an important initiative that will allow people to focus on their core business while shared services are provided on their behalf.

“People should focus on their core business,” he says, “and there is a lot of work currently done inside Defence that is not core business.

“Shared services is an important Government-wide initiative that has been under way for a while now and it will continue into the future.”

Shared services reform represents a transformation of Defence corporate support functions to deliver Force2030 in line with Defence’s strategic and reform commitments.

“This year I will be looking to staff for their ideas, inspiration and innovation in the way we can improve our jobs, be better organised and minimise waste.” – Simon Lewis, Associate Secretary Chief Operating Officer

Simon Lewis is looking forward to the challenges ahead.Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

Shared services reform a key priority for Chief Operating Officer

11 DefenceIssue 1 2012

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HmAS Parramatta’s drug bust ThE ship’s company of hMAS Parramatta has seized and

destroyed more than 240 kilograms of illegal narcotics.

The narcotics, with an estimated street value of US $5

million, were seized during an investigative boarding of a

vessel in the North Arabian Sea on February 3.

Combined Task Force 150, part of the US-led Combined

Maritime Forces, directed Parramatta to intercept, board,

and search the suspect vessel.

The search revealed more than 240 kilograms of

amphetamine and heroin concealed in bags of flour and

rice, which were subsequently destroyed.

The Australian Commander of Combined Task Force 150,

Commodore Jonathan Mead, says the seizure represents

the culmination of many months of hard work, planning and

international cooperation.

“It is the first interdiction of illicit cargo by a Combined

Maritime Forces asset in more than two and a half years,”

Commodore Mead says.

Parramatta is deployed on Operation Slipper and is the

27th rotation by a Royal Australian Navy ship to the region

since 2001.

Conflict of interest awareness requiredBy Graham McBean

SENIOR Defence fraud and ethics administrators are calling for Defence people to be aware of conflicts of interest when employing people into sensitive roles.

The areas of procurement and contract negotiations were identified in particular where people employed with Defence may be in conflict with sensitive areas, such as contract renewals.

A recent issue highlighted the potential problem when questions were raised about the alleged influence of a person employed in a contract renewal.

While two subsequent inquiries found there was no unethical influence, a Defence audit of ADF reserves identified the need for awareness of employing people in critical areas.

Director Fraud Control Policy and Ethics Terry Riley says it is important to understand that it is not in itself wrong to have conflicts of interest and they are not uncommon.

“This is hardly surprising given the multitude of relationships and connections, both private and professional, that we all have in our day to day lives,” Terry says.

“The issue is how we go about dealing with them when

they arise in the context of our obligations as public office holders, as they can interfere with perceptions about a person’s objectivity and independence.”

Terry says while the case in point involves a reservist, the principles apply to all areas of Defence.

A Defence audit of reserves produced seven recommendations, which included incorporating the engagement of ADF reserves into mandatory training, a new e-learning package and ADF resettlement seminars.

Terry says there also needs to be awareness in the recruitment process, as well as in the receiving unit.

“It is important to recognise that sometimes individuals will not readily recognise their own personal circumstances may give rise to a perceived conflict of interest – sometimes these issues can be quite subtle,” he says.

Terry says Defence managers also need to be conscious of the environment in which they operate and the possibility that such issues can arise at any time, which might have consequences for a particular activity.

Further information is available from Defence Instruction (General) PERS 25-6 Conflicts of Interest and Declarations of Interest.

The ship’s company of HMAS Parramatta successfully seized and destroyed more than 240 kilograms of illegal narcotics in the Middle East on February 3.Photo: Department of Defence

Hot issue process change key to

better transparencyDEFENCE has changed its hot issue brief process to

enhance transparency, following the release of a number

of hot issue briefs earlier this year through the freedom of

information process.

Now, hot issue briefs are released to the public no later than

one week after their submission to the Defence Minister.

Exceptions to this will be individually and personally

approved by the Secretary or the CDF and be based on a

set of criteria endorsed by the Minister.

A hot issue brief provides initial and early advice to ministers

and Defence’s senior leadership on sensitive or complex

matters or incidents that may require their immediate

attention.

Assistant Secretary Strategic Issues Management Marc

Ablong says hot issue briefs are an important part of the

department’s responsibility for keeping ministers and

Defence’s senior leadership informed of activities and

incidents within Defence.

“Generally, hot issue briefs relate to issues or incidents that

have occurred within the last two to six hours,” Marc says.

“Issues or incidents older than six hours may be reported in

hot issue briefs when media reporting is imminent or urgent

action is required by ministers or Defence’s senior leaders.”

Where an incident or issue is more than six hours old,

is not immediate, or relates to advice on upcoming and

known events, a ministerial submission for noting should be

developed rather than a hot issue brief.

“hot issue briefs must not be used to convey departmental

advice on routine matters that do not require the immediate

attention of ministers and Defence’s senior leadership,”

Marc says.

To ensure a consistent standard and regular and ongoing

release, the Secretary and CDF recently endorsed a new

set of guidelines on the preparation and release of hot issue

briefs. The guidelines have been posted on the Defence

intranet and are available to help any person tasked with

preparing a hot issue brief.

The new guidelines establish formal thresholds for what

should be advised to ministers through hot issue briefs,

and guide in the preparation of that advice. Assistance and

advice is also available from Strategic Issues Management

Branch within Ministerial and Executive Coordination and

Communication Division.

A new template has also been developed for hot issue

briefs. This template, and the guidance itself, is available on

the Ministerial and Executive Support Branch website on

the Defence intranet.

Once a hot issue brief has been submitted to ministers,

the Freedom of Information and Information Management

Branch, also within Ministerial and Executive Coordination

and Communication Division, will guide the originating

Group or Service through the process of publicly releasing

the hot issue brief.

Before public release, hot issue briefs will be redacted

in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of

Information Act.

Criteria for information redaction are based on the removal

of information that may:

• identify an individual without their consent;

• contain commercial-in-confidence or legal-in-confidence

elements; or

• release operational or classified information.

To support the public release of hot issue briefs, a media

management strategy will be developed for each brief, if

appropriate. This will be developed by Strategic Issues

Management and Communication and Media branches

in consultation with group or service leads. Often this will

involve the development of a background brief for inclusion

in ministers’ media briefings, together with any contextual

information to be posted with the hot issue brief.

In some circumstances, the Defence Minister may direct

that information in a ministerial submission be made public

using these same criteria. In these circumstances, an

incident report will be prepared using the hot issue brief

format and will be released in line with the hot issue brief

public release process.

For more information visit the Ministerial and Executive

Coordination and Communication Division website on the

Defence intranet.

In most instances hot issue briefs are now released publicly one week after submission to the Defence Minister. Photo: Able Seaman Jo Dilorenzo

A hot issue brief

provides initial and early

advice to ministers and

Defence’s senior leaders

on sensitive or complex

matters or incidents that

may require immediate

attention.

The criteria for

determining if an issue

requires a hot issue brief

are:

• the incident or issue is immediate and fast developing;

• the incident or issue is sensitive for Defence, ministers and Defence’s senior leadership; and

• the incident or issue is likely to affect Defence’s reputation, or result in media attention.

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Security award finalists announcedBy Brooke Audsley

ACTING Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security Ian

McKenzie has announced the 12 finalists in the first annual

Defence Excellence in Security Awards.

The announcement follows a successful nomination

process, which resulted in 56 nominations being

received from all corners of Australia and

from all areas of the Defence workforce.

“The number and calibre of the

nominations has been exceptional and

reflects the excellent work being done in

security across Defence,” Ian says.

“While congratulating the finalists, I also wish to

acknowledge everyone who was nominated for an

award. The high quality of the nominations provided

significant challenges to the judging panel when it came to

determining the finalists.”

The winners will be announced and presented with their

awards at an official ceremony at the Australian War

Memorial in Canberra on March 27.

For further information visit intranet.defence.gov.au/

securityawards. Family helpline launchedBy Miranda Ball

ADF families seeking advice, support or connection with their local community can now call the Defence Family helpline on 1800 624 608.

The new helpline operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and is staffed by qualified human services professionals, including social workers and psychologists. ADF members and their families can call the helpline about:

• managing during deployment, posting and relocation;

• support for partners’ employment and education;

• assistance with children’s education, childcare options, and support for children with special needs;

• help during a crisis and emergency;

• transitioning to civilian life;

• support available to Defence community groups; and

• support services in the local community.

The Defence Family helpline is for ADF members, their partners, children and relatives. Commanders can also call the helpline when seeking support for an ADF person or information on support services available to Defence families.

The Defence Family helpline can also be contacted via email at DefenceFamilyhelpline@defence.gov.au. Emails will receive a response within 24 hours.

The Defence Community Organisation area offices remain open to commanders, ADF people and families seeking information and advice on support services available.

For Defence APS staff, the Employee Assistance Program is a free, confidential and professional counselling service for all APS employees and their immediate families to help them resolve work-related problems or personal problems that may impact on the employee’s working life.

The Employee Assistance Program can be contacted on 1300 366 789.

Defence Family ForumThe Defence Community Organisation will host the Defence Family Forum in Sydney between April 30 and May 2.

To find out more visit www.defence.gov.au/dco or contact your local DCO office by calling the Defence Family helpline on 1800 624 608.

Air Force’s No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit Executive Officer, Squadron Leader Russell Mills, is greeted by his family after returning from a course in Townsville. The recently launched Defence Family Helpline is available for all ADF members and their families.Photo: Leading Aircraftman Mark Friend

outstanding performance by a security specialist

• Warrant Officer Class 2 Peter Henrichs, Army

• Steven McLeod, Defence Signals Directorate

• Jennean Whilesmith, Defence Materiel Organisation

Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security award for outstanding leadership in security

• Ray Andersson, Army

• Vivienne Dawes, Australian Government Security Vetting Agency, Defence Security Authority

• Scott Minchin, Chief Information Officer Group

outstanding contribution to security by a team

• Defence Materiel Organisation Munitions Branch Relocation Team

• Headquarters Joint Operations Command – Security Directorate

• Navy Guided Weapons Systems Program Office –West

outstanding contribution to security by an individual

• Major Keith Lawton, Army

• Flight Lieutenant Peter Simpfendorfer, Air Force

• Lieutenant Commander Joshua Wilkinson, Navy

DIGo shaping tomorrow’s leadersBy Jacqueline Saunders

ThE Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation’s (DIGO)

Future Leaders Forum, launched in 2011, brought together

a number of APS 5 and 6 staff across the organisation’s

two sites in Canberra and Bendigo throughout last year,

providing participants with an opportunity to learn from, and

engage with, senior leaders from across Defence and the

wider APS.

It was so successful that the 2012 program kicked off last

month.

The Future Leaders Forum is designed to bridge the gap

in leadership development opportunities offered at the

APS 5 and 6 level. The 12-month program aims to raise

participants’ awareness and understanding of leadership

skills and assist in their career development.

The forum is structured around monthly activities including

key note guest speakers from across the APS. The

speakers address different aspects of the APS Integrated

Leadership System and how it applies to their own

leadership style. The intimate and informal gatherings

provide the future leaders with an opportunity to engage

with the guest speakers and discuss how to be a

successful leader in the APS.

Another key component of the program is building individual

skills, and last year the forum provided several activities

to target key development areas including an innovation

project, a ‘Great Debate’ and self assessment tools.

During the year, participants were assigned to investigate

ways to improve DIGO’s business and present an

innovation project to the DIGO Executive. While this project

offered the opportunity to be innovative in the workplace,

it also exposed participants to the challenges in building

consensus when others have competing priorities or

interests. The group found the innovation exercise helped

deepen their networks within the agency and provided

insight to some of the obstacles managers and leaders face

in effecting change.

HELP AT HAND

Defence Family

Helpline (ADF)

1800 624 608

Employee

Assistance

Program (APS)

1300 366 789

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By Corporal Mark Doran

KEEP fit, be active and stay healthy by joining the newly

formed Australian Defence Rowing Association.

The association is looking for Defence civilians and full- and

part-time ADF members from all age groups to join, as well

as team members to compete in the Australian Masters

Rowing Championships.

This year the Masters regatta will be held from May 24-27

in Ballarat on Lake Wendouree and is for competitors in age

groups from 27 to 80+, where teams of rowers will compete

in races of 1000m.

The association is looking for people who are interested in

rowing and is encouraging people who competed at school

or university to get back into the sport.

Darrell Ninham from the Chief Information Officer Group has

been rowing for 55 years and says the association provides

a fantastic opportunity for Defence people to participate

in a sport that is great for their health, fitness and general

wellbeing.

“Join the association now – you’ll never look back,” Darrell

says.

Rowing has been called the ultimate sport for teamwork

and it caters to all fitness levels. Racers compete in a range

of boats from single or double sculls, quad sculls with four

scullers through to eight-person sweep oared boats with a

coxswain.

Future plans for the Australian Defence Rowing Association

include enabling Defence people with disabilities to be

involved in the sport, especially for those with limited lower

limb or torso movement.

For more information on Defence rowing email

andy.horsburgh@defence.gov.au.

Row your way to better healthMembers of the Australian Defence Rowing Association, Captain Charles Huxtable, Lieutenant Colonel Selina Rowland, Brigadier Alison Creagh and Kym Fisher train on Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. The association is calling for new members.Photo: Corporal Mark Doran

Quality care for Defence kidsBy Wendy Addison

STAFF at Defence’s 21 child care centres have welcomed the government’s National Quality Standard for early childhood education and care that came into effect in January.

The new standard is part of an overarching national framework to ensure high quality and consistent early childhood education and care across the country, and will bring many benefits to mobile Defence families.

The application of the same standard to all child care centres across Australia will mean that, when families move, they can make the transition from one Defence child care facility to another with confidence that their children will receive the same high quality care in their new location.

Under the National Quality Standard, families can expect

improved staff-to-child ratios in all Defence centres,

ensuring each child gets even more individual care and

attention. There are also new qualification requirements,

which will mean staff have greater skills to help children

learn and develop.

Under the new standard, educational program and practice

in all centres will be guided by the Early Years Learning

Framework, leading to a nationally consistent curriculum.

For more information on any of the Defence child care

centres, contact the B4Kids Support Centre on (07) 3326

5600, visit www.b4kids.com.au, or email

info@b4kids.com.au.

Flight Lieutenant Megan Horne reads her award-winning children’s book to Charlotte at the child care centre at RAAF Base Amberley. Photo: Aircraftwoman Sandra Midson

First female admiral for RAnBy Corporal Melanie Schinkel

ThE first woman in Royal Australian Navy history to attain the rank of rear admiral, Robyn Walker, will lead Joint health Command for the next three years after she was promoted late last year.

Rear Admiral Walker’s promotion follows her many achievements as Director General Navy health and Director General health Capability, including responsibility for the $270 million revamp of the ADF’s health capability and her previous roles in supporting the health of Defence personnel deployed to Iraq, Solomon Islands and East Timor.

Rear Admiral Walker says she is honoured and humbled by her new position.

“Navy and Defence have provided me with every opportunity to learn and develop as an individual. If you take the opportunities that are provided and work hard, your efforts will be noticed and rewarded,” she says.

“I don’t believe I was promoted because I’m female. I believe I was promoted because I’m the best person for the job. I don’t think any woman in Defence would want to be promoted or awarded if she hadn’t earned it.”

An active advocate for women in leadership roles, Rear Admiral Walker was named Telstra ACT Business Woman of the Year last September and says the recent decision

to remove gender restrictions on all ADF jobs is positive.

“Any organisation that builds up and encourages its women to seek leadership positions should be applauded. The more diverse an organisation is, the better the outcome and there’s evidence to support that.”

Joint health Command will continue to carry on with its former commander Major General Paul Alexander’s initiatives, as well as confront a number of new challenges during Rear Admiral Walker’s tenure.

She says Joint health Command’s biggest challenge will be adhering to the Strategic Reform Program without compromising on health care service quality or member entitlements.

“I’m looking forward to the challenges I will face during the next three years and will tackle them with as much commitment and enthusiasm as I can,” Rear Admiral Walker says.

“We will be focusing on a number of health care areas, including ensuring that the health care provided to Defence people overseas on operations is equal to the care they would receive in Australia.

“Part of that will involve making sure our health care practitioners such as medics, doctors, physiotherapists, nurses and dentists are well trained and maintain their skill sets for operating both in theatre and here in Australia.”

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs promotes Robyn Walker to the rank of Rear Admiral. She now fulfils the position of Commander Joint Health and Surgeon General of the ADF.Photos: Petty Officer Ollie Garside

Rear Admiral Robyn Walker

Defence 16 17Issue 1 2012

DefenceIssue 1 2012

nEWS

DEFENCE is the first Australian Government

department to introduce an accredited freedom of

information decision makers program.

The move ensures Defence continues to make

timely and high-quality freedom of information

decisions, maintaining its high standard of

compliance.

The accreditation program also builds on

information management reforms that provides

greater openness and transparency across

Defence and delivers information to the Australian

public more quickly and easily, while also

protecting sensitive information from disclosure.

Assistant Secretary Freedom of Information and

Information Management Tony Corcoran says

when the Freedom of Information Act reforms

came into place in 2010, groups and services

reviewed and improved internal procedures to

become fully compliant with the Act for the first

time since its introduction in 1982.

“Over the past couple of years, maintaining

compliance has become an increasing challenge

as the number of freedom of information requests

has more than doubled and the requests

themselves have become more complex,” Tony

says.

“The increased level of responsiveness throughout

the organisation has been such that Defence has

remained 100 per cent compliant with the statutory

deadlines of the Act since January 2010.”

To keep pace with the increasing workload,

additional training and guidance for decision

makers was needed. And, with nearly 3000

potential decision makers, it was too resource

intensive to train such a number to ensure quality

and consistency of decisions.

“Providing additional training to that many people

simply wasn’t practical or cost effective, particularly

as only a small number of them were being called

on each year to make a decision,” Tony says.

“The Secretary agreed that Defence would appoint

around 50 dedicated decision makers who have

undergone a two-day accreditation training

program conducted by the Australian Government

Solicitor’s Office and passed an examination.

Follow-up refresher courses and online guidance

will be provided.”

The accreditation scheme initiative helps

Defence to continue its adherence to Freedom

of Information Act compliance requirements. The

program also reflects best practice information

management as Defence moves to greater

transparency in line with government direction,

while still protecting sensitive material.

Accredited freedom of information decision

maker and the Defence Science and Technology

Organisation’s Director of Coordination, Polly

Reynolds, says the training increased her

confidence in her decision making.

“It’s given me an in-depth understanding of the

Freedom of Information Act, the Information

Commissioner’s guidelines and the role of a

decision maker,” Polly says.

The new freedom of information decision making

arrangements came into place on February 1

and include a new instrument of authorisation

signed by the Secretary for accredited freedom of

information decision makers, as well as a revised

freedom of information manual to help accredited

decision makers make informed decisions.

The accredited decision makers will also be

assisted by decision support staff from the groups

and services and by the Freedom of Information

Directorate.

For more information visit http://intranet.defence.

gov.au/oscdfweb/sites/FOI.

Defence leader in FoI compliance

By Jo Hon

Australian Government Solicitor trainer, Justin Davidson, addresses participants at the accredited decision makers training program.Photo: Department of Defence

CIoG sets the benchmarkThE Chief Information Officer Group (CIOG) has achieved

certification by the International Standard for Customer

Service.

CIOG is the first Defence group to benchmark its customer

service against the international customer service standard,

which is administered and assessed by the Customer

Service Institute of Australia.

CIOG’s head of ICT Operations, Major General Mike

Milford, says customer service certification is a significant

achievement and demonstrates the group’s commitment to

cultural change and continuous service improvement.

“Customer service is a critical service delivery enabler,”

Major General Milford says. “Now that we have a baseline

to work from and an understanding of how to enhance

customer service, we can work toward improving our

customers’ experience of ICT and build on our good

relationship with the Defence community.”

CIOG’s customer service certification is the culmination of

an intense period of self-assessment and on-site interviews

by assessors from the Customer Service Institute of

Australia, which began in August last year.

Representatives from across the organisation provided

information about how their customers were engaged,

and the Strategic Reform Program projects under way to

streamline processes, strengthen vendor relationships and

enhance service delivery.

“The final certification assessment report provided by the

institute is a snap shot of where CIOG’s customer service

stands in relation to other government bodies, utility

corporations and commercial enterprises,” Major General

Milford says.

“The institute’s report provides a pathway to make

continuous improvements in customer service.

“We look forward to building a close relationship with the

Customer Service Institute of Australia to train and assess

CIOG people in customer service so we can continue to

improve our service delivery.”

By Chris Woods

Customer service assessment by the Customer Service Institute of Australia will become an annual CIOG activity.

In addition to achieving certification for customer service, CIOG won a ‘highly Commended’ award in the ACT/NSW State and Federal Government category at the 2011 Australian Service Excellence Awards.

The Australian Service Excellence Awards are an annual event sponsored by the Customer Service Institute of Australia.

This was the first time CIOG was in a position to compete against other organisations and be recognised for the customer service it provides to Defence ICT users.

Owen Kavanagh, the lead assessor from the Customer Service Institute of Australia, presents Major General Mike Milford, CIOG’s Head of ICT Operations, with the group’s customer service certification.Photo: Department of Defence

19 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 18Issue 1 2012

Integrated, capable

and committedBy Alisha Welch

Warren King was officially appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Defence

Materiel Organisation in February, after several months acting in the position. he

recently took time out to speak to Defence about his priorities and the challenges

facing the organisation.

AFTER 20 years as an engineering officer in the

Royal Australian Navy, 17 years working in industry

and seven years in the Defence Materiel Organisation

(DMO), Warren says becoming the Chief Executive

Officer is exciting but daunting at the same time.

“It’s a big challenge,” Warren says. “Our highest

priority will always be supporting ADF operations,

equipping our people who are deploying into theatre.

Along with safety, this will continue to be my strong

focus.

“The challenge is balancing that requirement with

affordability, and working within our means. The

commitment to the Strategic Reform Program

remains and, as well as driving down the costs

of sustaining capability, we must also show that

same rigour in the way we plan for and acquire new

capabilities.”

Warren says another key priority for the DMO this

year is growing its capability. Last year Defence saw

a record number of first and second pass project

approvals and, while it takes a number of years to

prepare for those, the additional work that stems as

a result of government approvals can extend over

many years as people focus on implementation.

“We have to be prepared to take on the extra work

those project approvals bring,” he says. “The DMO

is engaged in a level of business activity that equates

to just under $45 million each and every working

day. More than 50 per cent of that work, by value,

is done in Australia. So we need a very professional

workforce – a technically professional workforce –

and we need specialists in procurement, law and

logistics.”

continued page 22

The Chief Executive Officer of the Defence Materiel Organisation, Warren King, is excited about what the future holds for Defence.Photo: David McClenaghan, Defence Digital Imagery

21 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 20Issue 1 2012

from page 20

Warren says the DMO will focus on building skills in

all these areas, and one of the initiatives he hopes to

implement this year is the establishment of a major

project negotiations cell.

“When the DMO is negotiating a project with industry

worth billions of dollars, industry obviously brings

its best minds to the table. We need to make sure

that we also have our best minds negotiating that

contract,” he says.

“We want to encourage a collaborative relationship

with industry and will be seeking the best deals we

can – the government and taxpayers will accept no

less. We need a cooperative arrangement that builds

on good business principles that allows industry to

make a profit, while delivering projects on time and on

budget in order for us to be successful.”

While Warren is conscious of building strong

relationships with industry, he is also well aware

that the need for cooperation applies equally within

Defence.

“Defence is a complex organisation,” he says, “and

the DMO is one part of that. We are totally integrated

– I don’t think anyone would question that.

“When the DMO became a Prescribed Agency, some

people interpreted that as being ‘different’. But I

put it this way: the Army, Navy and Air Force are all

different. They have different objectives, methods and

structures in order to do their business well as part

of the integrated ADF. The DMO is the same. It is an

integrated part of Defence but needs slightly different

structures in order to do its business.

“The other important consideration is that the DMO

has to operate objectively. So there will be occasions

when the advice I provide to the Secretary, CDF or

Service Chiefs may not be exactly what they want to

hear. That’s not being different. It’s simply a case of

offering good, objective advice so we can all deliver

sensible, achievable outcomes.”

In relation to accountabilities, Warren says the DMO

will continue to play a major role in advising the

government on the development of projects and their

respective cost, schedule and risk profiles.

“We will be heavily involved in the coordination role

with other parts of Defence but, when it comes to

executing capital equipment projects and sustaining

those capabilities, that will remain my prime

accountability,” he says.

The DMO has enjoyed much success recently,

despite what is regularly reported in mainstream

media.

“Contrary to a lot of the public commentary we are

not over budget. In fact, on average we deliver our

projects under budget,” Warren says.

“Schedule slip, which is a problem for us, is also

lessening. We have reduced our average schedule

slip from about 50 per cent to 30 per cent. We have

also compared our own schedule performance

against our international counterparts and the

comparative results are very favourable.

“As well, many of the projects of concern have been

remediated over recent years. Take the Adelaide-class

frigates, for example, those ships are now serving

around Australia and in the Middle East. At present

there are just six projects of concern – at times that

will fluctuate, but we will continue to remediate those

projects.”

The quick acquisition and delivery of hMAS Choules

is another of the DMO’s key recent achievements.

“We bought that ship from the United Kingdom at a

very good price and it’s already in service in under a

year,” he says.

“Another success is the Air Warfare Destroyer project.

When you look back to 2004, it was just a paper

concept. Now, if you go to Adelaide and around the

country, you can find more than 2000 people working,

a new shipyard, a new systems centre, and you can

actually stand on hundreds of tonnes of ship. So

while we’ve had some challenges with that project, I

don’t rate it as a failure – it’s a success.”

Leading the DMO was not Warren’s long-term

ambition. he says he was never driven to reach a

post of status, but that “it’s always just been about

doing a job I love”.

“I started my career as a Navy apprentice and

when I told my parents I was going to complete an

engineering degree and become an engineering

officer instead, they told me to stick with trade training

because there was no future in electronics! My Mum

and Dad would be stunned to know where I am

today.

“I’ve reached a place I never thought I’d be and

this will be my last role in my full-time working life.

Between now and when I retire, my simple ambition is

to leave the DMO better-placed and to make sure we

are delivering well for Defence.”

“Defence is a complex organisation and the Dmo is one part of that. We are totally integrated – I don’t think anyone would question that.”

– Warren King, Chief Executive Officer of the

Defence materiel organisation

The Chief Executive Officer of the Defence Materiel Organisation, Warren King, says he wants to encourage a collaborative relationship with industry.Photo: David McClenaghan, Defence Digital Imagery

23 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 22Issue 1 2012

Physical challenge of

reformBy natalie Alexander

The Strategic Reform Program, now in its third year, aims to facilitate sustainable reform

in Defence through wide-ranging improvements to programs and processes. While macro

business changes are a strategic part of reform, across Defence people are showing how

continuous improvement in the workplace can also bring practical, beneficial change.

A NEW year has arrived, and for one of the country’s

largest organisations 2012 presents further opportunity for

development and reform. Defence Secretary Duncan Lewis

recognised this in his recent online welcome message

outlining his 2012 priorities, stating Defence must continue

to build on what it does well while finding new ways to

improve processes.

This outlook is a key driver of the Strategic Reform Program

(SRP) and the wider reform agenda for, at its core, reform

means much more than cost reductions. It is not simply

doing more with less. Throughout Defence, teams are

applying innovative thinking to reduce inefficiencies and put

resources to the best possible use. here is a look at ways

people are achieving valuable workplace reform and, in

turn, supporting an evolving Defence.

Navy

Just as Navy’s assets and equipment must be well

maintained, people must also maintain the fitness needed

to achieve their tasks.

Defence’s physical training instructors work to support the

health and wellbeing of ADF people, learning their craft at

the ADF Physical Training School at hMAS Cerberus. In

times of emergency, they must also be ready to deliver first

aid and, until recently, external instructors have provided

this training. Now under a new initiative, students will

receive qualifications through resources already on hand in

Defence – the expertise of the Medical School at Cerberus.

The reform project will see Medical School staff teach the

elements of first aid to physical training students, allowing

the sharing of valuable knowledge among people in the same location. The collaboration will also achieve more efficient use of resources within Defence, as training that was once delivered at a cost of just over $4000 per course will now be provided internally. Importantly, long-term local level gains will benefit all three services, as Physical Training School graduates enter the workplace prepared to apply military specific first aid, if needed.

Army

In an evolving environment of conflict and warfare, Army is also finding ways to improve practices and use resources wisely.

One methodology proving relevant at both the strategic and tactical level is Lean Six Sigma, a suite of tools and concepts focused on reducing waste, streamlining processes and improving performance.

So far, many on-the-ground processes have benefited from Lean Six Sigma, including soldier rehabilitation at the School of Infantry and Trainee Rehabilitation Wing.

Colonel Georgeina Whelan, Command Health Officer at headquarters Forces Command at the time, says the ‘Lean’ methodology was applied to great effect during a recent workshop on improving the rehabilitation process for soldiers injured in training, with changes to policies and processes already delivering tangible advantages for injured soldiers.

“There has been very positive feedback from the command, leadership team, health care providers and the soldiers involved in the rehabilitation process,” Colonel Whelan says.

The average time an injured soldier spends in rehabilitation

has reduced from 180 to 120 days. The rate of on-time

referrals of injured soldiers has also improved from 10 to

100 per cent, meaning all soldiers requiring rehabilitation

are referred within the required 28-day timeframe.

With several other practical benefits stemming from the

changes, the project’s success has sparked similar reform

for the trained forces, with plans under way for renewed

rehabilitation management at Townsville, Darwin and

Brisbane bases.

Air Force

Anti-submarine warfare is a complex, tri-service role.

For Air Force’s 92 Wing, being ready to contribute to

these operations requires regular and measured training,

particularly in the use of sonobuoys. These small sonar

systems are ejected from aircraft into the ocean, tracking

underwater sounds and relaying information back to

aircraft.

While training with sonobuoys is essential, they are

sophisticated and expensive systems. In an effort to ensure

they are employed as sustainably as possible, personnel

from 92 Wing, Maritime Patrol Systems Program Office and

the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, recently

joined forces to find ways to ‘re-life’ sonobuoys and treat

stock destined for disposal.

The collaborative effort saw people contribute to the reform

effort in different ways, from the development of a business

case and engineering and design procedures, to training 92

Wing personnel to successfully undertake technical re-life

tasks.

The results have been rewarding. Almost 2000 sonobuoys

have been re-lifed or saved from disposal through different

treatments, bringing a financial dividend of more than $4

million.

At the tactical level, 92 Wing can employ the necessary

quantity of sonobuoys for expanding anti-submarine

warfare skills during military exercises. The re-life processes

applied in the exercise can also be repeated in the future,

when needed, proving people-led initiatives are bringing

sustainable change to how resources are used on the

ground and in the air.

For more information on the SRP, visit the SRP intranet site accessible from the DRN homepage. Or, if you have any ideas or suggestions to help bring sustainable reform to your workplace, send them to the SRP Suggestion Box found on the SRP intranet site.

Physical training instructors, like Corporal Brett Harris pictured here motivating his class at RAAF Base Edinburgh, are now taught first aid by Medical School staff at HMAS Cerberus during the physical training instructor course. Photo: Leading Aircraftman Glen McCarthy

25 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 24Issue 1 2012

Defence 100 driving reform By marc Ablong

The Defence 100 is not

just another high level

committee. It is a forum for

about 100 senior leaders to

have an effective dialogue

with peers, facilitate the

delivery of key priorities to

staff, and take a leading

role in influencing and

shaping behaviours across

Defence.

ThE Defence 100 is a new forum within Defence

that draws together the senior leadership at

the SES Band 3/3 Star and SES Band 2/2 Star

levels.

In opening the group’s inaugural meeting on

December 12, the Secretary and CDF identified

the Defence 100 as an important element of

their strategic priorities for change and reform.

The Secretary, Duncan Lewis, says the Defence

100 is small enough to get strategic and cultural

alignment within itself, and large enough to

touch all elements of the organisation.

“Effective leadership at this level has the power

to move Defence,” Mr Lewis says.

Over the last few years, a number of reviews,

including those by Paul Rizzo, Rufus Black,

and Elizabeth Proust, have all noted that

senior managers need to take greater

ownership of the collective challenges of

Defence, and to shoulder the responsibility for

failure.

The Defence 100 will support the Secretary and

CDF in their responsibilities to manage Defence

through providing a venue for the organisation’s

most senior leaders to debate, decide and then

collaborate on action and outcomes.

CDF General David hurley has issued a “call to

arms” to all the members of the Defence 100.

he says the group needs to shape policy, offer

advice and then leverage their expertise and

accountability throughout the organisation.

During the meeting, the Defence 100 group

agreed one of their strengths was that Defence

was an integrated organisation – those in

uniform do a tremendous job in keeping

our nation safe, while the APS are skilled at

providing technical, administrative and policy

support to Defence and the ADF. The group

recognised that the Defence 100 would

continue to tighten the linkages across the

department to deliver on ‘One Defence’.

At the end of the Defence 100 meeting, the

Secretary and CDF agreed that a statement of

expectations would be developed to help guide

the deliberations of the group. The statement

will identify how the Defence 100 generates

ownership of Defence’s common problems,

its responsibility to act within the organisation,

and accountability among the members of the

group.

The Secretary Duncan Lewis and CDF General David Hurley have high expectations of the Defence 100.Photo: David McClenaghan, Defence Digital Imagery

27 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 26Issue 1 2012

no better workplace

“I want people to look after themselves and their families.” – Air marshal mark Binskin, Vice Chief of the Defence Force

It has been more than six months since Vice Chief of the Defence Force Air

Marshal Mark Binskin left his role of Chief of Air Force to take up leadership of

Defence’s most diverse group.

ThE quality of the people within Vice Chief of

the Defence Force (VCDF) Group has made Air

Marshal Mark Binskin’s move from Chief of Air

Force to VCDF a smooth transition.

“Air Force’s sole focus is on delivering airpower,”

Air Marshal Binskin says. “Stepping into an area

like VCDF Group, which has a whole of Defence

focus, took a little getting used to. This group is

Defence’s most diverse organisation with a huge

range of responsibilities ranging from the strategic

to the tactical, across Australia and the world.

“Air Force has a great bunch of people working

for it, and so does VCDF Group. They have made

the transition easy – it’s the people who make it all

happen.”

Air Marshal Binskin has some advice for his people

as we delve deeper into another busy year.

“There are a lot of challenges across Defence and

VCDF Group will be at the forefront of that because

we cover the spectrums of developing, delivering,

enabling and ensuring joint capabilities. To do this

effectively, I want people to look after themselves

and their families – it’s definitely going to be a

marathon, not a sprint.”

Part of the marathon he mentions will involve

implementing a range of diverse initiatives across

the group and the entire Defence organisation.

Joint health Command is continuing to work on

the new garrison health care delivery model, which

Air Marshal Binskin says will improve and simplify

how ADF members access a range of health care

services.

“The main aim is to bring the range of health care

services together into single precincts,” he says.

“That’s going to take time and effort but in the

short-term we are looking at interim work on bases

to take existing facilities and model them around

the new concept, before building the permanent

infrastructure over the next few years.”

Another of VCDF’s health care priorities is removing

the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

Joint health Command will continue to implement

the ADF Mental health Strategy to ensure the best

support is provided.

“We will also continue to improve the rehabilitation

for our severely wounded, ill and injured personnel,

ensuring they have support programs individually

tailored to them and their families,” he says.

Providing support to the families of ADF personnel

is high on Air Marshal Binskin’s list of priorities.

About 16,000 families currently have access to the

ADF Family health Trial, which provides families in

regional and remote locations with free basic health

care. So far, about 5000 families are involved in the

trial, which VCDF says is a “great uptake”.

Of course, many children of ADF personnel are

also members of the ADF’s cadet organisations.

The Cadet, Reserve and Employer Support

Division is part of VCDF Group and Air Marshal

Binskin says the division works hard to build

By Alisha Welch

frameworks for enhanced reserve and cadet

capabilities.

“This year we will look at ways to reduce the

administrative burden on individual cadet units,” he

says. “Cadets are supported in the field mainly by

volunteers, and it’s not their day job. The division

is looking at ways to maintain good governance

structures but reduce the burden on individual units

so the volunteers get as much enjoyment from the

experience as the cadets themselves.”

Being a former Air Force cadet, Air Marshal Binskin

understands first-hand the work that goes into

making the ADF cadets a premier youth organisation

and always takes the chance to thank the large

number of volunteers who make it “happen”.

“I think we have the best youth development

organisation in the country – bar none. Where else

can Australia’s youth conduct such great activities,

build self-confidence and self-discipline? There’s

no other organisation that comes even close! We

want to work hard to make sure we deliver on these

promises.”

On January 1, new Work health and Safety (WhS)

legislation commenced and, to align with this, VCDF

released a revised WhS policy statement, which he

says is also a key 2012 priority.

“It’s very important for people to get across this new

legislation because everyone has a responsibility – a

duty of care – for themselves and those who work

with and for them,” he says.

“I want to imbed a culture of safety. I don’t want it

to be one of those ‘tacked on’ things, but instead

always at the forefront of our minds and integral to the

normal way we do business.”

The group has implemented a number of actions to

support the establishment of a WhS culture. These

include revising WhS governance arrangements; Air

Marshal Binskin himself chairing the WhS Executive

Committee meeting; releasing a WhS strategic

plan; including WhS in the group’s risk management

framework; and introducing quarterly reporting

against 10 key performance indicators.

“The new WhS legislation shouldn’t stop us doing

business the way we need to – it just dictates that

we need to keep safety at the forefront of our minds

when we are working,” Air Marshal Binskin says.

According to Air Marshal Binskin, Joint Logistics

Command will continue to be at the sharp end of

operational support this year.

“During 2012 Joint Logistics Command will assist

headquarters Joint Operations Command with the

drawdown of Australian personnel and equipment

from Afghanistan. This will be a major task,” he says.

“As well, the command will continue implementing its

major strategic reform initiative, the Defence Logistics

Transformation Program. Transformation of the

logistics business model will contribute about $350

million to the Strategic Reform Program.”

Military Strategic Commitments Division also plays a

key strategic role in managing potential and current

ADF commitments.

“This division isn’t a widely known area but they work

long and hard – the workload there never abates,” he

says.

continued page 30

Vice Chief of the Defence Force Air Marshal Mark Binskin talks with Private Ian Maskell during breakfast at Multi National Base Tarin Kot, Afghanistan, during a visit to the base in February.Photo: Sergeant Mick Davis

Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin.Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Media

Defence 28 29Issue 1 2012

DefenceIssue 1 2012

from page 29

“Military Strategic Commitments coordinates

joint military strategic input for engagement with

government, other agencies, allies and coalition

partners. This includes supporting the national crisis

management machinery. The people who comprise

Military Strategic Commitments are under constant

pressure and do extremely important work – 24/7.”

The Australian Civil-Military Centre also works at

the whole of government level. The centre is linked

to Defence through VCDF Group but maintains a

multi-agency approach in fulfilling its mission to

develop national civil-military capabilities to prevent,

prepare for and respond more effectively to conflicts

and disasters overseas. It draws on expertise from

Defence, a range of other Australian Government

departments, the New Zealand Government and the

non-government organisation sector.

“The centre has built a fine reputation developing

civil-military capabilities, and in 2012 this great work

will continue within Australia and through the centre’s

regional engagements,” Air Marshal Binskin says.

VCDF Group also includes Joint Capability

Coordination Division.

“This division’s task is to manage and coordinate joint

force capability and it plays a vital role in the space

between Capability Development Group and Joint

Operations Command. For example, Australia’s first

Landing helicopter Dock ship is scheduled to enter

service in 2014 and there is a lot of work being done

in developing new amphibious operational concepts

– Joint Capability Coordination Division is central to

this,” Air Marshal Binskin says.

Elsewhere in the vast group, the Australian Defence

College, which incorporates the Australian Defence

Force Academy, will continue to develop new ways of

delivering learning and training to Defence.

Air Marshal Binskin says the college’s courses,

which include those run by the Australian Command

and Staff College and Centre for Defence Strategic

Studies, provide Defence people the opportunity

to achieve high-level skills and formal tertiary

qualifications.

“The skills, networks, knowledge and awareness

developed during our courses ensure our workforce

has the skills to lead Defence into the future.”

When he says “our workforce”, it’s very clear he

means an integrated, cohesive team.

“While the ADF is the visible part of Defence, what

goes on behind the scenes is critical.

“Permanent and reserve ADF personnel, APS

members and contractors all pull together equally to

make a great Defence team that is well respected

around the world.

“When I travel I often get asked how the ADF achieves

the excellent results it does with such a small global

footprint. Well, it comes from our people – military,

APS and contractors – pulling together.”

People are indeed at the forefront of Air Marshal

Binskin’s mind as he leads such a diverse group.

Because of this, another of his key priorities this year

is supporting the implementation of a cultural reform

program across Defence, following a series of cultural

reviews announced by Defence Minister Stephen

Smith last year.

“The aim of the cultural reform program is to shape

Defence for the challenges of the next decade by

producing a more integrated organisation,” he says.

“The reforms will be focused across the entire

organisation and will shape us for where we want to

be in the future.”

Speaking of the future, Air Marshal Binskin says it’s

already here.

“We always think of the future as being distant – well,

the future’s here,” he says. “If you consider the way

the organisation has started to change over the past

couple of years with new equipment entering service

and organisational reform being implemented, it’s

clear the future is here and it’s going to be a great ride

– so stick with it.

“I can’t see a better workplace anywhere in Australia.”

“While the ADF is the visible part of Defence, what goes on behind the scenes is critical.” – Air marshal mark Binskin, Vice Chief of the Defence Force

Vice Chief of the Defence Force Air Marshal Mark Binskin is enjoying his role leading Defence’s most diverse group.Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

Vice Chief of the Defence Force

Group is Defence’s most diverse

organisation. It comprises:

• Military Strategic Commitments

Division;

• Joint Logistics Command;

• Joint health Command;

• Australian Defence College;

• Joint Capability Coordination

Division;

• Cadet, Reserve and Employer

Support Division; and

• Australian Civil-Military Centre.

Visit the Vice Chief of the Defence

Force website for more information.

31 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 30Issue 1 2012

A differentperspective

Annabelle Haywood is one of six civilians attending the Australian Command and Staff College in 2012.Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

By Alisha Welch

ATTENDING the Australian Command and Staff

College in Canberra signifies a turning point in the

careers of ADF officers and their civilian counterparts.

It is a time when one’s focus transitions from

tactical to strategic, and skills and knowledge

are consolidated to breed the next generation of

Defence’s senior leaders.

Long-time Defence civilian Annabelle haywood says

applying for the college wasn’t part of her career plan

until recently.

“I was at a crossroad career-wise,” Annabelle says.

“I’d been at the EL1 level for a while and had been in

my current position with Navy for nearly three years.

I felt I was getting stale and really needed a change

and a challenge.

“I thought that if I was ever to apply and be

successful, this would be the perfect time.”

Australian Command and Staff College Commandant,

Commodore Richard Menhinick, says Defence

APS members bring an important and different

perspective to the course.

“We value an active learning process

at the college where a great amount

of time is focused on syndicate

discussion,” Commodore

Menhinick says.

“I have found that APS

people offer an important

perspective to the lively

debates within syndicates that occur over issues as

diverse as command, leadership and ethics, strategy,

Australian strategic policy, contemporary conflict and

Defence itself.

“In fact, it is my view that six APS members is too

few. I need at least one civilian per syndicate to really

challenge the military members from the ADF and 21

foreign militaries who attend the course. I would like

to see between 12 to 15 APS members on the course

each year.

“I would also like to have a direct relationship with a

number of divisions within Defence so civilians are

seconded to the college for a year, then are able to

return to their positions. To me, this is a much better

arrangement than the current one, where APS people

have to give up a position and then re-compete on

completion of the course. I am working with other

areas to pave the way for more APS members to

study at the college in the future.”

Selection to the Australian Command and Staff

College is competitive – about 20 civilians apply each

year – so Annabelle was thrilled when she found out

she’d been accepted.

“You always hope you’ll be accepted but you have

no way of knowing. It was great to be chosen for

interview and then actually getting the gig was the

icing on the cake.”

She says the selection process required multiple

levels of endorsement and support from her leaders.

continued page 34

Each year, six high performing Defence APS people are selected to join their ADF

colleagues to complete the military studies program at the Australian Command

and Staff College. This year Defence will follow one of these civilians, New

Generation Navy Communication Manager Annabelle haywood, on her journey

through the college, chronicling the experience from a civilian perspective.

Defence 32 33Issue 1 2012

DefenceIssue 1 2012

from page 33

“You need to be graded against various

selection criteria so you have to ensure you get

your application to your leaders well in advance

to make the deadline – it’s quite involved.

“My supervisor and branch head was a Navy

captain, so I had his comments, and the final

requirement was endorsement at division head

level, which for me was Deputy Chief of Navy.

I had spoken with him about it separately

and, fortunately, he was supportive and very

generous in his comments.”

Commodore Menhinick says the benefit for

civilians attending the college is manifold.

“Following selection of the Australian National

University as the academic partner for the

Command and Staff Course, this year and

onwards provides an opportunity for a revised

academic program with much more focus on

strategic issues and alignment of the curriculum

to the Defence White Paper and Force2030

outcomes,” he says.

“Associated with the new academic curriculum,

and in keeping with other professional military

staff courses around the globe, most students

will enter the Australian National University

masters program – aimed at achieving a

Masters in Military Studies, with a graduate

diploma or certificate as a lesser option.

“We are convinced that we are now providing a

world’s best practice vocational and academic

education program that will provide long lasting

benefits to individuals and Defence.”

he says the course is a quality product that

deserves to be embraced by the APS.

In terms of what she hopes to gain from

attending the challenging year-long course,

Annabelle says that, besides the academic

credentials and strategic awareness, everyone

tells her it is the networking which is of the

greatest benefit in the long run.

But she does have some apprehensions.

“It’s completely out of my comfort zone,” she

says. “Most people have fantastic things to

say about it and those who don’t were usually

overwhelmed by the workload, or hadn’t

studied for a long time. I suppose all I can do is

try and be mentally prepared!”

Unlike a number of Defence’s high performing

APS people, Annabelle did not begin

working for Defence as part of the Graduate

Development Program. She entered the APS as

a temporary employee then won a permanent

position.

“My career has mainly been in the public affairs

area, with a couple of junior communication

roles in the department before that,” she says.

“I worked in the public affairs operations centre

for three years then in a couple of EL1 roles

before moving to Navy as the New Generation

Navy Communication Manager in 2009.”

She says she enjoys working for Defence.

high points have included a trip to East Timor

providing public affairs support to a forces

entertainment tour and working for Navy.

“Working for Navy in an area where I was the

only ‘civvie’ was certainly a daunting prospect

in the beginning, but the experience has been

phenomenal.

“Defence isn’t where I expected to work when

I set out as a wide-eyed uni graduate but it has

given me a lot of opportunities and, being so

vast and varied in its interests, there is scope

for many career directions and opportunities.

“I have been here for more than 10 years now,

worked in four different groups and have had

seven completely different jobs.”

After the course has finished, Annabelle

says she would like to continue her career in

change-related communication.

“I have really enjoyed that – whether that’s in

Navy or elsewhere. But anything can happen.

Ask me again in a year!”

“Defence has given me a lot of opportunities and, being so vast and varied in its interests, there is scope for many career directions and opportunities.” – Annabelle Haywood, Australian Command and Staff College 2012 course member

The Australian Command and

Staff College, part of the Australian

Defence College at Weston Creek in

Canberra, aims to prepare selected

ADF and foreign military career

officers and high performing APS

people for command and staff

appointments in single service,

joint and integrated environments.

Its vision is to promote excellence

in warfighting and develop quality

leaders through delivery of three

courses – the Australian Command

and Staff Course (Joint), the Royal

Australian Navy Staff Acquaint

Course, and the Australian

Command and Staff Course (Army

Reserve). For more information

visit the college’s website at www.

defence.gov.au/adc/centres/acsc/

acsc.html.

Annabelle Haywood studies an atlas in the Australian Defence College library at Weston Creek in Canberra.Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

Defence 34 35Issue 1 2012

DefenceIssue 1 2012

Army maintains momentumNEW equipment and personnel policy changes are

a major focus for Army this year, according to Chief

of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison.

When asked about his plans for the year,

Lieutenant General Morrison listed three key

priorities, naming support for people on operations

as number one.

he says a range of new equipment will be rolled

out or further developed this year, providing major

capability increases.

“We need to replace our wheeled vehicles under

Land 121,” Lieutenant General Morrison says.

“We’re still a partially analogue force in a digital

world and we’re going to change that with our

digital radios and our battlefield management

system.

“We need to complete the journey with our artillery

systems under Land 17.

“We need to introduce a better electronic warfare

capability under a couple of projects that are

being considered and we need to do all of

the groundwork to ensure that Land 400, the

replacement of our armoured vehicles, less tank, is

affordable and realisable.”

his second priority is making sure Plan

Beersheba – Army’s major restructure and

capability upgrade – is worked through in detail

to ensure the Service is robust and relevant in the

third decade of this century.

Workforce management is the third priority, with

striving for greater diversity part of the personnel

focus.

“We need to continue the great work we’re doing

with care of our wounded, injured and ill, but

we need to be better at it,” Lieutenant General

Morrison says.

“There’s a lot of great work being done now

in all of our commands and I want to keep the

energy flowing in those areas because that’s very

important to me.”

Referring to the removal of gender restrictions on

all ADF jobs, Lieutenant General Morrison says

having a more diversified workforce is also one of

the priorities.

“It’s not about feeling good about gender; it’s about

capability,” he says. “The more diversified the

workforce, the more capable we will be.

“I think there are some views on this that are more

conservative than they need to be and they’re held

by very well-intentioned people, but I don’t agree

with them.

“I think the majority of people in Army, irrespective

of their gender, are well and truly in the right

mindset here – they know this is very important for

Army and they know it’s important for our capability

in the future.”

Despite major operational commitments and

capability upgrades, Army will still need to find

efficiencies in 2012.

“The Strategic Reform Program is something Army

is doing well and needs to continue doing well,” he

says. “We need to be smarter about the way we

use our resources.

“We need to be very much focused on the joint

aspects of our trade – working with Navy, Air Force

and coalition partners.

“Army is a great national institution, not because

we keep saying it is, but because of the men and

women who make it up and I know that they’re up

for whatever challenges we’ve got in the future.”

By John Wellfare

Trooper Aaron Tziolis from Mentoring Task Force - Three keeps a lookout during a patrol of the Mirabad Valley, Afghanistan. Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison says supporting people deployed on operations is his number one priority.Photo: Petty Officer Damian Pawlenko

Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison reviews the graduation parade at the Royal Military College in December 2011.Photo: Grace Costa

“The more diversified the workforce, the more capable we will be.”– Lieutenant General David morrison,

Chief of Army

37 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 36Issue 1 2012

“our work is interesting because it is relevant. We do work that has a real impact and benefit at all levels.” – Ian mcKenzie, acting Deputy Secretary

Intelligence and Security

Acting Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security Ian McKenzie is confident the people within the group will respond to the challenges ahead. Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

SINCE the October 2011 departure of former Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security Stephen Merchant, Ian McKenzie – Director of the Defence Signals Directorate – has been acting in the group’s top job.

The group conducts diverse work including supporting ADF operations, securing Defence information, personnel and assets, informing government decision making and maintaining effective relationships with intelligence partners. It comprises the Defence Security Authority, Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation, Defence Intelligence Organisation and Defence Signals Directorate and, according to Ian, the group’s work has never been more important.

“The work of our agencies, particularly our intelligence support to the ADF, continually emphasises how important teamwork is,” Ian says. “No single capability is preeminent and units working together to produce something that is greater than the sum of their individual parts is one of the most important lessons of the last decade.”

Ian says the people who make up the group are well aware that collaboration is essential to success in today’s dynamic intelligence environment. Decision makers are frequently faced with an insurmountable volume of information and Defence’s intelligence agencies work to ensure they deliver clear, accurate, timely and complete intelligence solutions.

But this evolving intelligence role is just one of the many opportunities afforded to the Intelligence and Security Group in 2012.

“Our group has a number of things on which to focus, in addition to our core role of providing intelligence support to the ADF, government customers and providing security advice to Defence,” Ian says.

Among the group’s priorities in 2012 is implementing the recommendations of last year’s Independent Review of the Intelligence Community. While the specific recommendations are classified, Ian says they are important and the group will work hard to implement the findings.

He says no specific short-coming sparked the review. The 2004 Review of the Intelligence Community by Phillip Flood recommended the community be reviewed on a regular basis. The 2011 review was the first of these regular reviews and provided the opportunity to fine tune the work undertaken by the Australian intelligence community, ensuring it is optimised for purpose nationally, and that Australia’s contributions remain relevant within an international intelligence framework.

The review’s recommendations provide a blueprint for the community over the next five to 10 years. however, delivering these valuable outcomes costs. As with all parts of Defence, Intelligence and Security Group has to ensure its resources are well spent. For this reason, the Strategic Reform Program remains high on the group’s agenda.

“The group has made good progress in efficiency initiatives and achieving savings targets – saving Defence about $350 million over 10 years – but there is still work to be done and we will continue

Collaboration equals success

By Alisha Welch and Amanda Thompson

Intelligence and security are vital to the Defence mission and are easily

overlooked because of the high level of security applied to their operations.

Defence’s Intelligence and Security Group – and the community of dedicated

individuals working within its four agencies – play a critical role in ensuring

Australia’s national security.

The public announcement of the Independent Review of the Intelligence Community last year confirmed that Australian intelligence agencies are performing very well. Key findings were:

• Australia and its citizens are safer than they would otherwise have been as a result of intelligence efforts;

• our intelligence capabilities have contributed significantly to the global security effort;

• Australia has built intelligence capabilities broadly commensurate with our growing security challenges; and

• the current basic structure of the Australian intelligence community remains appropriate, including the operational mandate of agencies.

to play our part, particularly as shared services reforms are implemented,” Ian says.

The biggest contribution has been of ICT at the top secret level, as well as human resources and security consolidation within the group.

The Defence Security Authority is another priority for the group in 2012 as it works to strengthen the essential personnel security vetting function that underpins so much of Defence’s core business.

Following significant work in 2011, the group will make additional investments in the Defence Security Authority in 2012 in response to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security’s Inquiry into allegations of inappropriate vetting practices at the Defence Security Authority and Related Matters, which reported in December.

Sparked by complaints aired on the ABC’s Lateline program in May 2011, the Inspector-General’s inquiry confirmed serious deficiencies in the administration of personnel vetting that are now being diligently addressed.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith released the inquiry on February 8 and the government has accepted all 13 recommendations. In tabling the report in Parliament, the Minister noted that Defence had already begun remediation work to ensure the integrity of the security clearance process. This remediation work is well advanced and the Defence Security Authority’s Australian Government Security Vetting Agency is committed to providing Defence and government with a

personnel vetting service that is robust, efficient,

effective and trustworthy.

“The Defence Security Authority has faced tough

challenges in the last year, but I am confident

our people will respond to these challenges. I

appreciate their dedication and commitment to

getting things right,” Ian says.

To this end, the Australian Government Security

Vetting Agency will benefit from investment in

improving its business processes, personnel

development, information technology and

management oversight in 2012.

Ian says other priorities within the group include

further investment in cyber security, a key

government focus, and contributing to Defence-

wide planning activities like the Force Structure

Review.

All of these tasks present challenges for the

Intelligence and Security Group on multiple fronts,

particularly in relation to recruiting and retaining

the right people with the right skills, but Ian is

confident the group will succeed.

“Our work is interesting because it’s relevant,”

he says. “We do work that has a real impact and

benefit at all levels – in terms of support to the ADF

and broadly across government.

“When you know something you’ve done has

actually had a real effect, it makes you feel good.

A lot of people within this group have that sense of

fulfillment.”

39 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 38Issue 1 2012

People key to capabilityCAPABILITY Development Group (CDG) is at the

sharp end of implementing Force2030 and the people

within it are playing a critical role in ensuring Defence

realises the targets it has been set by government.

Leading the charge is Vice Admiral Peter Jones, who

began as Chief CDG in December last year.

“It’s a great honour to be in this position,” Vice

Admiral Jones says. “It’s my third job within CDG and

I’m very happy to be back and in a position where I

can hopefully make a positive difference and, more

importantly, enable everyone in the group to do the

same.”

To help achieve this “positive difference”, Vice

Admiral Jones is implementing an improvement

program to help the group achieve its mission of

providing Defence senior leadership and government

with timely and high quality advice on the Defence

Capability Plan.

Broadly, the Capability Development Improvement

Program (C-DIP) incorporates the ideas from those

serving within CDG and the broader capability

community to improve the way Defence manages

capability development.

“We have looked within the group to assess where

we can improve our business – how we can deliver

proposals in a better way – and have developed a

series of initiatives that we believe will improve our

advice, offer more certainty and meet the challenging

timeframe to deliver the suite of projects on time,”

Vice Admiral Jones says.

Among the initiatives are those which streamline

the capability development process along with the

supporting documentation. Importantly, the Defence

Capability Plan will be managed as a portfolio with

individual like-projects aggregated into sub-programs.

While there is considerable expertise within CDG, it is

also developing partnerships with industry for specific

skills such as cost estimation and scheduling. The

group is also working with the Australian Defence

Force Academy to provide enhanced capability

development education opportunities.

“Many of the C-DIP ideas have been identified

internally and I’ll be looking to everyone within CDG,

and the broader capability development community,

for even more,” he says.

Last year was a big year for CDG. In addition to

recording the biggest increase in government project

approvals in several years, a number of projects,

like the acquisition of recently commissioned hMAS

Choules, were completed in very short timeframes.

“This was the result of a lot of very hard work across

CDG and the broader capability development

community,” Vice Admiral Jones says.

The Services, Defence Materiel Organisation,

Chief Information Officer Group, Defence Support

Group and defence industry comprise this “broader

capability development community” and, within it,

members of the ADF work alongside APS people and

civilian contractors.

“Throughout CDG and, I think, across Defence, the

ADF and civilian workforce is completely integrated,”

Vice Admiral Jones says. “It is certainly the case

within our group. We value the strengths everyone

brings and many APS members bring critical

specialist expertise to the group. This is particularly

valuable when complex business cases and robust

costs models are being developed. We very much

see it as an integrated workforce.”

he says the work of CDG in delivering Force2030 is

something most people appreciate and the reason

Defence has embarked on the far-reaching Strategic

Reform Program.

“I am very confident that CDG will deliver its part of

that endeavour,” he says. “We are working hand-

in-hand with our colleagues in other groups and

industry, and are working hard to achieve the goals

we have been set.”

By Alisha Welch

Chief Capability Development Group Vice Admiral Peter Jones at work in his Canberra office. Among his priorities this year is implementation of the Capability Development Improvement Program. Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

“The ADF and civilian workforce is completely integrated.”

– Vice Admiral Peter Jones, Chief Capability

Development Group

Defence 40 41Issue 1 2012

DefenceIssue 1 2012

Air Force set for year of consolidation

AIR Force achieved great success in 2011 but Chief

of Air Force Air Marshal Geoff Brown doesn’t want

people to get complacent.

“This year I want Air Force to get back to basics and

make sure we do all the small things right,”

Air Marshal Brown says. “We need to continue with

Air Force Improvement and play our part in ensuring

the success of the Strategic Reform Program.”

Last year was a significant year for Air Force. Not only

did the organisation celebrate its 90th anniversary

and provide vital support to numerous operations

both at home and abroad, it welcomed cutting-edge

capabilities as they entered service. These included

receiving three of five KC-30A multi-role transport

tankers, the fifth C-17A, and the final four F/A-18F

Super hornets.

Air Marshal Brown says most of the training related

to these new platforms has been completed and that

the next step is to demonstrate how they will enhance

the joint force.

“This year is very much about working with the rest

of the ADF and our military partners to show what Air

Force can put into the fight in the joint and combined

context,” he says. “Once this happens, an incredible

difference will be noticed.”

Among the Chief’s priorities are providing support to

operations and consolidating the new capabilities,

which can’t be done without an effective support

network.

Air Marshal Brown is conscious of ensuring the long-

term health and success of Air Force and says that a

great support network comprising uniformed, public

service and contracting staff is essential behind the

scenes to produce an operational effect.

“I don’t think anyone should measure their worth

based on their distance from the target,” he says.

“With about 900 civilians working for Air Force, when

I say Air Force is one team, it doesn’t just mean a

blue suit. We have to make sure we have an essential

backbone – this is what gives us our advantage in the

world of aviation.”

Recruiting and retaining this “backbone” is always a

challenge, and Air Marshal Brown wants to focus on

maintaining Air Force’s workforce as engaged, excited

and enthusiastic about their work.

This is the impression he gets when he travels to

bases around the country and overseas, but he says

he would like Air Force’s public image to be more

prominent to attract people to the service.

“I know being in Air Force is fantastic, but I think we

need to do more to project an image to the wider

community that Air Force is a great place to work.

Many of the great ideas for our future will come from

people we haven’t even recruited yet.”

Air Marshal Brown began in the top job on July 4 last

year and is enjoying the role. But for him, getting out

of Canberra and visiting bases around the country is

what gives him the most satisfaction.

By Alisha Welch

Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Geoff Brown is welcoming and relaxed in his office to

discuss Air Force’s priorities for the year ahead. Overlooking Lake Burley Griffin in

Canberra and filled with mementos that clearly demonstrate his pride in the service,

his office and persona complement Air Force’s recent success.

Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Geoff Brown speaks with a member of his staff at Air Force Headquarters in Canberra. Photo: Leading Aircraftman Bill Solomou

He says both he and Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air Vice-

Marshal Gavin ‘Leo’ Davies, are looking forward to getting

“out and about”.

“I want to get around to all of our units this year as there are

a few places I haven’t had the chance to visit yet,” he says.

“I’ve been in the job for over seven months now and, while

I am thoroughly enjoying the work, I feel most re-energised

after returning from base visits. I’m inspired when I see the

focus, pride and determination of our people wherever I

go.”

Air Marshal Brown was appointed to the Order of Australia

in the Australia Day honours List and says the award is a

reflection of the great team he has had around him for many

years.

“I feel extremely privileged to receive this award. however,

you don’t do anything in this organisation as an individual.

Everything is a team effort and this award is recognition of

that.”

he also thanked recently appointed head Joint Capability

Coordination, Air-Vice Marshal Neil Hart, for his work as

Deputy Chief of Air Force.

Air Force has much to look forward to this year.

“We must ensure we value everyone’s time – make sure we

have good, robust processes in place and that we are using

everyone’s time wisely,” Air Marshal Brown says.

“We also have to consolidate our new capabilities –

particularly in relation to the heron. They are doing a

fantastic job in their third year of operation and marked a

significant milestone in January, recording 10,000 flying

hours.

“The heron has been incredibly successful, especially when

you consider how quickly it was introduced into theatre.

Because of the rapid stand-up, it does not have the same

normal ‘raise, train, sustain’ aspects to it – and that’s what

we want to build on this year. This essential capability must

have robust structures in place to ensure its continued

success.”

Given Air Force’s achievements last year, it is very apparent

Air Marshal Brown is excited about what the year ahead

will bring. Whatever that may be, one thing is for certain

– the organisation’s success relies on the contribution of

everyone wearing the “blue suit” and the civilians working

alongside them to ensure Australia’s air power remains at

the forefront of global aviation.

“I don’t think anyone should measure their worth based on their distance from the target.”

– Air marshal Geoff Brown, Chief of Air Force

43 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 42Issue 1 2012

LONG-time Defence employee Cheng Anderson

was recognised for her commitment to scientific

innovation late last year with the 2011 Minister’s

Award for Achievement in Defence Science.

Cheng, who has worked for the Defence Science

and Technology Organisation (DSTO) for 30 years

and is currently head of the Radar Signatures

Group, is the principal architect of a world-class

capability that has made it possible for the ADF

to predict, measure and reduce the visibility of its

ships and aircraft to radar systems.

Defence Science and Personnel Minister Warren

Snowdon presented the award on November 21.

Cheng says it recognises the important work

by DSTO in applying the capability to real world

problems faced by the ADF in the acquisition of

new platforms, the enhancement of in-service

ships and aircraft, support for operational

deployments, the development of tactics, and

all the other domains where detection by threat

radars is an issue.

“Radar is the primary sensor for long range

detection,” Cheng says.

“The stealthier we can make our platforms, the

harder it is for an adversary to detect them and the

more effective our electronic protection systems

will be. This increases the survivability of our ships

and aircraft and, in some circumstances, expands

their operational envelopes.

“The flexibility of the tools we have developed also

means we can design protective measures against

new types of threat radar, should they emerge.”

Cheng completed her PhD in theoretical physics

in 1979 and wanted to put her skills to work in

a research environment. DSTO was the obvious

choice.

“My husband was already working in DSTO – I

joined in 1981. It was at the time when radar

signature control at microwave frequencies was

emerging as an important issue for major air and

surface combatants.”

her early work involved examining the techniques

to compute radar signatures and comparing their

predictions against measurements in an anechoic

chamber – a room designed to stop reflections of

sound and electromagnetic waves.

“The results of those studies revealed that no

single technique could serve as the basis for

a general purpose scattering code of the type

needed to support the ADF,” she says.

So she set about designing a framework within

which a variety of techniques could be invoked.

The work involved the development of computer

models to predict a platform’s visibility to radar,

known as the radar cross-section, which can

also be measured experimentally, validating the

computer model predictions.

She says to support and validate the theoretical

modelling, her team invested a lot of time and

effort developing measurement radar facilities.

Cheng’s work in DSTO over the last three decades

has helped place Defence in an enviable position.

Mr Snowdon says Defence only had a limited

capacity to protect its assets adequately before

Defence scientist a leader in radarinnovation

By Alisha Welch

she began her work 30 years ago.

“Dr Anderson’s work has been vital in improving the stealth capabilities and ensuring the survivability of our military aircraft, ships and land vehicles,” he says.

“I would like to thank Dr Anderson on behalf of all Defence personnel for her hard work, which will save lives, while improving the capability and efficiency of the ADF.

“This award recognises the rare distinction of an individual scientist being solely responsible for establishing a critical capability.”

Cheng and her team are currently working on several complex research activities focused on providing protection against radar sensors.

“In addition to keeping the ADF well informed on the signatures of its platforms, from the design stage through to in-service status, we are constantly looking at new developments in radar system characteristics and how we can defeat them,” she says.

Cheng is excited about what the future holds.

“I have always taken the view that experience must be balanced by fresh ways of thinking,” she says.

“Accordingly, I plan to hand over leadership of my group to a younger person within the next year. There are some ‘blue sky’ ideas that I would like to pursue, and it is not really possible to do justice to that kind of research while running a group.”

While Cheng may leave DSTO within the next year, her legacy will remain as the scientist whose work to improve the stealth capabilities of the ADF will save Australian lives in battle. And, really, that’s what Defence scientific innovation is all about.

A radar signature is the target-specific

response produced in a radar by the

returning radar echo. Radar signatures can

be used to identify or distinguish among

objects, including targets such as aircraft,

decoys, missiles with warheads, and chaff

(a radar countermeasure in which aircraft

or other targets spread a cloud of small,

thin pieces of aluminium, metallized glass

fibre or plastic, which either appears as

a cluster of secondary targets on radar

screens or swamps the screen with

multiple returns). The term can also relate

to the detailed characteristics of a radar

transmission.

The radar cross-section of an object is

a measure of the strength of the reflected

signal (i.e. the echo) relative to the strength

of the incident signal. A larger radar cross-

section indicates that an object is more

easily detected.

Last year’s winner of the Minister’s Award for Achievement in Defence Science, Cheng Anderson.Photo: Luciano Rossato

45 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 44Issue 1 2012

Building an inspiring culture

By Alisha Welch

Acting Deputy Secretary People Strategies and Policy Group, Major General Gerard Fogarty. Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

CARMEL McGregor has been

appointed Deputy Secretary People

Strategies and Policy Group and,

at the time of printing Defence, was

scheduled to begin her new position

on March 19.

For the last three

years, Carmel

has served as

the Deputy

Public Service

Commissioner and

has extensive background in public

administration, including holding

senior positions in the Department

of Immigration and Citizenship and

Centrelink.

She also led the review into pathways

for women in the ADF and Defence,

one of the six cultural reviews

recently undertaken by Defence.

Carmel is currently Australia’s

representative on the Organisation

for Economic Cooperation and

Development’s Public Governance

Committee and is a Fellow of the

Australian Institute of Management,

a Fellow of the Australian human

Resources Institute, Vice President of

the Institute of Public Administration

Australia in the ACT, and a member

of the Australian Institute of Training

and Development.

her varied executive career and

professional memberships reflect

her abiding interests in cultural

and organisational transformation,

leadership strategy, and human

resource development.

Carmel is originally from Queensland

and holds an Arts degree with majors

in psychology and sociology from the

University of Queensland.

new leader for People Strategies and Policy Group

PRIOR to Christmas, Defence’s APS workforce voted

against the proposed Defence Enterprise Collective

Agreement (DECA) – for a second time. The result

meant Defence had to recommence the agreement-

making process; something Major General Fogarty

says is almost complete.

“One of this group’s principal aims is generating

capability,” Major General Fogarty says.

“We are about making sure Defence has the

workforce it needs to deliver capability today and

into the future. Forming a compelling employment

offer that attracts people who are willing to do

extraordinary things for Defence is a very important

part of our work.”

In terms of negotiating a new DECA, Major General

Fogarty says it has been a difficult journey over the

past 10 months.

“We have been focusing on crafting an attractive

employment offer and we are now close to that – I

think we will be going back for another vote soon,”

he says.

While facilitating the implementation of a new DECA

is a priority this year, People Strategies and Policy

(PSP) has a number of key issues on which to focus

during 2012 and beyond. One of these is working on

attracting people to the organisation, particularly in

areas where critical skill shortages remain.

“We have been very successful as a department

over the past five years,” Major General Fogarty says.

“We have grown the ADF enormously – by about 20

per cent. Five years ago we had a number of critical skill shortages and we have rectified most of these. But we remain out of balance. While we are attracting enough people to the organisation, both in the ADF and APS, we are still deficient in some areas.”

Among the areas lacking sufficient numbers are aviation, intelligence, health, engineering and information technology.

In order to combat these deficiencies, PSP will target these areas in recruiting activities, as well as work on policies to retain people with corporate knowledge and skills.

Another key priority this year is working to decrease the rising separation rate in the ADF.

“We’ve had record low separation rates over the last three years,” Major General Fogarty says. “Despite this, they are now rising steadily. We are doing a lot of work to understand the reasons for this and to come up with initiatives to retain people so we can build and sustain the capability the Group heads and Service Chiefs need.”

Much work is also being done in the field of professionalising the APS workforce, which Defence Secretary Duncan Lewis last year stated was among his key priorities.

Major General Fogarty says PSP is working on a core capability framework, which will articulate the skills, knowledge and behaviours that are expected of all Defence employees to ensure delivery of government priorities and high quality services, now and in the future.

With numerous action items on the agenda for People Strategies and Policy Group

in 2012, acting Deputy Secretary Major General Gerard Fogarty is confident the

people within the group are well-placed, committed and excited to see many

initiatives through to fruition.

“This is a big task,” he says. “Essentially we are

working to cluster APS employees into job families

and identify a development and skilling path within it.”

Regarding the importance of ADF and APS people

working together, Major General Fogarty says

everyone has an important role to play.

“When I go outside my office and talk to people who

work in the group, it’s really irrelevant whether they

wear a uniform or not,” he says. “Everyone is aligned

to the objectives we are trying to achieve, and I think

that’s consistent throughout the department.

“In PSP we have areas that are predominantly staffed

by APS members, yet their output is solely focused

on the ADF – and there is nothing unusual about that.

It is very easy to integrate staff when they have a

clear objective. It’s the unifying aspect of our goal that

makes the workforce quite content and ready to get

on with doing their work.”

Major General Fogarty says the implementation of

shared services reform is also an exciting prospect

this year. Broadly, this program represents the

transformation of corporate support functions to

deliver Force2030 in line with Defence’s strategic and

reform commitments.

“Our workforce is very excited about shared services

reform,” Major General Fogarty says. “We’ve been

working on this for the past 18 months – the solution

has been crafted and this year it will be implemented.

We can see the benefits it will deliver.”

Of course, none of this is worth much if the

organisation’s culture doesn’t inspire people to

be the best they can. PSP, which is providing

secretariat support for the series of culture

reviews announced by Defence Minister

Stephen Smith in April last year, is working

closely with the Secretary and CDF to

support initiatives that will enhance

Defence’s cultural intent now and into

the future.

“People come to Defence for

a variety of reasons, but our

culture is why they stay,” Major

General Fogarty says. “having

a compelling employment offer

is not just about the tangible

aspects – like how much

people are paid. It is also

about the environment in

which they will be working and this is where culture comes into play.

“PSP is working hard to help the Secretary and CDF build an organisation where we have a valued, committed and sustainable workforce; one of which the Australian public can be very proud.”

47 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 46Issue 1 2012

DEFENCE recognises that achieving change is not

just a case of opening up job roles to everyone,

irrespective of gender. It requires good policy

and the effective application of that policy – a

responsibility of all Defence people.

Over several decades Defence has improved its

policies to enable people from diverse backgrounds

to flourish through the use of flexible working

arrangements, promotion of knowledge and

skills development, and through proactive career

management.

These changes have enhanced Defence’s ability

to attract capable talent from a broader proportion

of the Defence and Australian community and

allowed those people to stay with Defence longer

and through the changing stages of their lives and

careers.

head People Policy, Philippa Crome, attributes her

success to setting goals, having open discussions

about her career goals, and having been lucky

enough to have great mentors who helped her

shape her skills and experiences to enable her to

achieve the goals she set.

her career in the APS spans two decades and she

says she has never felt as though her gender has

held her back.

“The APS is a great career option for women –

the breadth of departments and agencies and

the scope of work done means the options are

endless,” Philippa says.

“It is a good time to be a woman in the APS. Female

employees have achieved equal rates of pay for

equal work, and we’re seeing an increase in women

in senior leadership roles, with four females now

holding secretarial appointments.

“From my experience, you get to work with great

people who can provide you with support to achieve

your career aspirations.”

Currently 57 per cent of ongoing APS employees

are women, while in the Defence APS women

represent about 40 per cent of the workforce.

While representation of women in the Defence APS

is fairly strong, there are smaller numbers of women

moving into leadership roles with women currently

representing 30 per cent at the EL1 level and 18.5

per cent at the EL2 level.

Philippa says more could be done to encourage

women to pursue leadership, with mentoring and

flexibility important factors.

Philippa has called on the Defence APS workforce

to seek out flexibility and make use of the provisions

that are in place to enable both men and women

to achieve a balance between their lives and career

goals.

“All of the agencies I have worked in have had

a number of flexible work practices available

for all employees, but there still seems to be

some reluctance among employees to have a

discussion with their managers about whether the

various options may be suitable to their particular

circumstances,” she says.

Flexibility is not the only factor at play concerning

lower levels of representation of women in Defence

APS leadership.

Philippa says Defence is aware that there is still

a particular shortage in the recruitment of senior

women at the EL2 level, and that women are the

minority on development programs, even though 37

per cent aspire to reaching EL2 level.

“Recruitment and promotion in the APS is based

on merit, not quotas. People need to believe in

themselves, irrespective of their gender, and ensure

they set themselves goals to achieve.”

Wing Commander Dee Gibbon is one example

of someone who has thrived under Defence’s

flexible workplace policies. She joined the Air Force

more than 20 years ago and says it has changed

dramatically over recent years, in incredibly positive

ways.

Achieving the right balance

By Lisa Smallacombe

“I am exceptionally proud of the fact that I have built my career, achieved academic success and been promoted within Air Force while always prioritising my children and family life, and I encourage other women to do the same,” Wing Commander Gibbon says.

“Women in today’s ADF are facing fewer and fewer gender-based limitations as technology improves, artificial constraints and barriers are removed and the organisational culture becomes more accepting of the multitude of benefits that diversity brings to the organisation, at every rank and in every job role.”

But, there is still further change needed to ensure Defence is able to accommodate all people as they progress through various life stages, so the younger generations will have greater options and face fewer challenges, Wing Commander Gibbon says.

“We continue to lose so many women at ‘mothering stage’, because for many women, especially those in high-tempo operational roles, a full-time ADF career simply becomes untenable once they start having children,” she says.

ADF members face unique challenges, such as the need to deploy, the physical risks associated with some roles, and moves to new locations that come with an inability to live near extended family and established networks that make life easier for families. Defence develops unique workplace

policies that seek to balance these challenges, but

they can only be as effective as their application

allows.

“The greatest challenge for me was overcoming

the negative ingrained perceptions that still

surround flexibility and part-time work in Defence.

We are working incredibly hard to change these

perceptions,” Wing Commander Gibbon says.

Another area for improvement is greater

acknowledgement and recognition that women

bring their own range of skills and attributes into

leadership roles.

“My advice to women entering Defence is that it

isn’t necessary to masquerade as men – there

are numerous examples of women who have

succeeded in Defence and industry without rejecting

their female selves,” Wing Commander Gibbon

says.

She encourages all women coming into Defence to

both seek and become strong female role models

and mentors.

“The ADF is actively working to make networking

and mentoring opportunities for women accessible.

I encourage women to take part and to actively

build networks that will generate a real sense

of ‘sisterhood’ with other women across the

organisation.”

Defence celebrated International

Women’s Day 2012 on March 8,

acknowledging the economic,

political and social achievements

of women in the past, present

and future.

Wing Commander Dee Gibbon, an advocate of Defence’s flexible working arrangements, walks her two daughters, Maya and Evie, to school.Photo: Leading Aircraftman Bill Solomou

Anam Khan, Philippa Crome and Linda Bailey discuss their work in the sunshine at Russell Offices.Photo: Christel Starkey

CArEEr DEVELoPMENT ProGrAMS For DEFENCE WoMEN

APS

The APS offers a number of programs to enhance people’s careers. Visit http://intranet.defence.gov.au/pspg/sites/APSCareerDevelopment.

Navy

Visit the Navy intranet site for information on the Navy Women’s Strategy.

Army

Army selects female personnel to attend women’s mentoring activities annually through the Director General Career Management – Army. People can express their interest through their career managers.

Air Force

The WINGS program is a 10-month program where attendees attend a two-hour facilitated session each month. For more information contact Warrant Officer Carmel Pako on (02) 6265 4940 or email carmel.pako@defence.gov.au.

Defence 48 49Issue 1 2012

DefenceIssue 1 2012

Associate Secretary Chief Operating Officer, Simon Lewis, chats with his Chief of Staff, Kate Duncan.Photo: Lauren Black, Defence Digital Imagery

What do you do as Chief of Staff and how will

your role change now that your boss has been

appointed an Associate Secretary?

MY ROLE is to provide support and advice to

Simon and to make sure he has what he needs,

when he needs it. This often involves asking people

for information, sometimes at short notice, and

making sure that the information he receives is what

he actually needs.

I also provide advice to the Executive, other parts

of Defence and staff about Simon’s style and

preferences, and help facilitate the resolution of

issues.

Lastly, I manage the day-to-day running of the

office, although I am supported by two wonderful

people who make my life much easier: Simon’s

Senior Executive Assistant, Peta Nightingale, and

his Executive Assistant, Michelle Gilbey.

I don’t see my role changing greatly with Simon

being appointed as an Associate Secretary,

but I will need to get to know the business and

develop relationships with the people of the

Chief Information Officer and People Strategies

and Policy groups, as well as Strategic Reform

and Governance, and Ministerial and Executive

Coordination and Communication divisions, which

now all come under the Chief Operating Officer

organisation along with the Defence Support

Group. Come back in six months, though, and I

may have a different answer!

Describe your typical day.

I’m sure people in similar roles would agree that

there is no such thing as a ‘typical day’. Whatever

my priorities are when I arrive in the office they

usually change several times during the day. In

a general sense I ensure that Simon is prepared

for his day and flag any potential issues he may

need to think about. I also spend much of my day

talking to people – listening to them, giving advice

and helping to resolve issues. The key to this role

is to be flexible, approachable and to have good

relationships.

How long have you worked for Defence and in

which areas?

I started in Defence 13 years ago when I moved

from Adelaide to Canberra for the Graduate

Development Program. Since then I have worked

in a number of corporate support roles including

human resources, corporate governance, corporate

communication, ministerials and coordination. I also

spent a few years as a Departmental Liaison Officer

at Parliament house. I have worked as Simon’s

Chief of Staff for just over 12 months.

What has been the most memorable moment

of your career?

I’m not sure I have a ‘moment’ but I have had many

wonderful opportunities and experiences during my

time with Defence. On the Graduate Development

Program I visited bases and establishments in the

Northern Territory as part of the study tour and

experienced a day at sea. I spent two weeks at

Puckapunyal on the Army familiarisation course

a few years ago and I also enjoyed my time at

Parliament house.

What are some of the challenges working in

Defence and how have you overcome them?

One of the challenges of working in Defence is the sheer size of the department. Each component has

Keeping things

in orderKate Duncan has worked for Defence for 13 years and fulfilled many roles. In

her current position she is the Chief of Staff to former Deputy Secretary Defence

Support and newly appointed Associate Secretary Chief Operating Officer,

Simon Lewis. here, Kate chats to Defence about what life is like working for

such a high profile senior leader.

its own characteristics and culture that can take

time to learn.

These nuances add to the variety but, given

the fluidity, geographic dispersion and overall

pace, it can be challenging to make sure you have captured all the relevant stakeholders. I do my best to overcome this challenge by being approachable, building on existing relationships and listening to what people actually say.

“The key to this role is to be flexible, approachable and to have good relationships.”

– Kate Duncan, Chief of Staff to Associate Secretary

Chief Operating Officer

51 DefenceIssue 1 2012

Defence 50Issue 1 2012

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