Issue 7, 2009

m a g a z i n e ›

TRAINeD TO susTAINAbOve: Navy’s seahawk helicopters, home-based at 816 squadron at HMAs Albatross, have celebrated 20 years of service to the Royal Australian Navy after completing more than 60,000 hours of operations, as well as having been involved in every major Navy operation during the past 20 years. Learn more about how this milestone has been achieved through Navy's newly-implemented training regime on pages 32-33, along with many more Defence-wide articles on this theme inside.

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2www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

Defence

magazineeditor: Michael WeaverPhone: 02 6265 7117

Deputy editor: Jack FosterPhone: 02 6265 1949

Imagery support: Public Affairs Branch

Defence Magazine is produced by the Directorate of Internal Communication, Public Affairs Branch.

ISSN 1446-229X

Design and layout: Grey. GREY 18420

How to contribute to DefeNce MAgAzINe

Contact Michael Weaveror defence.magazine@defence.gov.au Phone: 02 6265 7117http://www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine/

Contents d e f e n c e m a g a z i n e ›

editorialThe Defence department’s new Secretary,

Dr Ian Watt, has now had the opportunity to put his feet under the desk and to seek input from the senior leadership group on the precise roles that each has to play. His inaugural column on p10 is a valuable insight into his roles and priorities.

In relation to our theme of training and development, it is interesting to note the Secretary’s comments on leadership training in shaping those who are promoted into positions of responsibility. “The simple fact is that you can’t expect people to be good leaders and managers if you don’t give them a helping hand with development and training opportunities,” Dr Watt said.

Likewise, the stories presented in this edition speak for themselves in terms of the initiatives that Defence utilises to train and develop its workforce.

There is an insight into language refresher courses to assist personnel in operational locations overseas; the Graduate Development Program’s annual study tour; the Australian Defence Force Academy’s Open Day. Navy, Army and Air Force are also well-tuned to importance of training and development and we have been able to highlight their efforts.

- Michael Weaver, Editor

correctionsIssue 6/2009, page 16: Tiger team to tackle asbestos inventoryThe first paragraph of the published article stated there were more than 60,000 unique items on the asbestos inventory. This figure should have been 600,000. In addition the final paragraph was also incorrect. It should have stated: “This is not an audit. We’re not walking in with a clip board to assess a unit’s hazard compliance. The AITT project is a free service that will identify and physically collect ACM within your commands”. There is NO intent to wield clipboards or blunt instruments, as stated in the published article. The importance of the work that Defence Materiel Organisation and Defence are doing in collecting and disposing of asbestos-containing material cannot be underestimated.

Issue 6/2009, pages 40-41: Marking a mark – Defence branding and the departmental logoThe graphic logos on P41 of the stylised Coat of Arms and the conventional version 3A solid were transposed during the production process.

Defence Magazine apologises for any inconvenience caused and the corrected versions of both articles can be found on the magazine’s website, at: http://www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine/.

Inside this edition

columnsSecretary 10Chief of the Defence Force 11

NewsSnapshot 4The month in pictures 12HMAS Sydney II suspicions laid to rest 14Forces combine to entertain in East Timor 16Meet ADFA’s first One-Star military officer 17

featuresArmy: Found in translation - language refresher courses 18ADFA: Academy opens its doors to precision and prospects 20Spotlight on Reform: Non-equipment procurement 22Air Force: Improvements lead to lean machine 23DMO Institute: Master class cultivates project managers 24Defence Support: ADFHEAS + GDP 26Army: Open display of Indigenous development 28Australian Command and Staff College: strategic leaders of the future 30Navy: Chief of Navy embodies cultural change 31Navy: Training for a new generation 32Air Force: New skills log + Aviation Medicine 34People Strategies and Policy: Career conversations 36DSTO: workshops on challenging conversations 37International Policy: Military Leadership Forum 38The Last Word: Director Ministerial and Executive Support, Claire Reynolds 39

PHOTO Of THe MONTH:Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Program (AACAP) medics Corporal Deane Morgan and Corporal Daniel Kelty-Gunning have fun with the kids at Western Cape College's Mapoon Campus in Queensland. Members of AACAP gave each of the children in the school their own Army bush-hats to promote being sun-smart during a 'fun Friday' at the school each week, promoting healthy bodies, exercise, good food, healthy cooking, sun safety and personal hygiene. Photo: LSPH Paul Berry

4www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

Last Vietnam Veterans return home The remains of Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver have been welcomed home during a reception ceremony attended by their family and former comrades from 2 Squadron, 39 years after they went missing on operations in Vietnam.

Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science Greg Combet said Flying Officer Herbert and Pilot Officer Carver were both enthusiastic airmen who were respected by their superiors.

“They paid the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country. Australia can finally lay these brave airmen to rest and honour their memory,” Mr Combet said.

“I hope this ceremony provides some comfort to the families of Flying Officer Herbert and Pilot Officer Carver and I thank them for their fortitude and strength since the loss of their loved ones.”

Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver disappeared on 3 November 1970 approximately 65kms south-west of Da Nang in Quang Nam Province following a night-bombing mission.

“The return of Flying Officer Herbert and Pilot Officer Carver completes the recovery of all Australian Service personnel who were lost on operations and not recovered during the Vietnam War,” Mr Combet said.

High Court decision on Australian Military Court Legislation to put in place an interim military justice system has been introduced after the Australian Military Court (AMC) was invalidated by the High Court last month.

In Lane v Morrison on 26 August 2009,

the High Court ruled on a challenge to the

constitutional validity of the AMC and the

Director of Military Prosecutions.

The Minister for Defence, Senator the

Hon. John Faulkner, said the High Court

declared that the provisions of the Defence

Force Discipline Act 1982 creating the AMC

were invalid.

“The AMC was found to be exercising

the judicial power of the Commonwealth but

did not meet the requirements of Chapter III

of the Constitution,” Senator Faulkner said.

“As an interim measure, the Government

is reintroducing the former system of trials by

court martial and Defence Force magistrates.

This system has a number of safeguards

within it to ensure that ADF members are

treated fairly.”

The interim legislation will also

give effect to punishments (other than

imprisonment) and orders that were imposed

by the former AMC.

“Beyond the interim measures introduced

by this legislation, the Government remains

committed to resolving the future of the

military justice system with certainty,”

Senator Faulkner said.

Further information appears in the Chief of

Defence Force's column on page 11.

news

snapshotbeLOW: The last Australian servicemen missing from the vietnam war were welcomed home 31 August at RAAf base Richmond. Photo: CPL Colin Dadd.RIgHT: The sail Training ship Young endeavour holds a reception whilst alongside HMAs coonawarra in Darwin. Photo: LSPH Helen Frank.

snIPsHotNext generation training for ADf pilots

A new Pilot Training System that will enhance

the Australian Defence Force’s ability to train

highly qualified and skilled pilots to operate its next

generation of airborne capabilities has been given

first pass approval.

The new system will provide student pilots with

the necessary training and qualifications, including

theory and flight experience, to enable them to

become pilots in the Navy, Army and Air Force.

The Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon.

John Faulkner, said that throughout the coming

decade the ADF plans to replace almost all of its

airborne assets with the latest generation aircraft,

requiring a greater number of pilots with more

advanced skill-sets.

“That replacement program will include fixed-

wing new air combat aircraft to be flown by Air

Force pilots and new naval aviation and troop-lift

helicopters to be flown by Navy and Army pilots,”

Senator Faulkner said.

going solo regional launch The Defence Community Organisation (DCO) has

developed a DVD to support ADF families manage

the challenges that may be experienced during a

member's absence from home.

The DVD, Going Solo Dealing with Absence

in Defence Families, was prepared to assist ADF

members and their families.

It outlines different strategies and ideas that

have been shared by ADF families to assist during

periods of service related absences.

Each family is unique and develops their

own strategies that work for them. The strategies

outlined in the DVD are aimed at providing families

with some ideas that will enhance some of the

things they may already be doing as a family.

ADf separation rate at 10-year low

The ADF is experiencing its lowest separation

rate in the past decade, with the 12-month average

separation rate falling to 9.4 per cent in July 2009.

Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and

d e f e n c e m a g a z i n e ›

continued page 7 >

Young endeavour visits Darwin Sail training ship Young Endeavour recently arrived in Darwin as part her six-month circumnavigation of Australia, marking the ship’s first visit to the Northern Territory in eight years.

Commanding Officer Young Endeavour, Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Gavin Dawe, said the ship is now celebrating 21 years of life changing voyages for young Australians.

“During the six-month circumnavigation we will embark more than 700 young men and women to participate in our unique development program—including many from North and West Australia who will sail Young Endeavour while the ship is in their coastal waters,” LCDR Dawe said.

Since setting sail in May, Young Endeavour has visited Brisbane, Bundaberg, Mackay, Airlie Beach, Townsville, Cairns and Darwin. The ship will visit Exmouth, Fremantle, Esperance, Adelaide and Williamstown before returning to Sydney in December.

The Young Endeavour Youth Scheme, in partnership with the Royal Australian Navy, has provided challenging training voyages for more than 11,000 young Australians.

These voyages provide the youth crew with

a unique, challenging and inspirational experience

that increases self awareness, develops teamwork

and leadership skills and creates a strong sense of

community responsibility.

enhanced virtual world for test-driving aircraft The ADF’s flight simulation research facility has been given a $1.7 million upgrade with the launch of the new Air Operations Simulation Centre in Melbourne.

Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel

and Science, The Hon. Greg Combet, said the

new simulation centre was capable of accurately

simulating the full scope of flight operations and

combat scenarios for a variety of military aircraft.

“The facility is designed to introduce a far

more realistic and immersive experience for pilots

and operators, and allows Defence to test-drive

aircraft and tactics without leaving the ground,”

Mr Combet said.

6www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

news

snapshot

“By recreating real-life situations in a virtual

environment, this facility allows air combat operations

to be rehearsed and evaluated at a significantly reduced

cost and without putting ADF personnel in harm’s way.”

In addition to supporting in-service aircraft,

the upgraded centre will also be used to support

the acquisition of the Multi-Role Helicopter and to

perform analysis for the new Super Hornets.

The upgraded facility will enable the Defence

Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) to

communicate live over secure networks with other

defence facilities around the world, facilitating joint

and coalition exercises on a larger scale.

The launch of the enhanced facility coincides

with the 70th anniversary of DSTO’s Fishermans

Bend laboratory, where the black box flight recorder

was invented in the 1950s.

navy finds missing vessel in tonga A combined dive team New Zealand and Australia operating from the Tongan patrol boat VOEA Pangai recently completed Operation Ashika Assist—the ADF’s contribution to the recovery of any human remains on board the MV Princess Ashika, which sank on 5 August 2009.

Sonar Imagery from the Royal New Zealand

Navy’s Remote Environment Measuring Underwater

System (REMUS) detachment revealed a vessel on

the ocean floor with dimensions matching those

of the ferry which sank in waters South West of

Nomuka in the Ha’apai group of islands.

The vessel is sitting in 110m of water, and has a bow section, bridge, passenger accommodation and cargo bays matching those of the MV Princess Ashika. At a depth of 110m, the vessel was beyond the capability of the Clearance Dive Team.

Executive Officer of the Australian Clearance Dive Team One, Lieutenant (LEUT) Ben Fennell, said that his team wishes they could have done more.

“I am very pleased that we could assist the Tongan people in their time of need and I only wish that we could have done more to help with the recovery of their loved ones,” LEUT Fennell said.

The Royal New Zealand Navy will now attempt to obtain visual identification early next week with a special underwater vessel that can capture video at depth.

This location coincides with the EPIRB signal and the location of the Ferry Master’s final radio call. Debris and oil was also seen in the area.

Australians chalk one up for education in tarin KowtThe Governor of Oruzgan province, Assadullah Hamdam, has thanked Australian Army engineers for their efforts in refurbishing the Tarin Kowt Boy’s School.

Governor Hamdam said that education was

important for the future of his country and its people.

“It’s important that people get an education,

so by education we know the difference between

good and bad,” Governor Hamdam said.

The original school has been refurbished

as well as the construction of a new building

containing 21 additional classrooms. The

development also includes complete site services,

new ablutions, a generator, and a new septic

system and water tower.

Oruzgan Director of Education, Malem

Rahmattulah Khan, stressed the importance of

such facilities.

“Education is like the eyes of the human, if

a man does not have eyes then he doesn’t know

where he’s going,” Mr Khan said.

“So by this school their eyes will be open, we

concur with this, however this is not enough, we

want more schools like this so that our society can

receive a good education.”

RIgHT: Oruzgan governor Assadullah Hamdan and the Director of education, Malem Rahmattulah Khan, cut the ribbon at the opening of the school in Tarin Kowt. Photo: LCPL Joshua NewbeLOW RIgHT: This image shows the Mv PRINcess AsHIKA on the seabed. The large balls in the picture are very large rock spheres. Depth is 110 metres.

continued from page 5 >

Science, The Hon. Greg Combet said that Navy,

Army and Air Force have experienced significant

decreases in separation rates.

“Another pleasing aspect of this result is that

more young people are getting first-class training

from the ADF at a time when Australia needs to build

its workforce skills base,” Mr Combet said. ADF

personnel strength is currently 56,522, representing a

growth of 1,919 permanent members during the past

year, including 1,454 Reservists on full-time service.

base security ReviewThe recent review of Defence's protective

security arrangements has been finalised.

Several recommendations have been made to

enhance security in response to the changing nature

of potential threats.

The Chief of the Defence Force and the Secretary

have directed that a program of work commence to

implement the recommendations. This will be led

by Head Defence Support Operations and the Chief

Security Officer.

More information will be available in the next

edition of Defence Magazine.

Navy joins Indonesian celebrations

Hundreds of thousands of Indonesians have

turned out to watch a contingent of Royal Australian

Navy ships take part in celebrations to mark the 64th

anniversary of Indonesian independence.

HMAS Darwin and the hydrographic survey vessel

HMAS Leeuwin were among 38 participating ships in the

Indonesian Fleet Review, a centrepiece of the celebrations.

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral (VADM) Russ Crane,

joined his Indonesian hosts and regional counterparts

for the Fleet Review, and said it was an opportunity

for RAN sailors to meet and interact with sailors from

around the world.

VADM Crane added that maintaining Australia’s

strong ties with Indonesia is vital and that the RAN’s

participation in this event was an example of the

strong naval cooperation between the nations.

4sQn in airfield seizure Personnel of the newly reformed 4 Squadron (4SQN) performed the unit’s first deliberate parachute descent since WWII when they jumped at 1000 feet into Nackeroo Airfield within Bradshaw Field Training area, near Timber Creek in the Northern Territory.

Forming part of the Special Tactics Squadron

(STS) during Exercise Talisman Saber, the exercise

was designed to rehearse the seizure of an austere

airfield, involving coordination between air traffic

control and the co-ordination of offensive fires,

such as airstrikes and artillery.

Personnel trained alongside their US counterparts

to ensure interoperability between the two units as

the 4 SQN capability continues to progress.

Commanding Officer 4 SQN, Wing Commander

(WGCDR) Dave Paddison said the 320th STS

operators had great deal of experience in this type

of operation,” WGCDR Paddison said.

“Coordinating technically complex air support

in a challenging environment is highly rewarding.

“They all face a steep learning curve in order

to deliver the full range of capabilities similar to

their USAF counterparts.”

STSs are also utilised in non-warlike

scenarios, such as disaster relief or non-combatant

evacuation operations. EOIs to become a special

tactics operator will be called for later this year

for a 2010 intake. Personnel interested in applying

should visit the 4SQN intranet homepage.

Army puts lid on wasteAustralian Army engineers have been busy devising simple solutions for Tarin Kowt’s sanitation and waste management needs.

The town has had septic tanks installed and

Army engineers are half-way through constructing a

sanitation system to manage the waste from the tanks.

Project Engineer Captain (CAPT) Daniel

Waugh said the waste management facility was

a great step in the right direction to improve

sanitation in Tarin Kowt.

“This facility is the next block that Tarin Kowt

needs,” CAPT Waugh said.

“Previous rotations started the process by putting

septic tanks in the schools and hospitals they've built.

Now we're building on that by giving that waste

somewhere to go.

“Our future plans involve the construction of

public toilets to centralise public waste, in line with

mentoring of local government departments to

manage the collection and dumping of the waste.”

The facility is a simple, low-maintenance

solution to a long standing problem. Now the work

remains to ensure that the Mayor’s Office is able

to manage the ongoing use of the facility and the

future development of a sanitation system in town.

snIPsHotcontinued from page 5 >

beLOW: Members of No.4 sQN Joint Termi

nal Attack

controller (JTAc) unit conduct continuatio

n training

in the field around RAAf base Williamtown

.

Photo: LAC Craig Barrett

8www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

news

snapshot

elections in AfghanistanThe Afghanistan elections have proceeded with minimal disruption, despite the reported 16 incidents involving rocket, mortar and small arms fire in six areas across the Oruzgan province.

The Minister for Defence, Senator The Hon. John

Faulkner, said the successful conduct of the elections

is a tribute to the resolve of the Afghan people and the

efforts of the Australian Defence Force.

“Voters proved their resilience and determination

by turning up and casting their votes,” Senator

Faulkner said.

“Only one polling centre had to close for less than

30 minutes during the day before resuming operations.”

The attacks included multiple 107mm rocket and

82mm mortar strikes, rocket-propelled grenades and

small arms fire. Almost all the rocket attacks were

fired at maximum distance or were poorly directed.

Australian forces engaged the firing point for one

rocket attack against a patrol base to the north of Tarin

Kowt using three rounds of canon fire.

Through all these attacks there have been no

reports of loss of life or equipment damage.

Security forces will now resume normal duties

and continue to put pressure on the Taliban insurgents.

ADF completes Kokoda missionThe ADF has recently completed its mission to support search and recovery operations near Kokoda in Papua New Guinea following an Airlines PNG crash that killed all 13 passengers including nine Australians.

The recovery effort was managed through

the PNG Rescue Coordination Centre with several

agencies providing support the task.

For five days, Australian, PNG and AFP forces

worked to retrieve all bodies and aircraft parts for

identification and further investigation. Australian

officials in PNG also helped to load and unload

supplies for use at the crash site.

Assets from all three Services were deployed to

help local authorities, including an Army Black Hawk

helicopter and the Air Force’s Caribou to deliver the

Airlines PNG engines to Australian Transport Safety

Bureau investigation officials.

separate acts of bravery recognisedSergeant (SGT) Damion King of 1st Combat Services Support Regiment has been recognised for his bravery after rescuing two personnel from a submerged army ambulance, while the rescue of five shipmates washed overboard at night in high seas and heavy weather has also won Bravery Medals for three Australian submariners.

Privates Matthew Pullen and Aimian Magyak

were driving the vehicle as part of a driving course in

February 2008, and had to negotiate a flooded roadway

after their convoy passed Corroboree Park, in the

Northern Territory.

When their vehicle was swept off the road

into the flooded creek, the vehicle immediately took

on water and the cabin of the vehicle was entirely

RIgHT: An Australian Army Aviation Aircrewman Loadmaster guides Papua New guinea Defence force (PNgDf) and Papua New guinea Police force (PNgPf) on to a waiting Australian Army black Hawk Helicopter, at the crash site in Papua New guinea. Photo: CPL Chris Moore

submerged. SGT King was travelling in the vehicle

behind the ambulance, and when he saw what

happened, he immediately jumped into the water to

render assistance.

As a result of Sergeant King’s actions, Privates

Pullen and Magyak were safely returned to the

roadside and the vehicle was later recovered by the

unit’s recovery element.

And for their extraordinary efforts to rescue their

shipmates in rough seas in March 2009, submariners

Chief Petty Officer Rohan Pugh, Petty Officer Greg

Langshaw and Leading Seaman Steven Rowell

received Bravery Medals on behalf of the Australian

Bravery Decorations Council.

Presented by the Governor-General Quentin

Bryce on August 17, the three Bravery Medallists

were members of the recovery party and entered the

turbulent water at great risk to themselves to ensure

that their shipmates were all recovered safely.

new ADF officer aviation remuneration structureThe independent Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal has recently approved a new remuneration structure for ADF officer aircrew and air traffic control officers.

Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel

and Science The Hon. Greg Combet said that

the remuneration outcomes are an important

component of the total employment package

provided for the men and women of the ADF.

“The new Officer Aviation Remuneration

Structure (OARS) introduces a flexible

remuneration system that ensures this

specialist military workforce of more than

2,000 members receives comparable pay for

comparable work against the aviation industry

benchmark,” Mr Combet said.

“The ADF is currently facing the greatest

capability acquisition program in its history and

this leading-edge remuneration system for officer

aircrew and air traffic control officers will go

a long way to safeguard Defence’s substantial

investment in this workforce.”

Mr Combet said that the major capability

growth within Defence is in the acquisition of

new aircraft for the Navy, Army and Air Force.

Successful introduction into service of these

systems will result in unprecedented air power

capability for the ADF.

“Critical to the success of these acquisition

programs is a dedicated and experienced

workforce that can not only continue to deliver

capability, but also manage and contribute to

complex transition programs involving state-of-

the art technologies.

“Aircrew and air traffic control skills are

only accumulated over years of training, at

significant expense to Defence, and are highly

sought by industry.

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9

d e f e n c e m a g a z i n e ›

LefT: sergeant Damion King renders assistance after an Army ambulance was submerged in a flooded roadway in the Northern Territory. sergeant King's actions earned him a bravery award from the Australian bravery Decorations council.

10www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

seCretArY’s CoLuMn

s you read this column I will have been in my new role as secretary for more than a month. My priority has been to begin the process of getting to know the organisation and

its people, starting to understand the opportunities and problems, and as an organisation starting to examine the issues we face in the business.

I have met with every Three-Star/Deputy

Secretary and familiarised myself with the role

they and their organisations play in Defence. We

have discussed their priorities, problems and

opportunities, the Strategic Reform Program and

how it affects them, Force 2030, and much more.

These activities are the beginning of my

sustained interaction with Defence’s senior

leadership and have emphasised for me the

enormous range of activity that takes place in

Defence, and the sheer volume of things that go

on. I have observed that, in general,

Defence meets its challenges, with the

inevitable observation that there are always

areas in need of improvement.

I have also found very useful the meetings

I have had with the Minister for Defence, John

Faulkner, Minister for Defence Personnel,

Materiel, and Science, Greg Combet, and

Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support,

Mike Kelly. It is interesting to get a sense of

Defence from their vantage point and to learn

that overall, they have a very positive view of

what Defence does and the way it does it.

As I settle further in to my new role I intend

to seek input more widely from the Defence

leadership. The importance of good leaders and

managers in a time of change cannot be overstated

and this is reflected in the theme of this month’s

Defence Magazine, training and development.

In this issue you will see stories that

highlight the good work being done in Defence to

train and develop its people. I am impressed by

these stories and by the innovation that Defence

shows in training programs such as the Graduate

Development Program (Graduates experience

sharp end of Defence, p27), its commitment to

technical training evident in stories such as Air

Force’s new skills log (Skills log project delivers

precise control, p35) and DMO’s commitment

to further education through its DMO Institute

(Masterclass - cultivating the project managers

of the future, p24).

But over and above that, leadership and

management training is of particular interest to

me. This is discussed in part in an article about

the importance of career conversations (The art of

career conversation, p36).

I realised early in my executive career that

the necessary leadership and management skills

do not always come easily to those fortunate

enough to be promoted into positions of

responsibility. Leadership training has had a major

role in shaping my own thoughts and actions

in managing people since I (rather belatedly)

undertook my first Australian Public Service

Commission (APSC) program in 1996. The simple

fact is that you can’t expect people to be good

leaders and managers if you don’t give them

a helping hand with development and training

opportunities. It’s far from the whole story, but it

does help people lead and manage.

During my time as head of the Department of

Finance and Deregulation, the agency underwent a

major change in the way it trained and developed its

leaders. We introduced and embedded a program

that targeted all bands of leadership from EL1 to

senior SES, and supported this by encouraging

participation in external courses offered by the

APSC, and major national and international

institutions for the most senior managers.

One of the many results was an improvement

in recruitment and retention as the program

became part of attracting good people and keeping

them. No public service organisation can afford to

ignore the opportunity to reap such benefits. But,

most importantly, we helped people become better

leaders and managers, and that had a major pay

off for staff and managers alike.

I am proud of what was achieved, and look

forward to becoming involved in supporting and

shaping leadership training and development in

Defence. I am aware, through my introductory

conversations, that an APS Career Management

Framework is being developed by People

Strategies and Policy and I will offer my full

support to its implementation.

It is easy to allow training and development to

fall victim to the conflicting pressures of day-to-day

activities, operations and budget constraints. I urge

managers not to let this happen. It is important

that we get full value out of our training budgets.

It is also important to look for innovative ways

to develop staff that provide opportunities to

widen their experience and benefit their career

progression. That is, after all an important part of

leadership and management.

A

RIgHT: The new Defence secretary, Dr Ian Watt is welcomed into the job, at a meeting between the Minister for Defence, senator the Hon. John faulkner and the chief of the Defence force, Air chief Marshal Angus Houston.Photo: Steve Dent

www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

11

CHIeF oF tHe DeFenCe ForCe’s CoLuMn

y now, you will no doubt be aware of the recent successful challenge to the constitutional validity of the Australian Military court (AMc).

The AMC was designed to enhance the independence and impartiality of discipline within the ADF by trying ADF members in a judicial manner. It operated for almost two years and replaced the previous system of trial by courts-martial and Defence Force magistrates.

I want it to be clear from the outset that although the High Court has held the AMC to be invalid, this is certainly is not a reflection on the sterling work undertaken by the Chief Military Judge, Military judges, registrar and associated AMC and registry staff, who worked very hard to implement what was an innovative discipline arrangement within the ADF. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their great work and diligence.

Immediately following the High Court’s decision, a number of measures were implemented to ensure effective discipline within the ADF. Some of these measures were interim in nature, such as the temporary suspension of summary trials, which have since been reinstituted in a modified form. Some of the measures are transitionary, moving trials which would otherwise have been heard by the AMC to the reinstituted system of courts-martial and Defence Force magistrates.

Finally, some measures will continue to be evolutionary, as we seek to merge transitory measures with those parts of the discipline system not called into question by the High Court. Legislation is currently being drafted to affect these measures.

In order to assist you as we embark upon

this period of transition, I have directed some

material be prepared to assist ADF members in

understanding their rights and responsibilities

under our new discipline system. This material

will be available on the Military Justice Intranet

site (http:intranet.defence.gov.au/militaryjustice).

Of course, for those of you who have been in the

ADF for longer than two years, many aspects of our

transitionary system will be familiar to you.

There are two very important points that I ask

you to bear in mind as you familiarise yourselves

with our interim and, eventually, new systems.

The first is that although our discipline system is

changing in relation to the highest level of Service

tribunal, the other parts of our system, such as the

investigation and charging of Service offences;

the Discipline Officer scheme; and summary

authority trials—which make up 96 per cent of

all disciplinary matters in the ADF—will continue

largely unaffected. Therefore, I stress to you that the

discipline system within the ADF remains operative.

Secondly, I remind you that the system

of discipline established by the Defence Force

Discipline Act 1982 is too often considered to be

the only source of discipline within the ADF. This

perspective is a myth and sells short the role each

member of the ADF plays in ensuring the ADF

remains an effective, disciplined force.

The ADF is held in high regard by the Australian

public and the international community not because

of our discipline system, but because of our

reputation for self-discipline, esprit de corps, and for

coming together in the face of adversity to overcome

challenges. This highlights the simple truth that

Australians in general, and the ADF in particular,

work hard to not let down their mates.

Our discipline system exists for those times

when an ADF member does let down his or her

mates, but at the end of the day, it is a port of last

resort. This fact does not change regardless of any

modifications to our discipline system.

In the coming months work will begin to

achieve the Government’s vision of a successor to

the system of trial by courts-martial and Defence

Force magistrates, to which we have had to revert.

The exact form of this new court is yet to be

finalised, but the vision for it is clear.

We must provide the ADF with a first-class

discipline system which affords the greatest

possible rights to a member accused of having

committed a Service offence, whilst providing

effective, efficient support to ADF commanders to

ensure that they have the resources with which

to do their jobs. I believe the men and women

of the ADF deserve no less than the support of a

court that will serve as a reliable backbone to our

discipline system.

A first-class discipline system

b

Our discipline system exists for those times when an ADF member does let down his or her mates, but at the end of the day, it is a port of last resort. This fact does not change regardless of any modifications to our discipline system.

‘‘’’

LefT: A Royal Navy

Merlin helicopter on

takes the opportunity

to conduct deck landing practice on

HMAs Toowoomba's

flight deck during a

day of training in the

gulf of Oman. Photo:

Courtesy Commonwealth

of Australia

Merlin magic visits Toowoomba in the Middle eastIt was a meeting of allies off the coast of Oman in the Arabian gulf recently when a Merlin helicopter from the united Kingdom’s Royal Navy dropped in on HMAs Toowoomba to conduct some combined training activities.

The Merlin helicopter was from the Royal Navy’s 902 expeditionary Air Wing (eAW), 814 squadron and conducted a day’s training with HMAs Toowoomba which is deployed in the Northern Arabian sea in support of Operation slipper – Australia’s military contribution to the International coalition Against Terrorism.

The crew of the Merlin detachment based at seeb airfield, in Muscat, Oman, were delighted to have the opportunity to work with Toowoomba and get some rare deck time practice, particularly with a Royal Australian Navy Anzac class frigate.

With Toowoomba’s own seahawk helicopter (call sign Pegasus) also airborne at the time, both aircraft flew in company and images of the Merlin helicopter (call sign sabretooth) landing on Toowoomba’s were taken to record the event.

Members of HMAsToowoomba’s flight deck team were pleased to get an opportunity to work with the Merlin as it provided some new and interesting experience, particularly given the size of the aircraft.

The opportunity was also greatly appreciated by the Royal Navy aircrew who were able to consolidate some valuable embarked operations which is not available to them whilst they are based ashore at seeb in Oman.

commander Ingham, who accepted an invitation to fly in the Merlin, was very impressed with the power and nimbleness of the helicopter, given the considerable size of the airframe.

since her arrival in the Middle east Area of Operations in June, HMAs Toowoomba has taken every opportunity to forge strong relationships with the other coalition forces deployed to the gulf.

This is allowing members of her crew to regularly conduct Personnel exchange Programs which is providing new professional experiences, promoting cooperation and enhancing our understanding of how other navies operate.

814 sQN, deployed to the Middle east on rotation since 2003, has three Merlin helicopters permanently deployed to Oman as part of the part of the Royal Navy’s commitment to operations in the gulf.

In PICtures

LefT: Members from

the Pacific fleet band - Hawaii, along

with members of the

RAN band, provide

a musical ensemble

prior to the start of

the 64th Anniversary

of The end of the War

in the Pacific, in Pearl

Harbour, Hawaii, during a ceremony

held onboard the uss Missouri Memorial. Photo: LSPH

Brenton Freind

RIgHT: Air-to-air imagery of a 75 squadron f/A-18 Hornet over a Northern Territory landscape. Photo: LAC Casey Smith

d e f e n c e m a g a z i n e ›

On friday, 28 August, the Deputy chief of Army, Major general (MAJgeN) Paul symon, and the Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK), H. e. sam gerovich, unveiled the Australian Army Korean War Memorial Plaque at Observation Post (OP) Tai Poong, located along the demilitarised zone (DMz) in south Korea.

Created by Dr Ross Bastiaan, a Colonel in the Active Reserve, the plaque outlines the involvement of Australian Armed Forces in the Korean War and provides detail on the Battle of Maryang San, as OP Tai Poong overlooks the hill that was the site of the battle in early October 1951.

The plaque is one of three dedicated Korean War plaques. The plaque “recognises the friendship between Australia and the Republic of Korea, and remembers those brave individuals who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of freedom,” MAJGEN Symon said in a short speech at the ceremony.

The ceremony was well attended by both the local and international community, with a number of Korean national veterans who had fought in the local terrain being present. The 28th Division from the ROK Army, who man OP Tai Poong, was especially generous in its support to the ceremony with the provision of personnel and equipment. The ceremony lasted 20 minutes and all who attended commented on how fitting the plaque was both for the event and wider occasion. The location of the plaque ensures that it will be well seen by both military and civilian persons.

MAJGEN Symon also had opportunity to meet with the ROK Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Kim Tae Young. They concluded that there were a number of similarities between the ROK Armed Forces and the ADF; both being concerned with common regional challenges, both operating extensively with the US military and sharing similar weapons and hardware systems. These points of commonality continue to build on an already strong relationship.

Australian Army Korean War Memorial Plaque unveiled

13www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

AbOve: Air force's Indigenous Affairs liaison officer Leading Aircraftwoman Deborah booker, with seven-year-old Mary colquhoun, who drew a picture of the balloon for the visiting crew at Nhulunbuy Primary school's oval as part of a journey through Arnhem Land called exercise Arnhem Drifter.

AbOve: Avionics Technician, Leading Aircraftman Michael greck checks the ram bleed air ducts of a f/A-18 as part of the pre-flight checks during exercise Thai boomerang at Korat Air force base in Thailand. Photo: LAC Casey Smith

beLOW: former Royal Australian Navy

sub Lieutenant Donald Reed receives

a medal on his 87th birthday. sub

Lieutenant Reed became the reluctant

centre of attention when he was awarded

a prestigious overseas service medal

from World War II. The award was

never actually handed to Mr Reed, who

eventually settled back into civilian life

after the war. Don’s case was brought

to the attention of the Netherlands

government, with whom he served, which

was quick to investigate his case and

make for an impromptu birthday present.

Photo: LSPH Nina Nikolin

LefT: sergeant gavino Mura of the school of Artillery, Puckapunyal victoria, has his face painted by chief of Army Lieutenant general Ken gillespie to raise awareness of the blue september organisation's prostate cancer campaign. Photo: Bryan Doherty

military truism states that when choosing between a conspiracy and a mistake to explain defeat, the latter is inevitably correct because the former requires planning.

And so, according to HMAS Sydney II Commission of Inquiry (COI) President, the Honourable Terence Cole, an error of judgement was the reason Sydney sank because her captain, Joseph Burnett, made the mistake of not treating the HSK Kormoran as suspicious.

The battlefield tipped decisively in Kormoran’s favour once Sydney came within 1500m – negating her tactical strengths and allowing the German raider to gain first strike advantage and cause the deaths of all 645 crew members.

No Japanese submarines working in tandem with the German Navy were necessary to sink Sydney. Neither was a fake surrender or mines or any of the other 25 conspiracy theories to blame. The Commission concluded that although there were “…frauds, conspiracies or speculations, none of which has any substance whatsoever”.

Sydney was plainly out-gunned by one of the most successful German raiders of WWII.

Examining hours of video imagery, large quantities of historical documents, photographs and other publications, the Defence and Science Technology Organisation (DSTO) in conjunction with the Royal Australian Institution of Naval Architects, helped explain how the less-well-equipped Kormoran sank the battle-hardened veteran that was Sydney.

According to the Commission’s report, within about five minutes, the heavy gun and small arms barrage had killed or disabled about 70 per cent of Sydney’s crew, including most of her officers.

During the battle, no less than 87, 15cm shells struck Sydney and at least 200,000 pieces of shrapnel penetrated her plating. The bridge, gunnery control tower and at least two gun turrets were destroyed. A torpedo struck her bow causing extensive flooding. Her decks were strafed by a variety of light armaments and machine guns resulting in fire and the destruction of the ship's plane and life-rafts (damage to the port side is shown above).

So why did CAPT Burnett allow Sydney to come so close to Kormoran? In attempting to answer this question, the COI undertook new research into a number of issues directly relevant to the loss of Sydney. This included what information was available CAPT Burnett on the day that Sydney confronted Kormoran.

Twice daily, all Australian warships including Sydney, were sent a Shipping Intelligence Message, or SIM, from the Navy. This formed the basis of the Vessels in Area Indicated Chart (VAI) that told a captain about what shipping he could expect to encounter. The SIMs sent to Sydney on both 18 and 19 November 1941 stated that she should not expect to encounter any friendly shipping on those dates.

In order to test the accuracy of these SIMs and the subsequent VAI chart, the Commission reconstructed the original source of information used to create the SIMs.

This meant analysing 8,742 Merchant Shipping Index Cards from every allied ship

operating in Australian territorial waters during WWII. From this, the report found that Sydney had been correctly informed that she should not expect to come across any friendly ships.

Notwithstanding the circumstances of Sydney’s tragic demise, in the view of Commissioner Cole, CAPT Burnett was performing his duty as Commanding Officer in seeking to identify an unknown ship and no findings of negligence were made by the COI – the report nevertheless describes his decision to treat the unknown ship as innocent rather than suspicious as an “error of judgment”.

This error in judgment was to disregard known movements of shipping and assess the ship as innocent, when it was not on Sydney’s plot and therefore not expected to be in the area. With some justification CAPT Burnett may have disregarded the VAI because sometimes it was inaccurate and as a matter of fact, no German raider had ever been spotted off the Australian coast since the outbreak of the war.

However, existing Australian naval procedures required ships not appearing on the VAI to be treated as suspicious. Had CAPT Burnett followed this protocol, he would have brought Sydney to action stations, remained at least seven nautical miles away (out of effective torpedo range), and adopted a more aggressive signalling system.

CAPT Burnett had followed this procedure on three previous occasions when he had ordered Sydney to action stations upon sighting an unidentified vessel. One of these occurred on 2 June 1941 and was only about 70 nautical miles from the encounter with Kormoran.

By Lieutenant Alistair Tomlinson

www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

14

A

news

HMAs Sydney II suspicions laid to rest

d e f e n c e m a g a z i n e ›

The decision by CAPT Burnett not to treat Kormoran as suspicious was not based on any guise or deceit by the German raider, as the two ships were 20 nautical miles apart when mutually spotted. Several subsequent actions by Kormoran should have resulted in CAPT Burnett changing his perception that the ship was innocent, to the ship was suspicious.

These included Kormoran’s premature turn into the sun and increase in speed after it was spotted by Sydney; her obfuscated and delayed flag signals in response to various requests from Sydney; an extended chase lasting more than an hour; and the incorrect use of ‘Q’ messages by Kormoran.

The report concludes that these factors, individually or collectively, should have caused Captain Burnett to alter his assessment of the unidentified ship from appearing innocent to appearing suspicious. However, wartime command involves assessments and risks and it cannot be said how others, if placed in CAPT Burnett’s position would have acted.

“Human nature is such that once it is known that a course of action results in tragedy, no one will admit that they would have taken that course of action,” Mr Cole said.

“And it is never to be forgotten that Captain Burnett and his crew lost their lives during the performance of their military duty of investigating an unknown vessel whilst protecting Australian shipping lanes. Although Sydney was lost, she succeeded in ridding the sea lanes of an enemy raider.”

This conclusion was endorsed by Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral (VADM) Russ Crane.

“An appreciation of the training, tactics and procedures of the time and the particular circumstances of the day in question, including the fact that merchant vessels frequently did not properly respond to queries by warships, must be taken into account to help understand why HMAS Sydney II approached so close to HSK Kormoran,” VADM Crane said.

The Commission concluded that although there were

…frauds, conspiracies or speculations, none of which has any substance whatsoever

‘‘’’ www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine15

beLOW: Approaching the site of HMAs Sydney II, HMAs Sydney is silhouetted by first light, as invited guests prepare to pay their respects to those who lost their lives. Photo: ABPH Andrew Dakin

LefT: Lieutenant commander (LcDR) John Quinn (retired) looks out over the Indian Ocean on sunset on the flight deck of HMAs Manoora in transit to the HMAs Sydney site. LcDR Quinn was the commanding Officer of HMAs Jarapet the vietnam War. LcDR Quinn also lost his father, Petty Officer cook george Quinn, on HMAs Sydney II.

AbOve: Denise Harris, who never met her father (Able seaman Dennis Paling who was lost on HMAs Sydney II) stands over the site of the sinking, with HMAs Sydney in the background.

AbOve 2: senior chaplain barrie Yesberg, RAN pays tribute to the fallen over the site of HMAs Sydney II, on HMAs Manoora. HMAs Sydney is in the background during the ceremony.

LefT: The HMAs Sydney II replica bell, with HMAs Sydney in the background, during the ceremony over the site of the sinking of HMAs Sydney II.

16www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

news

fter performing a series of live radio broadcasts, Australian radio personalities, music legends and comedians have returned from one of the most successful forces

entertainment Tours to east Timor.

The Helicopter Point of Departure (HPOD) in Dili came to life in July with live radio broadcasts from Melbourne’s Vega 91.5fm, with presenter Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson.

Best known as a judge on Australian Idol, Dicko broadcasted his daily military life experiences back to Australia. His broadcasting included spots from his boot camp participation, a visit to the weapons range, the art of travelling in military vehicles, an adventure flying in an Army Blackhawk Helicopter and his new hairdo – an Army crewcut.

“I’ve been a long time admirer of the Australian Defence Force and therefore was thrilled to be part of the team to entertain and support those men and women serving in East Timor,” Dicko said.

Dicko and his Vega team also gave Melbourne-based troops the opportunity to send their love over the airways to their friends and family back home.

As well as enjoying the radio program, troops in East Timor had the opportunity to sing along with legendary Australian musician, Ian Moss.

“My reason to participate was partly because of the location, East Timor sounded so exciting. I also loved the idea of playing for the troops,” Ian said.

Ian and his band rocked the bases with some classic Cold Chisel hits as well as some of his own work – both past and present.

“My experience performing to the troops in East Timor is completely different to the atmosphere I am used to playing at a regular pub gig,” Ian said.

“It was so much more relaxed, which tends to relax me and therefore I play better.”

The tour also included performances from 2008 Australian Idol contestant Mark Spano and comedy acts from award-winning British (and now Melbourne-based) comedian Jeff Green, as well as Lawrence Mooney from Melbourne.

In a tradition that pre-dates the Vietnam War, the entertainers donated their time free of charge to bring cheer and laughter to the troops.

Tour de Force 16 was the 16th Forces Entertainment Tour to visit East Timor and was designed to entertain and boost the morale of the International Stabilisation Force, comprising both Australian and New Zealand Defence Force personnel.

Music and comedy stars rock east timor

16www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

By Julie Akmacic

LefT: Tour de force 16 entertainer Mark spano enjoys the wide open space of gleno, east Timor, while he waits for a black Hawk helicopter to return him to Dili after a lunchtime concert for the soldiers serving with the International stabilisation force.

beLOW: Music legend Ian Moss proves he still has what it takes as he rock another Tour de force 16 concert for International stabilisation force soldiers on deployment in east Timor. Photographs by LAC Christopher Dickson

ommodore (cDRe) Mark Purcell is ADfA's first graduate to achieve one-star status, a milestone achievement for both the institution and the man.

After joining ADFA in 1986 following one year at Naval College, CDRE Purcell graduated with a double degree in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science, majoring in computer sciences.

"I have no doubt that ADFA is very different today to how it was back when I was there," CDRE Purcell said.

"There was definitely a large Army presence in the early days but when we came in, things started to be re-balanced.

"I did have to fight pretty hard to do my double degree in computer science and engineering which is certainly not the norm now, but the fact that I was able to do this gave me the ability to dual stream in IT and engineering for the rest of my career.

"ADFA gave me a really strong blend of challenges and recognised academic qualifications.

"There were definite advantages in the adventure training and service sports that I competed in and my interest in the area was definitely sparked while at ADFA," CDRE Purcell said.

AIRCDRE Staib congratulated CDRE Purcell and said that ADFA had come of age now that graduates were achieving senior rank in the military.

"Due to the need to serve time in rank, naturally it takes a while to achieve one-star rank. Because we don't laterally recruit like other industries, to get to the top you have to start at the bottom,” AIRCDRE Staib said.

"You can't just apply to be a Commodore, you have to do your time and work through the ranks."

The future leadership of the ADF certainly looks secure with many talented ex-ADFA cadets approaching senior ranks.

"We have a lot of very talented people reaching senior positions that have been cadets at ADFA so the future is looking very bright indeed," AIRCDRE Staib said.

d e f e n c e m a g a z i n e ›

By Leila Daniels

ADFA congratulates its first one-star graduate

by one measure, the promotion of commodore Purcell means, for the ADf, that ADfA has come of age.

Since ADFA’s inception in 1986, the Academy has graduated 5053 people for service in the ADF, and other international militaries including Cambodia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and Singapore.

Of these graduates, Commodore Purcell achieved one-star military rank within 23 years of ADFA’s inception.

In contrast, Australia’s senior military institution, the Royal Military College, Duntroon (RMC), which was established in 1911, was unable to produce a graduate above the rank of lieutenant colonel until the Second World War. In 1939, on RMC’s 28th anniversary, 24 Army graduates had been promoted to lieutenant-colonel, although only

10 of these were substantive in the rank at the outbreak of the war. By 1945, RMC Army graduates were commanding corps and divisions and had been filling these posts for some years; three were temporary lieutenant-generals, 17 were major-generals, and some 50 had reached brigadier.

For the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) graduates of RMC, in August 1939, the highest ranking officer was wing commander. By May 1945, RAAF RMC graduates accounted for five air commodores.

In 1913, the Royal Australian Naval College (RANC), which in 1958 was named HMAS Creswell, accepted the first two entries of cadet midshipmen. The first graduation from the RANC, in 1916, included Midshipmen John Collins and Harold Farncomb, both of whom were appointed to Commodore in 1944, Collins in June and Farncomb in December. In Commodore Mark Purcell’s own

service, the RANC had been established for 31 years before producing RAN graduates at the rank of one-star.

Interestingly, Joseph (Joe) Hewitt, who transferred from the RAN to the RAAF in 1928, was the first one-star graduate of the RANC. Hewitt entered the RANC in 1915, graduating in 1918. Hewitt was seconded to the Royal Australian Air Force in January 1923, and in April 1928 transferred permanently to the RAAF.

He was promoted to Air Commodore in February 1943 and appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 9 (Operational) Group in the New Guinea area in February 1943, which at the time was the largest and most important operational command in the RAAF. Hewitt’s promotion to one-star pre-dates that of Collins by more than 12 months.

What does commodore Purcell’s promotion mean for the ADf?

17www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

By Colonel Chris Field

18www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

ArMY

By Jack Foster

FOUND IN TRANSLATION

Language and cultural skills break down barriers

rguably one of the most fundamental lessons learnt from experience in recent counter-insurgency operations, but equally valid in all missions, is that success ultimately

lies in establishing close relationships with the local population.

Language and cultural skills play a vital role in fostering these relationships and in helping Australia’s land forces understand the environment in which they find themselves operating.

Chief of Army’s Visiting Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, Lieutenant Colonel (LTCOL) Nick Floyd, said that language and cultural understanding were critical capabilities for Army and Defence more widely.

“These skills improve the decisions our soldiers need to make both on missions, and when involved in engagement and cooperation with Australia’s regional and global partners,” LTCOL Floyd said.

“The most obvious benefit is when going into an operational theatre where the inhabitants and other players, such as coalition partners, speak another language.

“But you’ve also got to have a language capability when we’re involved in humanitarian assistance missions and international diplomacy.”

LTCOL Floyd said that language and cultural skills, although critical, were less tangible than other capabilities, with benefits harder to measure.

“You can conceptualise the idea of buying a new weapon, because you can see the outcomes then and there, but the returns from language and cultural understanding are extremely intangible,” LTCOL Floyd said.

To help further this capability within Army, soldiers and officers are being actively encouraged to take up the opportunity to requalify in their languages skills through its recently re-introduced Language Refresher courses.

“Army has recently successfully completed another of its rolling sessions of two-week language requalification courses, at the Defence Force School of Languages (DFSL),” LTCOL Floyd said.

Army personnel who have previously qualified in the key Languages Other Than English (LOTE) of Indonesian, Arabic, Vietnamese, French Persian Farsi/Dari and Thai were required to attend these courses, after a period of two years or greater since their last qualification.

Soldiers who retain their languages at the intermediate level or higher are entitled to apply for further, in-country training that immerses them in the language and culture of particular regions or work environments.

“These opportunities are designed to both develop and broaden a linguist’s skills, particularly in a specialist area or key dialect,” LTCOL Floyd said.

“They are an exemplary model of Army’s current educational approach for today’s complex environments—that is, teaching its soldiers how to think, not what to think.”

Other key languages such as Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Malay, Russian Portuguese, Mandarin and Filipino are also being refreshed as part of the ongoing Refresher program.

LTCOL Floyd said that Army unit commanders must ensure that any intermediate-level or higher linguists posted to their units are able to retain their individual language abilities by requalifying every two years.

“By implementing this scheme, Army should see a return in capability that far outweighs the outlay made for the two-week attendance, and ensures that Army’s significant initial investment in training its generalist linguists is returned,” LTCOL Floyd said.

LTCOL Floyd said that language on its own is insufficient, and must be teamed with insight into other cultures.

“You could define cultural understanding as the capacity for active study and understanding of human and cultural influences affecting all decision-making and actions in the operating environment,” LTCOL Floyd said.

“These influences are pretty diverse, and include things like behavioural considerations and drivers; power and influence sources; government, political and social grouping structures; tribal or ethnic dispositions; and spiritual, economic and geo-social factors.

“It’s key that this understanding, or

empathy, extends to the cultures of all groups or individuals—not just adversaries but also non-combatants and our coalition partners – that act in or influence the operating environment.”

LTCOL Floyd said understanding has to go beyond superficial awareness, and take into account an individual’s motivational drivers, societal norms, political/group allegiances and any behavioural drivers that influence decision-making.

“Gaining this understanding helps commanders and operators at all levels to achieve best-practise decision superiority,” LTCOL Floyd said.

At present, the Australian Army currently assembles knowledge and awareness of operational surroundings in many ways, drawing on cultural understanding obtained through formal and immersion training, incidental individual and collective experience, as well as personal motivation.

“We also draw on further in-country knowledge while on deployment from locally engaged staff such as interpreters, and through operational experience,” LTCOL Floyd said.

“This learning is then ploughed back in as part of our Mission Rehearsal Exercises.

“The continuing operational experience Australian has had throughout the past 10 years reinforces the importance of language and cultural understanding as a multiplier of all aspects of interventions, not just combat, but stabilisation, Defence military engagement, diplomacy, and humanitarian assistance missions.”

19www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

The local engagement element of ADf operations is a major focus for Major (MAJ) Julian Thirkill, a key staff officer on the headquarters of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task force Tarin Kowt.

“One of my responsibilities as a staff officer within the Headquarters is to advise on how, when and where to deal with local nationals,” MAJ Thirkill said.

“This is a responsibility that I take very seriously and began long before we arrived in Afghanistan itself. It is simply pivotal to our success here.”

The majority of locals in Uruzgan Province speak Pashtu. This is in contrast to the majority

of Afghan National Army soldiers that work with Australian forces, who speak the official Afghan language—Dari.

MAJ Thirkill said another important part of operating within Pashtun-dominated southern Afghanistan is to understand the ancient code of conduct known as Pashtunwali. This is a set of rules guiding both individual and communal conduct and is socially practiced by the majority of Pashtuns.

“It is considered a personal responsibility of every Pashtun to discover and rediscover Pashtunwali's essence and meaning and it is my responsibility to ensure that our soldiers are at least aware of what this means to them,” MAJ Thirkill said.

MAJ Thirkill said it was of paramount importance

that the Australian troops’ relationship with them was a very inclusive relationship with them.

“We need to ensure that they feel and know we are here to help them, and with them together, defeat the insurgency,” MAJ Thirkill said.

“Within the incredibly complex web of personal, family, tribal and political networks in Uruzgan province, not everything is always as it first appears.

“We strive to win their trust, their confidence and their respect and show them that together we will defeat the insurgents who otherwise bring oppression, intimidation and suffering.

“By closely interacting with them we reveal to them the differences between Australian and Afghan culture but also revel in the common determination to defeat a common enemy.”

On-ground cultural understanding

AbOve: Mentoring and Reconstruction Task force 2 (MRTf2) combat Team Alpha, 1 Platoon commander, Lieutenant Travis Peet (far left), corporal benjemin byrne (center) and their interpreter (right) chat with local Afghan whilst on patrol in the village of sarab.

fAR LefT: chief of Army’s visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, Lieutenant colonel Nick floyd, says soldiers and officers are being encouraged to requalify in their languages skills through the recently re-introduced language refresher courses. Photo: Warren Clarke

2ND LefT: Mentoring and Reconstruction Task force 2 Officer commanding, Major David Trotter and Major Julian Thirkill speak with local Afghans in the "green zone" of the baluchi valley.

LefT: caption: Local children of sarab chat with Mentoring and Reconstruction Task force 2 (MRTf2) combat Team Alpha, 1 Platoon's Private geoffrey shaw during a short halt during a patrol. Photo: Corporal (CPL) Rachel Ingram

20www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

AustrALIAn DeFenCe ForCe ACADeMY

recision drill teams, academics, anxious parents and inquisitive prospective students came together to see the exciting range of study options at the

Australian Defence force Academy (ADfA) Open Day recently.

The Commandant of ADFA, Air Commodore (AIRCDRE) Margaret Staib, said the Open Day program was an important day in the academy's calendar for the cadets, teaching staff and prospective students.

"Our open day is part of a wider program of open days for universities right across Canberra and it is a great opportunity for us to showcase the Academy so that people can really get an idea of what we are about," AIRCDRE Staib said.

"We estimate that we had about 5,000 people visit ADFA and we really got the message across that if people want to be a part of the ADF as an officer, they can come here and get a civilian qualification through the University of New South Wales, and combine it with a military education."

Since 1986, ADFA has provided undergraduate education and military training to midshipmen and officer cadets, and during the past 23 years has lived up to its mission of producing the best leaders for the Australian Defence Force.

"We provide a balanced and liberal university education within a military environment, for our officer cadets and midshipmen but we also provide the opportunity for research, development and higher education for members right across the Department – including civilians," AIRCDRE Staib said.

"What a lot of people don’t realise is that ADFA is unique in the world – it is a joint academy

with a civilian provider for the academic program."It is not a defence degree, students actually

graduate with a civilian qualification."As one of the top research intensive universities

in Australia, ADFA's Commandant is not shy when talking about the academic success of the students.

"We have an extremely competitive pass rate of 95 per cent, compared to some of the other top institutions being around 90 per cent.

"I think one of the reasons for our success is the academic attention our students receive. We have a student to academic ratio of around nine to one but in some other universities that could be as high as 30 to one."

One potential ADFA candidate, Shannon Bowen, said that the opportunity for her parents to attend the Open Day allowed them to find out more information about her desire to join the Navy.

"Over the course of one week their attitudes have changed from passive acceptance to enthusiastic support for my ambition to join the Navy, and I would certainly put that down to a very smooth and well run Open Day," Ms Bowen said.

The range of post graduate options available to military and civilian members at ADFA is vast.

"Apart from the 1,011 officer cadets and midshipmen we have studying here, there are also 2,000 post graduate students and they include civilians both within and outside of Defence. There is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to do their Masters degree or doctoral study here at ADFA," AIRCDRE Staib said.

One civilian Defence member who has done that is Sally Schaumburg, Principal Business Operations Manager in Integrated Travel Solutions, Defence Support Group. After not studying for many years, Sally decided to apply to undertake a Graduate Certificate in Management Studies through ADFA.

"I have found the subjects I've studied to

be extremely relevant in the workplace," Ms

Schaumburg said.

"My research has assisted me to add value

when providing feedback or responding to

questions in the workplace."

ADFA has several well-known graduates, with

one of its most notable being Dr David Kilcullen. A

graduate from the class of '89 and a doctorate in

political anthropology, Dr Kilcullen is currently an

advisor to the US Government.

"Dr Kilcullen recently gave the University lecture

here at ADFA focussing on guerrilla warfare - his area

of expertise. It was really wonderful to learn from him

and welcome him back," AIRCDRE Staib said.

The success of the Open Day was reflected

in the many comments the Commandant received

from prospective parents.

"One parent was so impressed with one of our

cadets that they felt compelled to let the Chief of

the Air Force know. This type of feedback makes

me extremely proud to be a part of the further

development of these very clever and bright young

men and women," AIRCDRE Staib said.

ADFA opens up to PreCIsIon and ProsPeCtsBy Leila Daniels

AbOve: service Police from the Air force put on a military working dog display with bite during the 2009 ADfA Open Day. Photo: David Patterson

RIgHT: Two ADfA cadets display the finer points of fencing during the 2009 ADfA Open Day.

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21www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

utting away their books and uniforms and hitting the stage with ease, 60 cadets combined their creative energy to put on the rock musical, Rent for the Academy's annual production.

The production is a much-anticipated annual event for the cadets and the excitement around this year's show was no exception.

AIRCDRE Staib said she was very impressed with the production.

"I have had all sorts of fantastic feedback from many people who attended, it was very professional and I would have paid money to go," AIRCDRE Staib said.

Rent has a striking similarity to Puccini's opera La Boheme but it also examines modern day issues such as homosexual relationships, AIDS and drug addiction.

When brainstorming for ideas for this year's musical, the cadets were wary as to how Rent would be received. In the end, tackling how to portray the controversial themes was no problem for the cast, the Director, Officer Cadet (OFFCDT) Josh Kam said.

"Yes, dealing with the themes in the show wasn't easy," OFFCDT Kam said.

"At face value it can seem that the show is just about people dying of AIDS but it takes real energy and commitment to bring out the underlying themes of love, and living life to the fullest despite poor odds."

There were a number of first-timers in the cast, getting involved in their first ADFA production. OFFCDT Anna Anderson auditioned this year to get involved in a different area of academy life.

"It was a great opportunity to develop some unique skills in performance and organisational management that I can use as an officer," OFFCDT Anderson said.

"We had more than 400 people in the audience each night and people were happy to see ADFA put on a serious show. I think many walked away having a learnt a lesson from the people's lives we presented on stage."

The stage manager, Midshipman (MIDN) Kane Stuart, couldn't pass up the opportunity to do something out of the ordinary at ADFA.

"There was a lot of work involved as the stage manager but in the end I felt as though I had been a part of something quite spectacular," MIDN Stuart said.

AIRCDRE Staib was keen to point out that the cadets don't just march on the parade ground while at ADFA.

"The reason we do things like the musical production is so our cadets get a chance to be put in positions of leadership. It also lets them display other talents they have which is in line with our mission of producing well-rounded, capable and confident graduates."

After this year's challenging and thought provoking production, what can audiences look forward to next year?

"This year's show had some pretty serious themes so next year will probably be a full on comedy, plenty of laughs and light-hearted songs – you will have to wait and see though," OFFCDT Kam said.

The production raised $2,000 for the production committees' chosen charity of Camp Quality.

cADeTs RAIse THe ROOf fOR RenT By Leila Daniels

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A member of the Australian Defence force Academy radios instructions to comrades during a section attack display under inclement skies during ADfA's recent open day. Photo: David Patterson

AbOve: ADfA cadets display their on-stage talents during the stage production of their rock musical Rent.

22www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

efence buys a vast array of items – from pencils and paper through to ships and planes. Defence also buys services from a large number of contractors, including

from those who maintain equipment, look after bases and provide expert technical advice.

Defence is a major user of water, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure and spends $15 billion or more across Defence and the Defence Materiel Organisation in payments to industry each year for goods and services.

The Strategic Reform Program (SRP) seeks to make sure that Defence’s purchasing gets best value for money. Any money saved can be used to buy more capability – ships, tanks and planes.

When people think about Defence purchasing, they often focus on the equipment side, and assume that the rest is largely ‘rats and mice’. In fact, Defence spends less each year on purchasing military equipment than it does on all its other purchases.

Non-equipment procurement (NEP), which refers to all the goods and services Defence buys, apart from military equipment and its sustainment, costs around $4 billion to $5 billion every year. It’s a lot more than ‘rats and mice’. In fact, it represents around $16,000 that each of us will contribute from our taxes during our lifetime.

NEP is complex, as it covers a vast array of goods and services, including such things as:

• Building maintenance• Travel• Training• Health services• Utilities – water and power• Garrison support services at out bases, including

catering, gardening, cleaning and security• Purchase of office requisites and office furniture, and• Arranging for the removals of Defence people and

their families when posted.

The advantage of having such a large annual spend on NEP is that you don’t need to do much to save a lot of money. If Defence can shave as little as one per cent off its costs, $50 million is freed up every year – that’s half a billion dollars in a decade.

But Defence can do a lot better than one per cent. The independent budget audit carried out last year assessed that as much as 15-20 per cent can be saved in some NEP categories. All together, it is estimated that Defence can save more than $400 million every year – around 8-10 per cent of current annual spend on NEP.

In a number of cases Defence will not be able to deliver the savings overnight and they will come only as contracts are renewed and old habits, systems and policy are changed. But where it can, Defence will move quickly to implement necessary reform.

Savings can be made in two main ways – by reducing unnecessary demand and by improving supply arrangements. The following examples illustrate the sorts of opportunities we have:• Travel: We should only travel when we

absolutely need to. If as little as one trip in every five carried out by Defence people is eliminated, we will achieve more than the NEP target saving for travel.

• Payment and Debt Processing: Defence’s travel allowances are very generous by wider community standards. In some cases, people lodge requests to be paid adjustments of as little as a dollar – and even less. Under present arrangements it costs Defence about $70 to process that request or to recover a debt of that amount. We need to see if we can change policy and behaviours to avoid this inefficient practice.

• catering: How much would you pay for lunch? On Defence bases the cost to Defence of a meal varies from as little as a few dollars up to $60 or more. Why is there this variance? We clearly need to ensure people have access to quality food, including in remote areas, but no-one can argue that Defence should be paying $60 for a lunch worth a few dollars.

Reform will not happen if it is left to a few in Russell Offices. It needs to engage all of us. It needs the commitment of all of us. Most importantly, it needs everyone in Defence to see themselves as leaders of reform; looking for ways to be more efficient. People are often discouraged from proposing change because it has been rejected in the past or because it contravenes a policy. The SRP is the opportunity to change that outlook. We can review policy if it is not sensible and by adopting a ‘we can if…’ approach to make real and sustainable changes.

But as well as thinking about reforms, people also need to be prepared to accept change. We need to be realistic in our expectations and be willing to accept different ways of doing business.

Non-equipment procurement: more than ‘rats and mice’

sPotLIGHt on reForM

DDefence Magazine intends to publish regular articles to update readers on the progress from the 15 streams of the Strategic Reform Program. Below, Dr Ian Williams focuses on the Non-Equipment Procurement stream.

AbOve: Lunch is served at the Airmen's Mess at RAAf ba

se Darwin. Improvements to

catering services such as this have been identified unde

r the strategic Reform Program.

Photo: CPL Michael Davis

23www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

Non-equipment procurement: more than ‘rats and mice’

AIr ForCe

ean thinking will be the way forward for the Australian Defence force in times where economic pressures combine with the need to continue support to regional and

international operations.

Logistics Flight, No. 1 Combat Communications Squadron, with the assistance of Air Force Improvement, took part in a business improvement activity from March to April 2009. The aim of the process was to eliminate excess time and motion taken to complete equipment tasking for exercises and operations. The result was a leaner logistics support methodology.

The major results were improvements in time and motion for carrying out tasks. The time taken to task equipment was reduced from two to three days to an average of 40 minutes. The distance a logistics flight member had to travel back and forth by foot or forklift to move equipment away on exercise was reduced from 2.5km to 1.5km. This dramatic reduction in itself means the flight is better equipped to deal with a high workload and morale improved as a result.

An unanticipated bonus was the identification of $1.5 million of excess stock which was returned to the DNSDC storage system.

Visual management techniques and the 5S principle were the main tools used to identify improvements in the warehouse environment.

sort: Items were sorted to identify what was being used regularly, less regularly and rarely/not at all. Items that were not used at all, or were in surplus, were returned to the DNSDC storage system.straighten: The items in high use were moved to front areas of racking and the warehouse racking was re-arranged to make a more user friendly environment.

standardise: Areas in the warehouse were identified and clearly marked to ensure standardised practises were used for returning equipment. Clear bays were allocated to show equipment that is going away on exercise, needs technical inspections, or needs to be disposed of.shine: Equipment was checked and cleaned, the floor of the warehouse was painted and racking and shelves were removed to open the area up.sustain: All the staff are now proud of the product they have developed as a team, and the morale in the section is high. Members have a vested interest in maintaining the warehouse to the standard it is now and will keep it this way.

1CCS is a busy Squadron, with more than 80 exercises, operations and external loans completed in 2008. The role of 1CCS is to provide deployed communications to a single service, joint or combined environment.

This includes a wide range of equipment from combat net radios to deployed IT systems. The logistics flight team not only manage the tasking and movement of all this equipment, but also have their day to day governance responsibilities like stocktaking and SCA management. Streamlining the processes for tasking equipment on exercises and operations has increased 1CCS’s ability to manage the corporate governance workload as well as train and develop professionally as logisticians. Read more at http://intranet.defence.gov.au/raafweb/sites/afi

Business improvement leads to lean machine By FLTLT Shannon Farrington

LefT: Members of 1css work on their new tasking area and a cleaner, more productive workplace.

beLOW LefT: A great result, a faster turnaround of jobs and less stress means happier customers and improved morale for the team in Logistics flight 1ccs.

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24www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

DeFenCe MAterIeL orGAnIsAtIon

he success of the many complex and challenging

projects managed by the Defence Materiel Organisation depends on the best and brightest project managers the industry has to

offer. but what happens when these very project managers retire?

Emerging trends within Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States indicate a critical shortfall in senior project managers. Until recently, there has not been an adequate succession plan to resolve this issue.

But in 2007, Defence and several global government and industry organisations worked together to develop the competency standard for complex project managers. From this, the Executive Masters in Complex Project Management course was developed and delivered.

Developed by DMO and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the course is a world-first and aims to accelerate the advancement of senior staff members and industry partners who are responsible for managing highly-demanding projects on behalf of the ADF.

The course is designed to challenge students to reflect on themselves and how others perceive them. It provides a learning framework to build their leadership, team building, problem solving and decision-making skills.

DMO's Ms Deborah Hein and Mr Stephen Onus were participants on the 2008 pilot cour