Annual Report 2003-04

Vice Chief of the Defence Force Group

In March 2004, the Vice Chief of the Defence Force Group was restructured and the Vice Chief of the Defence Force was assigned the additional responsibility of Chief of Joint Operations, with command over the newly formed Joint Operations Command. Capability Systems Division, which was formerly a part of the Group, was transferred to the Capability Development Group in February 2004 as part of the restructure. The achievements of Capability Systems Division are reported under the Capability Development Group's contribution later in this chapter.

The role of the Vice Chief of the Defence Force is to act as the Chief of the Defence Force in his absence, and to act as Deputy Commander supporting the Chief of the Defence Force in his command of the ADF. The role of Chief of Joint Operations is the delivery of Defence Outcome One - 'Command of Operations in Defence of Australia and Its Interests' (see Chapter Two - Outcome One for further details).

This section outlines the owner-support functions of the Vice Chief of the Defence Force Group comprising Strategic Operations ¹, ADF Reserve and Cadet policy and the ADF Parliamentary Program.

Strategic Operations

As part of the Joint Operations Group, Strategic Operations Division coordinates and provides military advice relating to operations at the strategic level and supports the Chief of the Defence Force (through the Chief of Joint Operations) in his planning and command of ADF operations.

The Division's primary functions are maintaining strategic situational awareness by:

• liaising with interdepartmental and international organisations;
• monitoring operations in its 24-hour command and control centre;
• leading military planning for operations at the strategic level by coordinating input from senior Defence decision makers, other Defence groups and government departments; and
• providing accurate and timely advice to the Government, Minister, Chief of the Defence Force, Chief of Joint Operations, other senior Defence decision makers, and other government departments.

The division formulated policy relating to operations, developed and issued Chief of the Defence Force orders, and monitored the accomplishment of those orders. The major military operation during 2003-04 was Operation Catalyst, Australia's contribution to the rehabilitation of Iraq. The division was also involved in the planning, monitoring and reporting on Operations Anode, Citadel, Slipper, Relex II, Mistral, Cranberry and Acolyte (see Chapter Two - Outcome One for further details on these operations).

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Reserve Policy

The Defence White Paper 2000 stated that the Government would show the way as a major employer of Reservists by providing leave policies and employment practices that support the release of Reservists for peacetime training and deployment.

Consistent with this commitment, agreements are now in place to provide Reservists with access to leave for training and deployment:

• The Public Sector Leave Policy for Defence Reservists, released in December 2003, requires Australian Government departments and agencies to include supportive policies for the provision of leave for Reservists in certified agreements.
• The Private Sector Leave Guidelines for Defence Reservists, released in March 2004, provide non-government employers with guidance on supportive leave arrangements and encourages them to support their employees in undertaking Reserve service.

In addition, revised arrangements for the ADF Reserves Employer Support Payment Scheme, authorised under Defence Determination 2002 (Employer Support Payments), became operative on 1 July 2003. These revisions included:

• extending eligibility for employer support payments to include all Australian Government departments; and
• authorising the Chief of the Defence Force to approve additional payments when necessary to provide a required Defence Force capability;
  • under this authority, the Chief of the Defence Force has approved higher levels of employer support payments to employers (or self-employed individuals) of specified Reserve medical, dental, nursing or allied health officers deployed on, or directly supporting, specified operational deployments.

These revised arrangements have enhanced the operation and effectiveness of the Employer Support Payment Scheme. Through their training, Reservists gain capability and experience which can be used in their civilian workplaces. Reserve training is, in many respects, akin to management and personnel development training and is provided at no cost to the civilian employer. Whenever possible, Reserve training is accredited with registered training organisations under the Australian Quality Training Framework. Following Government direction, the civil accreditation of Reserve training has been accelerated with the result that Defence now has an extensive range of qualifications for which Reservists can seek civil accreditation.

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Australian Defence Force Cadets

The Australian Defence Force Cadets comprises the Australian Navy Cadets, the Australian Army Cadets and the Australian Air Force Cadets. The Cadet organisations are community-based and supported by their parent Services and the Directorate of Defence Force Cadets. This partnership, between the community and Defence, provides opportunities for young people to develop in an adventurous, military-like setting.

Some 24,500 young Australians participate as Navy, Army or Air Force Cadets, in over 480 Cadet units throughout Australia and are supervised by over 2,500 adult volunteers. Former Cadets continue to make up a significant proportion of recruits into the ADF and studies show that former Cadets are more likely to remain in the Services for a longer period of time.

The Services allocate over $30m annually to Cadets and the Government has committed additional funding of $6m per annum through the Cadet Enhancement Program. This program provides funding for a range of initiatives designed to improve the quality of the Cadet experience. The achievements of the Cadet Enhancement Program in 2003-04 are reported separately in Chapter Five - Performance against People Matter Priorities for 2003-04.

ADF Parliamentary Program

The ADF Parliamentary Program aims to provide parliamentarians with a rewarding, memorable and educational experience with the ADF and so enable them to contribute to debate on defence and national security issues in an informed and constructive manner.

The 2004 program offered a number of options comprising 21 different attachments for the consideration of parliamentarians. This year's attachments included Exercise RIMPAC (an international naval exercise), an attachment to 4 RAR (Commando) and a week with an F/A-18 squadron. A total of 17 parliamentarians participated in the various options during the 2004 program.

In June 2004, the program also conducted the first mature ADF exchange program with six ADF personnel attached to either a senator or member's office at Parliament House.

Since its inception, 40 parliamentarians have participated in various opportunities offered by the program.

1. Strategic Operations Division was transferred to Joint Operations Command (Defence Outcome One) on 16 March 2004.

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