Defence Magazine

CDRE Geoff Geraghty among the audience at the recent SLG Recall Day. Photo by Phil Vavasour

It's been a busy year thus far for Defence, punctuated by the highs and lows that are characteristic of our organisation. Since the last meeting of the Senior Leadership Group (SLG) in February this year, humanitarian assistance to Sumatra in the wake of the 26 December tsunami has wound down; we tragically lost 9 Australian Defence Force (ADF) members in the Sea King accident on Nias; another Budget has been handed down by Government; Special Forces troops will soon be deployed to Afghanistan; and the Defence Materiel Organisation has become a prescribed agency. In the midst of this high level of activity, a new senior leadership team has taken the helm.

At the pre-event dinner, Ken Henry, Secretary of the Department of Treasury, set the tone for the ensuing day's discussions. In speaking about the factors likely to shape the Australian economy over the next ten years - and the requisite implications for Defence - Dr Henry highlighted the demographic challenge, in particular Australia's ageing population, as being key amongst them.

"The most significant autonomous driver of economic performance over the next several decades will be demographic change," he says. "Population ageing means... a larger demand on the nation's resources and smaller growth in those resources."

"Compared to most other employers, the ADF has a preference for younger workers who will become scarcer as the workforce ages. The relatively long-term commitment and lifestyle pressures associated with a military career will become even greater constraints on ADF recruitment and retention than they are today, " Dr Henry predicted.

Speeches by the new leaders of the ADF, including VCDF, Ken Gillespie (above) and Chief of Air Force, Geoff Shepherd( below) were a feature of the day. Photos by Phil Vavasour

The Recall Day itself, held in Canberra on 4 August, marked the first opportunity for new Chief of the Defence Force (CDF), Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, to address 250 of Defence's senior leaders.

Having commenced his tenure as CDF on 4 July, Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Houston used the forum to articulate his vision and intent for the ADF, emphasising the need for balance in meeting the needs of both our near and long-term future.

"We have to be a very adaptable defence force and we need to be very flexible in the way we employ it," ACM Houston said. In summarising what the ADF is all about, CDF announced his vision for a balanced, networked and deployable force, manned by dedicated and professional people, which excels at joint and coalition operations. [the transcript of CDF's speech is available here]

Secretary of Defence, Mr Ric Smith, emphasised the importance of continuing to deliver outcomes and meet the expectations of the Government, while working to address key challenges in the Defence business environment.

"We still face challenges in ensuring that the quality of our management and our administration is as it should be. The attitude that we'll get on with what we are good at and let the rest of the management of the place look after itself isn't good enough," he said.

"And we still have much to do in regards to Defence Renewal. I've talked a lot in the past about the renewal, refreshment, or regeneration of our management. That's what I've called practical renewal. But we also have a lot to do in the area of cultural renewal." [the transcript of the Secretary's speech is available here]

Introducing the new Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF), Chief of Navy and Chief of Air Force was also a priority for the day's proceedings.

"As I start my time as VCDF, I have a clear understanding of the Defence Priorities for 2005, but I've received some other clear guidance from the Secretary and CDF which have set for me quite a challenging workload," said VCDF, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie. That challenging workload is set to include oversight of the review of ADF Command and Control, addressing the policy and operations interface at the Defence strategic level, and improving asset management and reporting in the Joint Logistics System.

Vice Admiral (VADM) Russ Shalders similarly used his first opportunity to address the SLG as Chief of Navy to establish his priorities.

"There are two key areas that require my detailed attention. in order to best enable Navy to achieve everything that the Government requires of us. Firstly, maintaining and enhancing our people, and secondly, the delivery of future capability," VADM Shalders said. "Recent Government decisions regarding our force structure leave me confident that we will have the appropriate equipment and platforms to be able to flexibly respond to crises across the full spectrum of military operations," he confirmed.

Newly appointed Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal (AIRMSHL) Geoff Shepherd, emphasised the importance for Air Force in working in a joint, collegiate environment - an endeavour that will be epitomised through the delivery of Joint Operations Command in Bungendore.

"We have an opportunity here to take jointery to the next level and we need to do that based around values - our shared Defence values - and our Single Service values and take trust very much to the next level. It's time to do that right now and in fact, Bungendore will be the practical manifestation of it in my time," AIRMSHL Shepherd said.

But the day wasn't just about heralding in new appointments and new members to the SLG. It was also a timely opportunity to discuss people issues, starting with the recruitment and retention challenge - pre-empted by Ken Henry the previous night - and developing innovative strategies to win the Defence share of quality people available in the labour market.

MAJGEN Molan is presented with the Legion of Merit by CDF, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston. Photo by Phil Vavasour

During the lunch break, Major General (MAJGEN) Jim Molan provided an energetic account of his multi-dimensional experiences of war in the 21st Century during his recent deployment in Iraq as the Chief of Operations for the Commander of the Coalition Force. In a special presentation following his address, MAJGEN Molan was awarded the Legion of Merit, in recognition of his outstanding knowledge and skill, and his operationally sound and decisive initiatives. Awarded to members of the armed forces of foreign nations, this United States Army medal recognises exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.

The remaining half of the Recall Day saw a focus on the 'business' side of Defence and allowed SLG members to work together in syndicate groups to identify smarter ways of doing business. The aim of this exercise was to generate constructive suggestions for improvement, including practicable steps for implementation, for further consideration by the Secretary and CDF.

Defence

Cover story

Leaders gather for a mid-year reckoning