Defence

Intelligence and Security

Ribbons of Colour

By Tony Pollock

Medal-pinning ceremonies were once a rare event in the Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO). Whole postings would be completed without the slightest sign of burnished metal or coloured ribbon. Not these days.

Today's high operational tempo means hardly a week goes by without a DIO member being recognised for operational service in some part of the world, such as the Middle East or South Asia.

The Minister for Defence, the Hon. Dr Brendan Nelson, MP, was recently on hand to pin medals on the chests of the latest tranche of DIO analysts to be recognised for such service. In a ceremony attended by more than 30 analysts and support staff, Minister Nelson handed out Afghan and Iraqi service medals to soldiers, sailors and airmen. But it wasn't only Australian decorations on show. He also presented US military commendation medals to analysts who had distinguished themselves working with US troops in Coalition theatres.

Minister for Defence, Dr Brendan Nelson, presents the United States Army Commendation Medal to DIO analyst, Captain (CAPT) Kate Holbeck, at a recent awards ceremony at DIO. CAPT Holbeck was one of a number of medal and award recipients at the ceremony attended by more than 30 analysts and support staff.

Another ribbon of colour. DIO officer, Squadron Leader Michael Gameau, receives his Iraq service medal from Minister for Defence, Dr Brendan Nelson, at an awards ceremony at DIO recently. Photos by Marcus Lumb

The awards ceremony, the second this year, reflects the level of operational experience now present in DIO. It is common to see young military members with a row of decorations for operational service working at the desks of DIO's analytical sections. Some are working on their second row.

These ribbons of colour themselves are ephemeral, but the operational experience they represent is not. It has real benefit for DIO and the intelligence assessments it produces. It means greater numbers of intelligence assessments anchored in 'ground truth'—a term you will hear often in the corridors of DIO and which means analysts have actually 'walked the ground' on which they are commenting. It is a thing to be prized among intelligence assessment agencies. For as well as improving analysts' ability to produce relevant and accurate assessments, operational experience also strengthens the link between reality and judgment, helping improve credibility with operational customers. It's the same idea behind the DIO practice of getting analysts to their target countries or thematic regions at least once a year.

Military members are not the only ones benefiting from operational deployments. It is equally important for civilian analysts to gain a measure of operational 'ground truth' in formulating their assessments—a critical analytical development criterion for DIO, one of whose primary tasks is to support operational deployments with accurate and timely intelligence assessments.

So civilian DIO staff members are increasingly getting the chance to experience operational theatres for themselves. Civilians, for example, have been a regular part of DIO long-term rotational deployments into Iraq for some time. More have had the chance for short-term visits there and to other theatres of Coalition activity, such as South Asia.

The increased operational tempo of Australia's Defence community of past years has obviously played a large part in equipping DIO with greater operational experience. But it is also being stimulated by deliberate design.

Director DIO, Major General (MAJGEN) Maurie McNarn, himself a veteran of the 2003 Coalition operations in Iraq, believes that, while DIO is physically located in Canberra, the task of producing strategic intelligence for operational deployments does not necessarily mean being an ocean away from the theatre being assessed. He has introduced a policy of placing DIO officers with deployed Coalition forces into theatre to improve the nexus between tactical operations and strategic intelligence. MAJGEN McNarn explained the concept: 'As well as improving the flow of actionable intelligence into and out of theatre, and improving the ability of DIO to provide timely advice to operational commanders, it has also opened up a range of unique operational experiences for DIO staff'.

Upon their return to Australia, these DIO officers are seconded into the relevant analytical teams, and the team benefits from their experience and knowledge of the target issue.

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