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Major Defence Priorities for 2007-08

In launching their joint vision for Defence at the recent Senior Leadership Group (SLG) meeting at Parliament House, the Secretary and Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) highlighted that the future success of Defence depends on combining the unique skills of our military and civilian workforces.

Our vision for Defence:

‘A professional organisation working across government to deliver effective military capability.’

The Secretary, Nick Warner, and CDF, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, made it clear that the Defence Priorities signal where we need to devote most of our energies and resources in the coming year.

The Priorities are structured around six themes:

  • Military excellence;
  • Our people;
  • Good governance and clear accountabilities;
  • High quality, timely and accurate policy advice to our Ministers;
  • Strong business systems and effective processes; and
  • Active whole of government, stakeholder and international collaboration.

The priorities also provide a statement of commitment from the Secretary and CDF.

We are committed to:

  • ‘Working tirelessly for the welfare of our people’; and
  • ‘Empowering our people through values-based leadership at all levels’.

The Secretary and CDF have both fully endorsed the new Defence Priorities for 2007–08, speaking about them in detail at the SLG meeting. For transcripts and further information on SLG meetings, visit the SLG homepage at: http://intranet.defence.gov.au/cpa/manual/cgr/ldrcomms/slg.htm.

Military Excellence

  1. Succeed in joint and combined operations and deployments as agreed by government.
  2. Deliver the preparedness levels directed by government.
  3. Further integrate and align Defence operations in maritime border protection with the Border Protection Command processes and systems.
  4. Develop the 2008–18 Defence Capability Plan for government approval.
  5. Implement the major programmes for the Hardened and Networked Army and Enhanced Land Forces.
  6. Implement a plan to maintain an effective air combat capability.
  7. Deliver the approved capital investment programme on schedule and to budget, while maintaining operational tempo.
  8. Develop and implement a plan to effectively remediate priority logistics shortfalls as agreed by government.

Our People

  1. Provide a best practice, safe and healthy workplace.
  2. Implement the major programmes for recruitment and retention to meet growth targets and address critical ADF workforce shortfalls.
  3. Implement our people focused programmes in family support, transition management and rehabilitation.
  4. Finalise implementation of the agreed Military Justice Reforms and embed our best-practice Military Justice System.
  5. Establish the new Strategic HR policy organisation and devolve personnel services delivery to the appropriate Groups.
  6. Embed a learning culture across the ADF training system.
  7. Build a best-practice Service policing capability for the ADF.
  8. Build the skills and knowledge of our people across all business areas in Defence.

Good governance and clear accountabilities

  1. Clearly articulate accountabilities and authorities and embed these within streamlined governance structures.
  2. Restructure the major Defence committees to more effectively and efficiently support decision-making.
  3. Improve the visibility, currency and consistency of internal Defence policy and instructions.
  4. Develop a whole of Defence record-keeping strategy.
  5. Enhance the governance arrangements for the storage and handling of weapons and munitions.
  6. Develop improved measurement and reporting tools to strengthen the implementation of major priorities and initiatives.
  7. Review Defence's current service delivery model and recast service agreements to include performance metrics for time, quality, cost and demand.

High quality, timely and accurate policy advice to our Ministers

  1. Create a central policy development capability to facilitate the provision of quality policy advice to Ministers, and to strengthen policy development skills across Defence.
  2. Establish and implement training awareness programmes to build a better understanding across Defence of the role of our Minister and the government.

Strong business systems and effective processes

  1. Develop and embed an agreed Defence business model.
  2. Implement the new strategic planning and budget process.
  3. Develop a Defence ICT strategy.
  4. Centralise regional ICT Services into CIO Group.
  5. Remove the accounting qualification around Repairable Items and significantly reduce the uncertainty surrounding General Stores Inventory.
  6. Develop a system to accurately estimate and model future costs and resource needs.

Active whole of government, stakeholder and international collaboration

  1. Work with government and non-government agencies to develop a multi-agency response capability.
  2. Implement the agreed Defence cooperation activities for 2007–08.
  3. Provide support to whole of government initiatives to address transnational security issues.
  4. Drive the implementation of the new industry policy, specifically the identification and development of priority local industry capabilities for Defence and establishing the joint Defence/Industry skilling task force.

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