Middle
managers will be set for the future thanks to the introduction
of a new junior officers course in management and strategic studies.
Navy needs the next generation of its middle ranking officers
to have good grasp of strategic affairs and Australia’s current
defence policies.
They also need to be able to communicate effectively both in writing
and orally. Since November 2003, three Junior Officers Management
and Strategic Studies Courses (JOMSSC) have been run at the Royal
Australian Navy College (RANC) at HMAS Creswell.
Fifty three Lieutenants have completed the two week course, finishing
their officers’ Leadership Management and Personal Development
(LMPD) continuum and making themselves eligible for promotion
to Lieutenant Commander.
Lieutenants who attend JOMSSC prepare a Defence Paper on a Navy
management issue of their choice and research a strategic studies
question provided to them by staff.
Both of these are presented to course members.
The Seapower Centre and the University of Wollongong provide the
Maritime Studies component of the course.
The Land Warfare Centre and the Aerospace Centre provide lecturers
to instruct on a joint service approach to operational planning.
Other guest academics come from University Defence Studies Centres
and from Government Departments to provide specialist expertise.
The general opinion among graduates of the course has been that
JOMSSC provides a unique opportunity for participating in a series
of seminars that offer insight into the fast developing international
situation in the Asia Pacific region.
The effort that course members put into their strategic studies
presentations has been outstanding and has made a very large contribution
to the success of the course.
RANC plans to expand its list of guest lecturers available to
speak on JOMSSC and continue to further enrich the course. Two
more JOMSSCs are scheduled for 2004.
