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Questions
about deployment policy:
I’m interested in knowing why the ADF (all services)
continually deploys Reserve members to places such as Timor and
also regularly calls on civilians for peace keeping monitoring.
Although I have to be fully deployable I don’t get to deploy,
instead the above mentioned Reserves and civvies only ever get to
go on deployments. Why is this – isn’t the whole point
of having Reserve members being that they can fill the position
of the permanent ADF member if he or she deploys? I don’t think
it’s very fair.
Official
response:
To answer your question, I will deal with civilians first. A good
example of the use of civilians on deployment has been in Bougainville.
Civilians have been deployed with the Peace Monitoring Group (PMG)
in Bougainville, and its predecessor the Truce Monitoring Group
(TMG), since the peace process began in 1997. Notably, this is
a peace monitoring, rather than a peace keeping operation, with
a focus on different skills sets within an unarmed and neutral
PMG.
A fundamental reason for the deployment of civilians was the requirement
to build confidence and trust between the parties to the peace
process after almost a decade of conflict. Some of the parties
were particularly concerned with the presence of uniformed personnel
in Bougainville.
Civilian monitors provide critical complementary functions to
the ADF and multinational contingents with the PMG.
ADF personnel fulfil the primary command and control, sustainment
(including medical, finance, engineering, catering, stores, fuel,
communications, workshops and movement/transport) and weapons
disposal responsibilities within the PMG, and support the critical
work undertaken by civilian monitors.
The civilian monitors’ strong policy, analytical, communication,
liaison and negotiation skills are particularly valuable to the
PMG in focusing its effort to achieve the maximum positive impact
in progressing the peace process. Civilian monitors, alongside
personnel from New Zealand, Vanuatu and Fiji, undertake the PMG’s
primary engagement with the Bougainville community and play a
crucial role in the implementation of the PMG’s mandate.
With respect to Reservists, ideally Permanent Force members are
the first choice for overseas deployments. Reserve members are
deployed overseas only when the occupational skills required are
not available, or have limited availability, in the Permanent
Force.
A large number of our Reservists who deploy overseas are members
of the Specialist Reserve. These members are not recruited to
the Permanent Force because it would be uneconomical to retain
them on a permanent basis. Such personnel comprise specialist
medical personnel, legal personnel, public relations personnel
and chaplains.
The majority of Specialist Reserve members who have deployed to
East Timor, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea and Bali in recent
years have been specialist medical personnel: orthopaedic surgeons,
burns specialists, anaethestists, forensic dentists, etc.
We do not have these specialists in the Permanent Force and the
ADF would not have been able to conduct the successful operations
in its recent history without the assistance and expertise of
these people.
In the past, Active Reserve personnel have also been deployed
overseas. This is usually because we have had insufficient Permanent
Force personnel in the required category/mustering to deploy in
the first instance. This was certainly the case with Ground Defence
Officers and Airfield Defence Guards in East Timor.
We also have a number of Reserve members with linguistic skills
deployed overseas because of their fluency in the local language.
With regards to East Timor operations, many Reserve members were
used in a backfill role to enable Permanent Force members to deploy.
The backfill role is only possible if the ADF receives supplementation
from the Government.
In summary, the first consideration for any overseas deployment
is Permanent Force members.
Reserve members are only deployed to provide skills not available
in the Permanent Force or to supplement skills which are only
available on a limited basis in the Permanent Force.
- Wing
Commander N.J. Biginell
DDPP&Cd
Personnel ensured a memorable
occasion
It was my privilege to be a guest at the recent dedication ceremony
of the National Air Force Memorial in Canberra.
I would like to thank the various members of the Air Force who were
most courteous and interested in the various postings and duties
during my three years’ service as a leading aircraftman from
1943-46.
The day started by meeting members from various areas who had assignments
at the ceremony. The first member, from RAAF Base Tindal, insisted
on providing my niece and me with chairs and bottles of water; it
was a very hot day and some 3000 bottles were distributed.
Because we arrived at the scene an hour early we were directed to
a shady area. Here we met a young lady who offered me a squadron
badge of her unit, No. 22 Squadron, which I accepted with thanks.
All this was an outstanding demonstration to the public.
The reception at RAAF Base Fairbairn was enjoyable and it was impressive
to see the Air Force acknowledge the contributions of those past
and present.
At this occasion we had the pleasure of meeting a warrant officer
from RAAF Base Williams, who made himself known to us. Later we
had the pleasure of meeting his son from Fairbairn, a flight lieutenant,
and his mate, also a flight lieutenant currently at Fairbairn who
has been posted to Edinburgh to continue his studies in electronics.
All this made for a most invigorating experience and our congratulations
go to all those personnel who assisted in their “day of pride”.
- Fred
Clark
Swan Reach, Victoria.
Training
expansion a WWII triumph
The article on the history of the RAAF School of Technical Training
on page 14 of the November 21 edition somewhat undersells the school’s
Second World War antecedents.
The section within No. 1 Aircraft Depot at Laverton that conducted
the first formal technical training in 1935 evolved before the war
into Training Depot, which encompassed Armament School, Engineering
School and Wireless School. Shortly after the outbreak of war these
three schools took on independent status as No. 1 Armament School
at Point Cook, No. 1 Engineering School at Ascot Vale and Signal
School at Point Cook.
Before the war technical tradesmen in the Air Force were recruited
from qualified and experienced civilian fitters.
However, with the vast expansion that took place during the war
the supply of qualified fitters soon ran out. Hence the Air Force
had to train its own fitters, which it did by enlisting the aid
of various civilian technical schools and colleges to carry out
basic fitter training.
To administer this training it established seven Schools of Technical
Training. These were No. 1 (Melbourne), No. 2 (Canberra), No. 3
(Sydney), No. 4 (Adelaide), No. 5 (Perth), No. 6 (Hobart) and No.
7 (Geelong).
Thus evolved the wartime scheme of training technical tradesmen:
recruit training at one of several recruit depots, basic fitter
training at one of the STTs, and trade training at one of several
trade training schools.
The main trade training schools were: No. 1 Armament School (Point
Cook/Nhill/Hamilton) – armament trades; No. 1 Engineering School
(Ascot Vale) – engine and airframe trades; Radio/Radar School
(Richmond/ Maryborough) – radar trades; and Signal School (Point
Cook) – wireless and electrical trades. In addition, the three
largest STTs – No. 1 (Melbourne), No. 3 (Sydney) and No. 4
(Adelaide) – also conducted various trade training courses
in addition to basic fitter courses.
In all, upward of 100,000 men and women were trained as technical
tradesmen over a five-year period, with the vast majority having
had no technical training or experience before joining up.
As with today’s RAAF School of Technical Training, the RAAF
during the war also trained a large number of non-technical airmen
and airwomen. This was done in such units as the School of Administration,
Equipment Training Unit, Works Training Unit and Medical Training
Unit. In addition other units also conducted basic training courses,
including some of the STTs. Thus for example, 1STT in Melbourne
also trained cooks, mess stewards and x-ray technicians, as does
today’s RAAFSTT.
Given the pitifully small base of technical training in the Air
Force before the Second World War, the wartime expansion was nothing
short of spectacular, and a great credit to all concerned.
- Norman
Ashworth
Air Commodore (ret’d)
Wembley Downs, WA
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