Join the Woozers
People Matters

Personnel Branch – Air Force

DPA Group Captain Loch Mitchell and CAF Air Marshal Angus Houston with the most recent WSES team: Warrant Officer Peter Hunt, Warrant Officer Daryl Bell, Warrant Officer Andrew Scott, Flight Lieutennt Al Vincent (WLM), Warrant Officer Gary Luland, Warrant Officer Dave Hilton and Warrant Officer Craig Bickley. Missing is Warrant Officer Dave Adamson.

One web posting of note

A Posting and Promotion web application has been developed for DGPERS-AF. It is designed to allow Air Force personnel to search and view posting and promotion information. Postings: The web site has been designed to provide commanders with a summary of postings published on a weekly basis. It is recommended that administrative staff print a summary sheet on Friday mornings for commanding officers, as unlike AFPEMS, PMKeyS does not allow commanders to be notified in advance. Direct communication between DPA/DPO-AF and members/commanders is subject to each directorate’s policy. Promotions: DPA and DPO-AF notify members by separate message of selective promotions and time promotions. The web site is used to confirm that the promotion has been entered on to PMKeyS, which normally occurs two weeks before the due date. Therefore members are not informed for the first time of their promotion (unlike postings) via this web page. Information remains on the web application for two months from the effective date of the posting or promotion. For historical records of promotions and postings refer to PMKeyS. Clicke here to visit the web site – look under PMKeyS Info. Feedback is welcome. E-mail comments and suggestions to hrsm-f@defence.gov.au

AS part of the Technical Trade Restructure introduced in the early 1990s, DPA was presented with an opportunity to review the mechanisms for career management of aircraft and avionics technical airmen.

The decision was made to decentralise the career management function for Aircraft and Avionics musterings at or below sergeant rank.

To facilitate this change, PE for eight warrant officers was relocated into the field and an open door policy was implemented.

These warrant officers were originally known as Weapon System Employment Streamers (WSES) and now are officially known as Airmen Career Managers. However, the WSES, pronounced Woozers, tag seems to endure.

The investment in change has resulted in benefits to both individuals and the organisation.

The decentralising of the career management function has provided the opportunity for technical airmen to have regular face-to-face contact with their career manager, increasing their awareness of the posting process and encouraging them to address individual issues with the WSES.

The working relationship between DPA and squadron management has also improved considerably. This improved relationship allows DPA to react quickly to changing operational priorities.

Calls for expressions of interest for expected vacancies in both the strike and transport weapon system streams are to be released shortly.

For further information on a career with WSES, or any facet of career management, visit the DPA web site at http://defweb.cbr.defence.gov.au/dgpersaf – look under DPA – or contact your career manager.

In a flying visit to DPA late last year, Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Angus Houston presented recently commissioned Flight Lieutenant Al Vincent and Warrant Officer Daryl Bell with CAF Commendations for meritorious performance of their duties as Airman Career Managers.

ANYO returns

ONE of the initiatives of the recently approved RAAF Personnel Management Strategy being implemented by DPSI-AF is the development of Any Officer (ANYO) employment and promotion.

Some officers might remember a similar system used by Air Force through the 1990s that fell out of favour during post-DRP changes to personnel management.

The new Personnel Management Strategy has identified the value to Air Force of returning to a more flexible system of employment so ANYO is making a comeback.

The new processes will be in place by the end of this year and will provide many officers with broader career opportunities.

The system should hold particular appeal for those in specialisations with relatively few members who often find themselves with limited chances at higher rank.

Valuable advice

There is much talk about values and what they do for us.

Values quite simply are the things that we as Air Force people regard as being important.

They define how we expect to relate to one another, and how we expect the Air Force to treat us. They allow us to focus more on the way we behave when we do our work rather than setting rules to dictate exactly how we should do everything.

Values are not just things that appear on a wall – they are the things we hold deep in our hearts.

We have our own personal values such as “Carlton is the best footy team” and workplace values such as “never treat a patient badly” but the Air Force Values are the things that we as Air Force people think are important to all of us.

Values are not just about how we behave; they are a two-way street.

Air Force people are actively working to ensure our practices reflect our values.

To live the values means to behave in a way we feel is important and to shape our future in the same way.

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