By Flight Lieutenant John McCourt
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OC
396CSW GPCAPT Mark Kelton wants his 11 bases to do business
the same way, every day.
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GROUP
Captain Mark Kelton looks out of his No. 396 Combat Support Wing
office that provides a sweeping view of the RAAF Darwin airfield.
What he sees in front of him is the busy coming and going of aircraft
as Exercise Kakadu gets into full swing.
Into his ninth month as Officer Commanding No. 396 Combat Support
Wing, Group Captain Kelton is a driven man – energised by
giving others room to deliver first-class airbase support all
air operations, such as that needed for Exercise Kakadu, conducted
off the Darwin coast from July 25 to August 12.
His two-year stint at Darwin has a sharp focus over a wide area.
Group Captain Kelton’s central goal is to ensure all bases
under his command have synergy – doing business the same
way, at a high level of competency, every day.
And that means all his bases. Having arguably the most geographically
disparate command, Group Captain Kelton has responsibility for
11 RAAF bases, including Darwin, Amberley, Tindal, Townsville,
Williamtown, Richmond and Edinburgh, bare bases Curtin, Scherger
and Learmonth, and the Butterworth Detachment in Malaysia.
“What I am striving for is that whatever base our Defence
personnel visit, the bases operate the same way and come with
no surprises,” he said.
“Every base needs to have a common service delivery outcome,
a common feel with no hassles. Visiting personnel should be able
to know with certainty that, whichever base they are on, they
get exactly the same high level of service; where daily business
is done the same way and we have standardisation of procedures.
“Consistency is the key and I am keen to provide base commanders
with the authority and freedom to make it happen on their own
patch.”
Group Captain Kelton said to achieve this synergy, it is important
to have people who are problem solvers, not problem soakers.
“I am interested in ensuring all my personnel can correctly
identify a problem, and give them the opportunity to solve it
through their knowledge, skills and experiences,” he said.
“It can’t be done when they fearlessly give me straight
answers and know I will either find the resources or support their
decisions.
“To achieve this, there is a need to give people the reins
to use initiative, teamwork and accumulated knowledge. We need
to empower our people, and we need to respect what they can bring
with them in terms of facing challenges and delivering outcomes.”
