Winds of positive change blow round again

Volume 48, No. 14, August 10, 2006
By Andrew Stackpool

MEMORY LANE: GPCAPT Corrie Metz with then CAF (now CDF) AVM Houston, in 2004.

DIRECTOR Senior Officer Management GPCAPT Corrie Metz says the latest reshaping program is “fantastic,” believes a sound communications plan and solid leadership is the basis for its successful implementation, and is unfazed about changing his brevet.

A 35-year veteran of service in the Air Force at the strategic, operational and tactical levels, he has seen a lot of change over that time.

He joined Air Force in 1971 and graduated as an Airborne Electronics Officer (AEO). “That was a half brevet job,” he said.

Originally, the AEO’s duties had been undertaken by non-commissioned signallers, but the mustering was phased out in favour of the AEO category in 1966.

He was posted to 10SQN, then flew the SP-2H Neptune aircraft from Townsville and stayed there until the squadron relocated to RAAF Base Edinburgh in 1977.

“I went to Sale as a communications instructor, on my posting to the School of Air Navigation. I then cross-trained as a navigator, flying in HS-748s, before specialising in electronic warfare.”

GPCAPT Metz was one who went through the ‘hurt’ that was the Defence Reform Program and Commercial Support Program.

“They had a huge impact on the way people viewed Defence,” he said.

“They had a huge impact on me implementing those changes and keeping up morale, because it became difficult to rationalise the sort of work that we had to do with the fewer people we were left with.

“We had to rationalise what we did and how we did it, and ensure we didn’t lose people that we didn’t want to lose through low morale and their disillusionment with what was going on around them.

“I think the latest initiative, ‘Rebalancing the Air Force’, is great. This is trying to refocus on what we have to do and gives folks a better understanding of where we are going.

“We are very operationally focussed now and the high operational tempo has been so enormous that we haven’t had time to sit back and say, ‘Where are we going and how are we going to get there?’

“The key to the whole process is good communication. The presentations currently going on around the country, together with the quality commanders we have out in the field explaining to personnel at all levels what we are doing and why we are doing it, will go a long way to ease any hurt in making the changes that are necessary.”

GPCAPT Metz said while he and others had earned the AEO or Navigator’s single wing brevets and they had a long heritage, he did not believe their retention was necessary for members to show who they were and what they did.

“We are all one company, but the nature of the job has changed significantly over the years,” he said.

“‘Navigator’ is also a traditional term, but what we do these days is not just a pure navigation role anymore. It is systems operation.

“While some may wish to retain their old brevet, the fact is the nature of their job has changed, particularly with the new aircraft and new roles we have in those aircraft.”

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