Defence Magazine - Issue 1/2018 · 4 Defence Issue 1 2018 T HERE were no big surprises for Defence...

ISSUE 1 2018

M A G A Z I N E

Defence

EXPORT EXPERTS

INSIDE: WHAT’S HAPPENING

AT LAND SYSTEMS DIVISION

DIRECTORATE OF INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS IN PROFILE

The small team behind a big strategy

2 Defence Issue 1 2018

EDITORIALDavid Edlington Sharon Palmer

Jenna Sorby-Adams

PHOTOGRAPHYLauren Larking

Jay Cronan

CONTACT [email protected]

(02) 6265 4650

FIND US ONLINEwww.defence.gov.au/

defencemagazine

Defence Magazine is produced by the Ministerial and Executive

Coordination and Communication Division, Department of Defence

3 CODE OF CONDUCT Code of Conduct cases

4 ON THE ROAD TO ONE The Secretary talks about Defence’s

reform journey

6 CLOSING THE GAP The Directorate of Indigenous Affairs

is on a mission to increase cultural awareness

10 THE MAIN PLAN Long-term vision sets agenda for future

to meet strategic and capability goals

12 BOOST FOR INDUSTRY Suite of planning and expertise goes

into ground-breaking Defence Export Strategy

18 THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX Innovative thinking is being welcomed

and recognised at the innovation centre at Fleet Base East

20 THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY Land Systems Division is dedicated to

providing the best equipment for the ADF

26 SINGLE LANE AHEAD A new one-stop management system is

making life easier on the high seas

28 HAVING A BALL One public servant is going from

strength to strength in her chosen sport

30 CHANGING FACE OF THE APS The APS is a vastly different organisation

these days and is gearing up for more change

32 LET’S GET FLEXIBLE A lot more employees are taking

advantage of more user-friendly working arrangements

34 RAISING THE BAR Defence Legal wins Government Team

of the Year and Government Lawyer of the Year

DefenceThe official magazine of the

Department of Defence

Issue 1 2018

Contents

ON THE COVER: Members of the export strategy team from left, Joshua Leslie, Asha Williams, Todd Settle, Thomas Beamish, Jenni Zierk and Joel Einstein, at Brindabella Park, Canberra. Photo: Lauren Larking

36 WOMEN AT WORK The roles for women in Defence are

many and varied

44 FIGHT AND FLIGHT One year on, the Next Generation

Technologies Fund is punching well above its weight

46 LEAP IN RIGHT DIRECTION A new program is bringing certainty to

the world of quantum technologies

47 NEWS SHORTS No surprises in Budget; Honour board a

swimming idea; Reward for good work; Walk the walk

48 STRENGTH TO STRENGTH Two new services will enable the

Innovation Hub to further streamline its processes

51 CHEQUES AND BALANCE Two financial advisers learnt some

valuable lessons while keeping the books in order at Australia’s main logistics base in the Middle East

52 PROBLEM SOLVER A senior engineer took on a potentially

dangerous hazard and developed a cost-effective solution

54 JOINT FORCE BY DESIGN The Force Design Division has been

busy designing a capable future force

56 WAR ON BARNACLES DST scientists are working on ways to

counter the costly issue of fouling on Navy ships

59 KNOWLEDGE SHARING Army periodical Smart Soldier publishes

its 50th edition

M A G A Z I N E

3Issue 1 2018 Defence

LEVEL CASES BEHAVIOUR SANCTION

APS 3 6

Inappropriate conduct – failure to follow directions; attendance issues Termination of employment

Inappropriate conduct – verbal and physical Breach of code found; employee resigned

Inappropriate conduct – failure to follow directions; inappropriate use of social media Breach of code found; employee resigned

Inappropriate use of Defence credit card; fraud Termination of employment

Inappropriate conduct – physical; failure to follow directions Resignation

Inappropriate conduct – verbal and physical Termination of employment

APS 4 9

Obtain financial benefit Reprimand

False information/claim; inaccurately recording attendance Discontinued (medical)

Inappropriate use of Defence travel card Reprimand; fine

Inappropriate conduct – failure to follow directions; inaccurately recording attendance Termination of employment

Inappropriate conduct – verbal and physical Management action

Failure to manage staff Resignation

Attendance issues Management action

Attendance issues Resignation

Inappropriate conduct – failure to follow directions; damage to Defence property; verbal and physical abuse Termination of employment

APS 5 2Inappropriate use of IT resources Termination of employment

Bullied and harassed employee Management action

APS 6 9

Inappropriate conduct – physical Retirement

Attendance issues Resignation

Inappropriate use of IT resources Reduction in classification

Attendance issues Reprimand

Theft Termination of employment

Inappropriate conduct – written Reduction in salary

Attendance issues Breach of code found; employee resigned

Inappropriate conduct – failure to follow directions; attendance issues Reprimand and fine

Inappropriate use of social media Caution

EL 1 8

Inappropriate conduct – written No breach found

Conflict of interest Discontinued

Failure to manage staff Take no action

Inaccurately recording attendance Reduction in salary

Inappropriate conduct – written Management action

Inappropriate conduct – verbal Management action

Inappropriate conduct – verbal Reduction in classification

Failure to manage staff No breach found

EL 2 3

Attendance issues Caution

Inappropriate conduct – failure to follow directions; inappropriate conduct – verbal; inaccurately recording attendance Termination of employment

Bullied and harassed employee Management action

Code of Conduct cases – 1 December 2017 to 30 April 2018


THERE were no big surprises for Defence in the Government’s 2018-19 Budget, but it did reiterate the Government’s commitment to reform.

We have come a long way in implementing reform over the past three years since the First Principles Review (FPR) was released. We have completed 71 of the 75 FPR recommendations and implemented significant changes to ensure we operate as One Defence and are a strategic, efficient and effective organisation.

We have a stronger and more strategic centre which sets direction, monitors our performance and focuses on providing government with the best advice.

We have strengthened the accountability of the Senior Leadership Group and streamlined our commercial policy and practices making it easier for industry to work with us.

But we still have a way to go to ensure we are truly One Defence.

This ongoing endeavour requires a commitment from every single APS and ADF member to work towards becoming a single, integrated entity rather than a federation of separate parts.

Progress has been made but, to become truly One Defence, we need to continue to focus on building:

An even stronger, more strategic centre able to provide clear direction, contestability of decision-making, along with enhanced organisational control of resources and monitoring of organisational performance;

An end-to-end approach for capability development, with capability managers

assigned clear authority and accountability;

Enablers that are integrated and customer-centric; and

A planned, professional workforce with a strong performance management culture at its core.

To this end I was pleased to launch the One Defence intranet site recently. The site is designed to keep everyone up to date with the great work being done across the department to achieve our One Defence goal.

I provided the first blog for the site showcasing the work of the people behind the Posting in/Posting Out pilot project and look forward to following the progress of it and many other reform projects across the department.

The One Defence ethos is pivotal to our success. It is only by working together we can deliver on our mission to defend Australia and its national interests in line with Government requirements.

The projects that will feature on the One Defence website are a good indication of Defence’s reform implementation and drive for continuous improvement.

I am also pleased to see the profiles of other teams doing great work – such as the export strategy team, Land Systems Division, Innovation Hub and Directorate of Indigenous Affairs – in this issue of Defence Magazine. Highlighting some of the work being done by women is particularly important to me as we seek to increase the involvement of women across the organisation.

Defence is working hard to get the gender balance right across the APS. Women make

We have ticked a number of boxes in implementing reform, but there is still a way to go

ON THE ROAD TO ONE

WITH THE SECRETARY


“THE ONE DEFENCE ETHOS IS PIVOTAL TO OUR

SUCCESS AS IT IS ONLY BY WORKING TOGETHER

WE CAN DELIVER ON OUR GOAL AND MISSION.”

up 42.3 per cent of Defence APS employees overall, holding 59.7 per cent of executive level positions and 32.9 per cent of senior executive positions.

This year 47 per cent of our graduate intake is female, up from 35 per cent just five years ago, and I take this opportunity to welcome all our graduates to Defence. This year’s intake is the largest Defence has had, with some 300 bright new minds at work across the entire department. I am getting some great feedback on the work they are doing.

There will be significant change at the top of the chain in the coming weeks with the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, to retire in July and be succeeded by the current Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell. I wish Angus well as he steps up to take command of the ADF and would like to acknowledge the tireless work of Mark Binskin. While I have worked alongside him for less than a year, Mark has been a great colleague and an exceptional advocate for both the department and the ADF in stroving to creat One Defence.

I also congratulate Vice Admiral David Johnston on his appointment as Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld on being appointed Chief of Joint Operations, Rear Admiral Mike Noonan on his impending promotion to Chief of Navy and Major General Rick Burr’s appointment as Chief of Army.

I also acknowledge the work and outstanding contributions of the current Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs and the outgoing Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett.

There have been some new appointments at the top of the APS as well, with Stephen Pearson appointed Chief Information Officer at the beginning of the year and Stephen Groves joining us recently as Chief Financial Officer.

u The One Defence intranet site can be found at drnet/AssociateSecretary/One_Defence

The Secretary of Defence, Greg Moriarty, is focused on the Department’s reform. Photo: Jay Cronan


The Directorate of Indigenous Affairs is on a mission to increase cultural awareness

CLOSING THE GAP

By Katharine Martin

THE Defence People Group sits at the heart of Defence’s commitment to Indigenous reconciliation and representation.

The Directorate of Indigenous Affairs (DIA) has a strong focus this year on

increasing cultural awareness across Defence and enhancing career pathways and opportunities in the APS and ADF for Indigenous personnel.

Part of the People Strategy and Culture Branch, the DIA has a blend of Indigenous and non-Indige-nous employees, bringing with them a diverse range of culture and knowledge.

The team works closely with the Services to develop Indigenous programs and works with the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group to fur-ther Indigenous procurement efforts.

The Acting Director of DIA, Christina Heath, says the team is pleased with the “significant progress Defence has made in our commitment to closing the gap to Indigenous disadvantage and promoting cul-tural respect and inclusion”.

Defence Reconciliation Action Plan

ONE of the most significant and tangible Defence commitments towards reconciliation for

Indigenous people is the Defence Reconciliation Action Plan (D-RAP), Defence’s contribution to the whole-of-government Closing the Gap Strategy.

Personnel within DIA oversee the plan’s imple-mentation and manage Defence’s participation in Indigenous APS programs and activities.

“Over the course of 2018 the department will review the D-RAP to advance the discussion about Indigenous inclusion and identify the next steps in reconciliation for the department,” Christina says.

At the core of the D-RAP and the department’s programs and initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a desire to foster strong rela-tionships, provide opportunities and demonstrate a profound respect for Indigenous Australian culture.

Cultural Awareness Training

ONE of these important initiatives is delivering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural

awareness training to Defence employees. This train-ing helps break down barriers by educating employ-ees about Indigenous beliefs, traditions and cultural practices.

The training is delivered online via CAMPUS course code 00007208 or face to face through the DIA, including as part of Leading for Reform and Capstone sessions.

Defence Indigenous Career Development and Retention Framework

DEFENCE People Group has been working to deliver the Defence Indigenous Career

Development and Retention Framework to provide career development for Defence employees.

The framework was piloted in 2017, with a formal rollout scheduled for 2018 this year.

This framework is unique in that it is experiential-ly focused with 70 per cent of employees’ skills and experience being derived from practical, on-the-job training.

Twenty per cent of skills are derived from super-vision, mentoring and coaching with 10 per cent focusing on formal education and training.

Members of the Directorate of Indigenous Affairs. Front row from left, Christina Heath, Katharine Martin, Stephanie McNeill, Rebekah Hendriks, Ashley Johnson. Back row from left: Norman Laing, Alexa Chamberlain, Trish Enchong, Belinda Satchell, Bekah Francisco, Corporal Tara Enchong, Emma Bowyer and Michael Howell.Photo: Lauren Larking

Defence Indigenous Champion

CULTIVATING respectful relationships with Defence Indigenous people and Indigenous

communities and businesses is a large component of the role of the Defence Indigenous Champion, Steve Grzeskowiak, Deputy Secretary of Estate and Infrastructure Group.

Through his participation in the Jawun program and other Indigenous initiatives, Steve has fostered strong relationships with Indigenous employees and Department executives as a way of driving positive change in the organisation.

“Part of my role as the Defence Indigenous Champion is to advocate for Indigenous participation and drive cultural awareness within the Department,” Steve says.

“A fundamental part of closing the gap to Indigenous disadvantage is ensuring we provide opportunities for Indigenous people to gain employ-ment and participate positively in their communities.

“We in Defence have a chance to make a real difference in people’s lives by making direct and indirect employment opportunities available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”


About the authorI AM a proud Aboriginal woman with Ngarabal and Kamilaroi descent, and deep family ties to the Wirrayaraay people. Since joining Defence, I have become more connected to my culture and history; a culture I unknowingly missed.

I come from a family with a strong Defence background in both the military and the public service.

In 2016 I successfully won a position via Affirmative Measures and I have been inspired by the Department’s commitment to ‘Closing the Gap’, and foster-ing a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Affirmative Measures Indigenous positions provide opportunities for Indigenous people to apply for positions in Defence while helping the depart-ment strengthen and support the recruitment and retention of suitably capable Indigenous personnel.

The combination of Defence’s unyielding commitment to inclusion and my strong family ties to the department made the decision to pursue a career in Defence incontestable.

That’s not to say that we have closed the gaps, or I have been without struggle, but it is refreshing to know that Defence is committed to the journey towards reconciliation.

Kamilaroi tribe The Aboriginal community from Kamilaroi is one of

the four largest Indigenous nations in Australia. The Kamilaroi nation lies within the northern New

South Wales and Southern Queensland region. Kamilaroi and Gamilaraay language

Ngarabal tribe The Aboriginal Community from the Ngarabal tribe

come from the area around Glenn Innes Australia. Ngarabal language

Wirrayaraay tribe The Aboriginal community from the Wirrayaraay

tribe come from central New South Wales Gamilaraay language


Programs and initiatives

Defence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Network (DATSIN)

Indigenous Cultural Advisory Group (ICAG) Indigenous Champions’ Network Campus online cultural awareness training Jawun cultural immersion program Affirmative Measures (Indigenous) APS

positions Indigenous entry level programs into the

APS The Defence Indigenous Mentoring

Program Defence Indigenous Learning Strategy Certificate IV in Indigenous Leadership Indigenous Pre Recruit Program Navy and Army Indigenous Development

Programs located in Cairns, Batchelor and Kapooka

Army Regional Force Surveillance Units patrol across Northern Australia

Air Force Indigenous Liaison Officer posi-tions

Indigenous Procurement

BY COMMITTING to Indigenous procurement, Defence is well positioned to take a leading role

in supporting Indigenous procurement opportunities.The Assistant Secretary Non Material

Procurement Branch, Jane Wood, is proud of Defence’s support for the government-wide Indigenous Procurement Policy.

“Through strong leadership, raised awareness and clear communication, Defence is well positioned to deliver on supplier diversity and specific Indigenous engagement outcomes across our procurement envi-ronment,” Jane says.

In the first two years of the policy, Defence has exceeded the government’s target, awarding around 750 contracts to Indigenous businesses.

“It was fantastic to see Defence recognised for our efforts in 2017, and to be awarded the Government Member of the Year at the National Supplier and Diversity Awards in Australia,” Jane says.

Defence has again been nominated as a finalist for the 2018 Diversity Awards to be announced on 23 May.

Community Engagement

THE Directorate of Indigenous Affairs has been developing a range of Indigenous community

engagement tools to assist Defence personnel engage with local Indigenous communities around Defence bases.

Captain Chloe Dray, of Indigenous Affairs, says effective community engagement improves our rela-tionships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and increases cultural awareness.

“The DIA has been mapping out Defence base locations against the Indigenous communities in these areas,” Chloe says.

“By increasing our understanding of their culture and any sacred sites, Defence can work cohesively with the local communities and be respectful of the traditional custodians of the lands we’re working on.”

Celebrating Indigenous cultural activities, com-munity events and national celebrations such as

National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week, contributes to driving cultural awareness across the department and more broadly, the Australian com-munity.

Defence personnel are encouraged to participate in these celebrations and use the community engage-ment tools on the Indigenous Affairs intranet page to help with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander com-munity engagement.

During 2017, the directorate oversaw the attend-ance of 23 representatives from across Defence to the Garma cultural festival in Gulkula, Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory. Garma aims to preserve and maintain Indigenous culture.

Alix Bateup, of Defence People Group, attended the festival and was impressed by what she saw.

“Defence has a large presence with NORFORCE and so a lot of the young people have aspirations to join NORFORCE just like their aunties, uncles, dad or grandad did. It was lovely to see,” she says.

Able Seaman Alan Patterson, is a member of the Navy Indigenous Performance Group ‘Bungaree’.Photo: Petty Officer Phil Cullinan


A Welcome to Country Smoking Ceremony is led by Ngunnuwal Elder Matilda House, at the front of Russell Offices to mark the start of NAIDOC week in Canberra. Photo: Lauren Larking

DATSIN

NETWORKS and support systems play a signifi-cant role in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

culture and can serve as great opportunities for pro-fessional development.

The Defence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Network (DATSIN) provides the means for Indigenous Defence ADF and APS members to communicate with each other and network across the department.

Norman Laing, Defence’s Indigenous Cultural Adviser, says the network has been invaluable for peer support as well as a means to contribute to the overall morale and wellbeing of Defence members.

“It is also a positive and commendable example of Defence supporting its members to access, and dis-cuss cultural matters and seek advice and assistance from the group in the first instance,” Norman says.

Mentoring

ANOTHER support program which has yield-ed positive results for Indigenous personnel

in Defence is the Defence Indigenous Mentoring Program, with more than 100 APS mentees partici-pating last year.

The program provides support to Indigenous trainees in Defence who have appreciated the oppor-tunity to be paired with more experienced Indigenous and non-Indigenous personnel.

Mentors play an important role in Indigenous trainees’ transition into Defence. Alisa Smith nom-inated to become an Indigenous mentor and found the experience benefited not only her mentee but also herself through the process.

“Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship and while I will enjoy providing coaching and guid-ance to the new trainees, I am very keen to learn about the unique skills and knowledge they bring to the workplace,” Alisa says.

She feels privileged to be a part of the process and is looking forward to witnessing the development of trainees as they gain confidence, allowing them to flourish in their careers.

Entry Programs

IN 2017 Defence welcomed 76 new Indigenous trainees into the department. Christina says the intake of trainees was double

the number the previous year and was the largest intake Defence has received.

Danyal Davids, a 2017/2018 Indigenous Australian Government Development Program train-ee and Base Support Operations Officer based at Holsworthy Barracks, notes the biggest benefit of the traineeship for him has been the opportunity to work full-time and at the same time study for a Diploma in Government, opening up many doors which he never imagined possible.

Ashley Johnson, of Indigenous Affairs, says the traineeship program provides the opportunity to edu-cate other cultures and Defence cultures about the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Not just as First Nations people, but also in terms of what they can contribute to Defence’s capability and mission,” Ashley says.

Although there is still work to do, it’s important to acknowledge how far we have come and vital we learn from the past.

To close the gap to Indigenous disadvantage we need to work together to achieve a brighter and more inclusive future; one where Indigenous and non-In-digenous Australians come together, to acknowledge our shared history and contribute toward a shared and united future. A future where we support, respect and value one another.


THE MAIN PLAN

THE Defence Industrial Capability Plan outlines the government’s vision to achieve a more mature, resilient and internationally competitive defence industry in the

next 10 years, underpinning the Government’s $200 billion investment in Defence capability over that period.

The plan was launched on 23 April by the Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne, at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra.

“Until now, Australia has never had a long-term plan for what we want our defence industry to be, nor did we have a blueprint to guide the development of that industry,” the Minister said.

“In releasing this first ever Defence Industrial Capability Plan today, the Government is putting forward its vision, its direction and plan, for a defence industry that is positioned to meet Australia’s strategic and capability goals.”

The Director Defence Industry Capability Strategy, Defence Industry Policy Division, Kerry Doyle, speaks of industry as a fundamental input to capability.

“We need an Australian defence industry that is capable, ready, and robust to support Defence capability,” she says.

“The Defence Industrial Capability Plan is about how we will actually implement support to industry, and make sure that our industry is effective in providing those capabilities.”

According to the Industry Policy and Program Officer, Defence Industry Policy Division, Veronica Jerez, the Plan’s five strategic objectives not only build on the 2016 Defence White Paper and the 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement, but bring together a host of existing defence industry policies.

“The plan in a way is another piece of the puzzle in the government’s vision for defence industry”, Veronica says.

“We’ve got the Defence White Paper, the Defence Industry Policy Statement, the Integrated Investment Program, the Naval Shipbuilding Plan, the Export Strategy, and now this is the Plan. So it’s building on that whole.”

A central part of the Plan is the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities, which are determined through the Sovereign Industrial Capability Assessment Framework.

“The Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities are the ones that government says are so important to our Defence capabilities that we need to have access to, and control over, those industrial capabilities in Australia,” Kerry says.

She says the Sovereign Industrial Capability Assessment Framework is designed to be responsive to changes in technology or our strategic circumstances, so Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities can be reviewed.

The Plan is primarily directed at small to medium enterprises (SME) within defence industry and includes a dedicated $17 million annual grant program to help SMEs contributing

to a Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority. “One of the things the plan does is it explains

to industry all of the mechanisms they can use to help them become part of defence industry, or if they’re already in defence industry, to improve their capabilities or expand their access to Defence capability procurement processes,” Kerry says.

At the most advanced stage, this will extend to exporting.

“If you’re an SME and you want to work in defence industry, there’s a way in, and if you’re already in, there’s a way up,” she says.

Another key aspect of the Plan is integrating the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities into existing Defence decision-making processes, including Force Design and Capability Life Cycles.

“It is a way to ensure that Defence considers the health and resilience of these priorities when they’re making decisions,” Kerry says.

The Defence Industry Policy Division is now moving ahead with implementing the Plan in close partnership with the Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CDIC).

“Defence Industry Policy Division will be focused on integrating the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities into Defence capability decision-making, whereas the CDIC will be focused on delivering the new grant that goes along with the plan,” Kerry says.

According to Veronica, implementing the plan will also require coordination with

By Jenna Sorby-Adams

Long-term vision sets agenda for future to meet strategic and capability goals


a number of other initiatives including the Australian Industry Capability Program, the Defence Innovation Hub, the Next Generation Technologies Fund, the Defence Export Strategy and the Australian Defence Export Office.

Graduates Natalie Katholos and Paul Azar look forward to being involved in implementing the policy, which is for them a unique experience.

“It is an extremely valuable learning experience to witness the launch of a public policy document and to be involved in its implementation,” Natalie says.

“As graduates, we are really lucky to be immersed in a project that will affect defence industry over the next 10 years. Equally exciting was getting a selfie with Minister Pyne.”

Veronica is similarly enthused, seeing the

Plan, once implemented, as “the first step of something that could be quite transformative for Defence capability”.

For Kerry, the launch of the Plan marks the end of a prolific chapter, and the beginning of another.

“You need to recognise when you’ve made a milestone and then get ready for the next one,” she says.

Meanwhile, the Minister calls on defence industry to step up to the challenge.

“We aim to give industry the policy tools. Now it’s for industry to finish the job,” he says.

“Importantly, the plan makes clear that to be considered an Australian Defence company having an ABN and a shopfront is no longer enough – we want to see Australian leadership, an Australian board and an Australian workforce value-adding right here at home.”

Strategic objectives

Collins-class submarine maintenance and technology upgrade.

Continuous shipbuilding program (including rolling submarine acquisition).

Land combat vehicle and technology upgrade.

Enhanced active and passive phased array radar capability.

Combat clothing survivability and signature reduction technologies.

Advanced signal processing capability in electronic warfare, cyber and information security, and signature management technologies and operations.

Surveillance and intelligence data collection, analysis, dissemination and complex systems integration.

Test, evaluation, certification and systems assurance.

Munitions and small-arms research, design, development and manufacture.

Aerospace platform deep maintenance.

1A broader

and deeper defence

industrial base 2

A strategic approach

to defence industry

investment

3

4 5

An innovative and

competitive defence industry

A robust defence industry export

capability

A Defence and industry

partnership that enables Australia

to pre-position for the future

Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities


Suite of planning and expertise goes into

ground-breaking Defence Export Strategy

THE ground-breaking Defence Export Strategy brings together government, Defence and industry in delivering a high-level strategic framework for defence exports.

It aims to boost investment and innovation in defence exports, create more high-end manufacturing jobs for Australian businesses and bolster the capabil-ity of the ADF.

The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, the Minister for Defence, Senator Marise Payne, and the Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne, released the Defence Export Strategy on 29 January.

“What this is doing is, for the first time, establish-ing a solid, continuing Australian defence industry in Australia,” the Prime Minister says.

The Assistant Secretary Defence Industry, Defence Industry Policy Division, Matt Ramage, says the strategy will build on the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the defence industry, harnessing the best that Australian defence industry has to offer.

“The Defence Export Strategy is a 10-year plan that outlines how Defence will bring together all of the elements of the Defence export system to support Defence capability needs and to support our defence industry to grow its exports,” Matt says.

The Director Industry Policy and International

BOOST FOR

INDUSTRY


COVER STORY – DEFENCE EXPORT STRATEGY


Engagement, Defence Industry Policy Division, Nathan Rufus, says the strategy builds on the 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement.

“It is one of a number of new policy levers, alongside the Defence Industrial Capability Plan, the Australian Industry Capability program and the upcoming Defence Industry Skilling and STEM Strategy and Defence Industry Participation Policy, which aim to ensure a resilient and sustainable Defence industry,” he says.

According to Matt, successful implementation of the strategy requires a whole-of-government approach.

“While Defence has developed the strategy and we have led the strategy, we are bringing together all arms of government, and also including the states and territories,” he says.

In working together with bodies such as AusTrade, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability within the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, and the Export Finance Insurance Corporation, Matt says the strategy trans-forms what was previously a piecemeal approach into a forward-thinking policy for defence exports.

“While government has supported industry to export before, it’s never been done in such a system-atic and methodical way,” Nathan adds.

Continued page 14

“WHILE GOVERNMENT HAS SUPPORTED

INDUSTRY TO EXPORT BEFORE, IT’S NEVER BEEN DONE IN SUCH A SYSTEMATIC AND METHODICAL WAY.”

NATHAN RUFUS,DIRECTOR INDUSTRY POLICY

AND INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

Strategic goalThe strategic goal of the Defence Export Strategy is to achieve by 2028 greater export success to build a stronger, more sustainable and more globally compet-itive Australian defence industry to support Australia’s defence capability needs.

This will be achieved through the following five objectives: Strengthen the partnership between the Australian

government and industry to pursue defence export opportunities.

Sustain Australia’s defence industrial capabilities across peaks and troughs in domestic demand.

Enable greater innovation and productivity in Australia’s defence industry to deliver world-leading defence capabilities.

Maintain the capability edge of the Australian Defence Force and leverage defence capability development for export opportunities.

Grow Australia’s defence industry to become a top 10 global defence exporter.

Key aspects A new Australian Defence Export Office which will

work hand-in-hand with Austrade and the Centre for Defence Industry Capability to coordinate whole-of-government efforts.

A new Australian Defence Export Advocate who will provide high-level advocacy for defence exports and coordinate efforts across industry and government.

A $3.8 billion Defence Export Facility administered by Australia’s export credit agency, the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, which will pro-vide support when there is a market gap for defence finance.

$20 million a year from 2018-19 to implement the Defence Export Strategy and support defence indus-try exports, which includes:» $6.3 million to develop and implement strategic

multi-year export campaigns.» $3.2 million to enhance and expand the Global

Supply Chain program.» $4.1 million for grants to help small and medium

enterprises compete internationally. » Local industry experts in key markets to provide

advice and support for Australian defence exports.» A Defence Export Forum to coordinate efforts

across the Australian government, state and terri-tory governments and industry.


The Assistant Secretary Defence Industry Matt Ramage, left, and the Director Industry Policy and International Engagement, Nathan Rufus, talk about the export strategy. Photo: Corporal Bill Solomou


From page 13

The Defence Export Strategy aims to bring Australia within the top 10 defence exporters worldwide within a decade.

In describing the strategy as an “ideas space” with little pre-existing policy, Matt says that “the top 10 defence exporter was an ambitious element of the strat-egy, but that was the opportunity we had in this area, to be ambitious for the nation and for defence industry, because that’s what policy is about”.

Nathan says achieving this objective must be driven by defence industry, and the strategy aims to set the right framework, policies and support to give industry the best chance to do so.

“Industry has to take up that opportunity and seek out those markets. But they can’t necessarily do that without the right support from government and this is really about providing those circumstances, providing that framework,” he says.

Matt adds that “the way to get to the top 10 is to understand your strengths and weaknesses and to build upon those and leverage those in order to know how to understand the markets you are trying to operate in and then best use resources to achieve that”.

One of the features of defence industry is peaks and troughs, according to Minister Pyne.

“By investing in defence exports, we are giving defence industry the opportunity to see through those peaks and troughs and establish long-term investments in their equipment, in their skills, in their workforce, in their management, in their research and development,” he says.

Matt says this is particularly important for small and medium enterprises within Australian defence industry, which will play a key role in supply chains through providing capability that is both cost-effective and fit for purpose, underpinning Australia’s defence capability and enhancing interoperability with partner defence forces.

“All future defence exports will remain subject to the well-established export controls system which ensures Australia upholds its international obligations and main-tains Australia’s warfighting advantage and strategic interests,” Nathan says.

Matt says it’s about “how we can leverage our capa-bility through Defence industry policy and use defence exports as a way to support security in the region and our broader regional and global objectives, but doing that responsibly and in a way that is very much aligned with our export control regime”.

The strategy is now in the process of being imple-mented with the establishment of the Australian Defence Export Office on 23 April which acts as the focal point for defence exports. Damien Chifley was appointed as Executive Director of the Office, which now also incor-porates the Australian Military Sales Office, previously within Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group. It will also soon include the Team Defence Australia ini-tiative from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. Further, David Johnston was appointed as the first Australian Defence Export Advocate on 9 April.

Matt expects much growth over time towards a deep-er, stronger defence industry.

“The way in which we can give effect to the strategy in year 10 will be much different than it is in year one, simply because Australian industry will be different, it will be better, it will be more capable, it will have a greater suite of capabilities that are internationally com-petitive and can be exported,” Matt says.

Through a coordinated effort over the coming dec-ade, the Defence Export Strategy will result in a defence industry that is resilient, sustainable, innovative and competitive, able to provide better capability to the ADF and known on the international stage for its world-lead-ing capability.

In Minister Payne’s words, “it sets out a very, very valuable pathway for our engagement into the future in defence export terms”.

u Contact the Australian Defence Export Office at: [email protected]

THE Minister for Defence, Marise Payne, has appointed Dr Vivienne Thom to conduct a review of the Defence Trade Controls Act 2012 (Cth).

According to the Minister, the Act is an important element in the government’s con-tinuing effort to protect current and future national security and ADF capability.

The Act regulates the supply of military and dual-use technology overseas and brokering in defence goods and technology. It was enact-ed in 2012 to strengthen Australia’s existing exports controls and to align them with inter-national best practice and was amended in 2015 after extensive stakeholder consultation.

The review, required by section 74B of the

Act, is intended to provide evidence-based, practical recommendations for improvements to the Act and associated policy. In particular, it aims to ensure that the Act is an effective component of Australia’s export control regime that appropriately addresses current and future national security requirements.

The review will include an assessment of whether the Act is fit for purpose, whether there are any gaps in the Act’s controls, and whether there are any unintended conse-quences resulting from the Act’s controls, such as unnecessary regulatory burden.

“The review of the Act will consider the adequacy of both safeguards of national defence capability and its operation to prevent

Defence Trade Controls Act


THE government’s vision to grow a strong, resil-ient and internationally competitive Australian defence industry to support our national

security received a major boost when the Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne, opened the Australian Defence Export Office in Canberra on 23 April.

Minister Pyne says the establishment of the Australian Defence Export Office is one of the key initi-atives of the Defence Export Strategy.

“The Australian Defence Export Office will provide a focal point for whole-of-government delivery of the systematic approach and initiatives set out in the Strategy.”

Minister Pyne says while Defence has tasted export success, establishing the Australian Defence Export Office is a critical step in achieving what we need to support and develop the Australian defence industry of tomorrow.

“We now have a clear strategic vision for a sover-eign Australian defence industry that underpins our Defence capability. A defence industry that is sustain-able and internationally competitive is crucial to this vision,” he says.

“I look forward to seeing Australian defence indus-try achieving greater export success, supported by the Australian Defence Export Office.”

The Office will deliver a range of initiatives to assist and support industry, including producing market intelligence and partnering with industry in multi-year campaigns.

Damien Chifley is the inaugural Executive Director of the Office, which now also incorporates the Australian Military Sales team, previously within Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group. It will also soon bring in the Team Defence Australia initia-tive from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.

Further, David Johnston, as Australian Defence Export Advocate Minister Pyne says, is to continue to open doors.

“As much as I can travel and help try and open mar-kets and open doors and meet decision-makers, one of David’s key roles in going to be following on and creating his own openings of doors in other markets so we’ll be working in tandem to create opportunities for Australian companies and products.”

Damien says his role is to turn all of the individual export players in the field into a team.

“The Australian Defence Export Office will focus on bringing together efforts to grow defence exports, establishing a systematic approach to support,” Damien says.

“It will ensure all elements of government support are working with companies throughout a product’s lifecyle, culminating in an export opportunity.

“It will use the levers of trade shows, strategic cam-paigns, investment through grants to companies to provide access to export opportunities.

“The office will look across the capability spectrum, making sure that we are taking account of the capabil-ity needs of the ADF and the advantages that we are trying to protect.

“It’s about understanding what Australian industry has to offer and tailoring the approach to exports to where those market opportunities are as we haven’t done that before.”

The Australian Defence Export Advocate David Johnston, the Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne, and the Acting Associate Secretary, Rebecca Skinner, open the Australian Defence Export Office at Brindabella Park. Photo: Jay Cronan

Export Office opens in Canberra

trade and collaboration that could advance the military capabilities of potential adversaries or see the transfer of technology that would not be in Australia’s national interests,” the Minister says.

“This review is also important to ensure the Act appropriately balances the protection of national defence capability, while not unnecessarily restrict-ing trade, innovation or research collaboration.”

Dr Thom is a former Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security and previous to that was a Deputy Commonwealth Ombudsman oversee-ing law enforcement, immigration, taxation and defence agencies.

The review will take about six months and will be publicly released in due course.

u The Terms of Reference are available at defence.gov.au/publications/reviews/tradecontrols

under review



Drafting the policy

WHILE each stage had its own challenges, it was in drafting and developing the strategy that the team was best able to show what it

was made of. “We originally had grand ideas that we would

have a clear policy development phase followed by drafting, where we would have thrashed out all the policy issues and initiatives first and then turned it into a beautifully crafted public-facing document. But in reality the two things happened concurrently,” Tom says.

A complicating factor was the moving goal posts which, according to Tom, meant the team had to learn to roll with the punches.

“We had to be prepared to take the work plan, the intricate timeline developed in the first weeks of the strategy development, and not exactly tear it up and throw it away, but constantly refine, review, and adjust our tack.

“Decisions were taken along the way that signif-icantly altered the direction and some of the founda-tional assumptions that we had made at various points along the process.”

Josh says along with being agile, the team needed to maintain a high-level knowledge of international and strategic policy.

“You had to be a generalist but also a specialist in Defence industry policy, and know how all those gen-eral things distil down into Defence industry policy, and specifically export policy,” Josh says. In Todd’s words, it was “all hands on deck at times”.

THERE’S NO ‘I’ IN THIS TEAM

Assistant Directors Tom Beamish (above left) and Asha Williams (left). Policy Officer Todd Settle (above right). Photos: Lauren Larking

Inception

DESCRIBED by the Director Industry Policy and Governance, Nathan Rufus, as the “best team I’ve ever worked with,” the game-chang-

ing Defence Export Strategy was piloted over the course of 15 months by just a few key players.

The team comprised two Assistant Directors – team lead Tom Beamish and Asha Williams, who is now in charge of implementing the policy. It also included three policy officers – Dan Liu, Josh Leslie and Todd Settle – along with former graduate Jenni Zierk and current graduate Joel Einstein.

“They were a really professional, intellectually driven team,” Nathan says. “Every member was engaged, passionate and interested in the work.”

While each person brought their own strengths to the project, each team member worked on a breadth of different tasks.

“One of the advantages of a small team was we had different work assigned to us, but we didn’t have really delineated or siloed roles. We really helped each other,” Josh says.

Working on the strategy was a new experience for all team members.

“None of us had worked on a policy quite like this,” Tom says.

“Most of the team were new to defence industry as well, so we learnt a lot about the policy issues and the stakeholders, which was incredibly interesting.

“Everyone came with a huge amount of enthusi-asm and really good humour, which were key to get-ting through what was a challenging year.

“There was also a great vibe within the team, which is a difficult one to quantify, but the personal-ities, while different, worked well together and made it a pleasure to come into work each day.”

The strategy process consisted of three main stag-es. Firstly, it involved scoping out the issues, under-taking initial research and gathering data. Secondly, it involved wading through the intricacies of developing and drafting the policy and finally, it involved organ-ising and overseeing the launch.

COVER STORY – THE TEAM



Another challenge was consulting multiple stakeholders, including ministers, other government departments, the states and territories, and defence industry, and arrive at a position that everyone could adopt.

“Everyone came to the table with slightly dif-ferent perspectives on what their priorities were. So the challenge was finding a way through that which, as far as possible, met those different expectations, while presenting a coherent narrative which, at the end of the day, would deliver the Defence industry outcomes Defence needs to achieve its capability goals,” Tom says.

In addition, the team members engaged in robust debate on decisions to be made.

“When it is something important like public pol-icy or Defence strategic policy, you need to back up

THERE’S NO ‘I’ IN THIS TEAM

Policy Officer Joshua Leslie.

Policy Officer and former graduate Jenni Zierk (above) and current graduate Joel Einstein (below).

what you say and why you think that, and as long as the team is doing that you can have contested ideas, contested thoughts, and that makes the best policy,” Josh says.

Jenni says it was a valuable experience for her.“From a grad perspective, it was really interesting

for me to see a piece of policy being developed that was so close to the government. And professionally, it was really great to have that experience and see the pointy end of business.”

For Tom, who took on his first supervisor role as team lead and had a baby halfway through the year, the personal and professional development was palpable. “I’m still developing the suite of leadership styles. There is no single approach to leadership, and I think it has to be situational,” Tom says. “I have a set of skills that has got me this far, but now I need to broaden that to deal with a range of different situations.”

Into the future

SEEING their hard work realised at the launch of the strategy was a rewarding experience for the team.

“Watching the Prime Minister, the Defence Industry Minister and the Defence Minister launch our document was really rewarding,” Josh says.

“Seeing all the months, or for some people over a year, of hard work, come to fruition and be launched in such a high-profile way was really gratifying.”

Asha, who has worked within the Defence Industry Policy Division for almost 18 months, echoed Nathan in saying that “this is one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with”.

“The most rewarding aspect for me so far has been getting that high level recognition for Defence industry exports, and getting the Australian Defence Force, the Secretary, and the Ministers behind driving exports through a policy document,” she says.

Now the strategy is finalised, a couple of the orig-inal team have dispersed. Todd has moved over to the new Australian Defence Export Office to ensure seamless implementation of the policy. Dan is in the United Kingdom completing a Master’s degree, and a new graduate, Joel Einstein, has come on board to help implement the strategy.

“It’s a team which, when you enter it, you quickly work out there is a lot going on and a lot of different moving pieces ... you’re never left bored,” Joel says.

Meanwhile, Tom is stepping sideways to work on one of the upcoming iterations of Defence Industry Policy.

“The Defence Export Strategy for our team has obviously been a huge body of work and effort over the year or so that it took to develop,” Tom says.

“But, in the context of the broader Defence indus-try policy agenda and the work of this Division, it is but a small piece ... it is fantastic that this policy is out there and is done, but it’s just one piece of a very broad agenda which is continuing and moving at a rapid pace.”

COVER STORY – THE TEAM


THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

NESTLED in an unassuming building on HMAS Kuttabul is the Fleet Base East Centre for Innovation, a hub of activity on a busy naval base.

The centre is a joint venture between Navy, Capability, Acquisition & Sustainment Group (CASG) and contractors BAE and Thales, who make up the FFG Enterprise which was set up in June 2017 to take advantage of the rapid-prototyping offered by 3D printing.

According to the centre’s manager, CASG’s Don Moloney, what started as an “interest in innovation” quickly evolved into the wide-ranging centre for innovation.

“A while ago, both myself and a few motivated people from the FFG Enterprise expressed an interest in innovation, particularly in 3D printing,” Don says.

“The idea quickly expanded beyond 3D printing into the question of how we could bring the Chief of Navy’s innovation statement to the workforce.

“There was definitely a lot of innovation going on around Defence, particularly in the FFG Enterprise, but a lot of it was either industry-facing or strategic level.

“We really didn’t see any workforce targeted inno-vation practices, which identified a niche we could target.”

The team did a lot of research in the lead-up to the opening of the centre, consulted with other inno-vation groups and visited innovation labs to find out what good innovation looks like.

By Corporal Sebastian Beurich

Innovative thinking is being welcomed and recognised at the innovation centre at Fleet Base East

The Manager of the Fleet Base East Centre for Innovation, Don Moloney, with some 3D printed prototype models in the workshop. Photos: Corporal Sebastian Beurich


The end result is nothing like any other Australian naval facility – a bright, vibrant open-plan space, containing a workshop, computer lab and meeting area.

Don and the Directorate of Navy Continuous Innovation Project Manager, Commander Steve Thompson, are the only full-time staff, although they are joined by BAE and Thales contractors as well as sailors, when they are working on problems.

Importantly, the centre is a “rank-free zone”, allowing even the most junior sailors the opportunity to plan and design new ideas.

Ultimately, the centre comes under the Directorate of Navy Continuous Innovation which helped bring the projects out of the design phase and into produc-tion.

“All of a sudden, young sailors have somewhere they can bring their problems and find a solution in an environment where there are no boundaries to innovation,” Steve says.

“Our job is to grab those ideas and take them as far as they will go, whether that means something

they can fix immediately on a ship, or it involves more than one ship.

“We help to take the ideas through to fruition, to see if they have value to Navy, Defence or the coun-try, and help innovation to occur.”

Although Steve is used to thinking about strate-gic-level problems, Don says the main aim is to help individuals fix problems in their workplace – whether that be an office or a ship.

“The people who walk through our door are usual-ly individuals who have spotted something on a ship, or identified something in their workplace and say ‘I think we can do that better’,” Don says.

“One person, after learning computer-aided design and holding the physical representation of an idea in their hand, told me it felt like they had a new super-power.

“It really stuck in my head – the person was so excited, but they’d also cleared the fuzz between an idea in their head and having a physical, functional prototype.

“That sort of attitude bleeds across into Navy’s

“THE PEOPLE WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOOR ARE

USUALLY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SPOTTED SOMETHING

ON A SHIP, OR IDENTIFIED SOMETHING IN THEIR

WORKPLACE AND SAY ‘I THINK WE CAN DO THAT BETTER’.”

DON MALONEY,MANAGER, FLEET BASE EAST

CENTRE FOR INNOVATION

Petty Officer Matt Perry experiences a virtual reality program (above) as an electronic circuit prototype is tested (right) at the innovation centre.

culture and encourages innovation, so people can look at their business processes and look for efficien-cies in how they do business.”

The centre is only one part of the puzzle – they’re a part of a wider Navy community that specialises in innovation.

The Directorate of Navy Continuous Innovation is responsible for maintaining an overview of every innovation project occurring across the Service, as well as providing advice for people looking to improve their own workplace.

“Defence is so big that it’s near impossible for someone with an idea to communicate with, or even be aware of, someone else in the organisation who has the same problem,” Don says.

“One of the functions of Navy innovation is to try and bridge those gaps. They have the visibility across the organisation to let them know a similar thing has been solved in another area, then link the two to see if the same solution applies.

“Stove-pipes are one barrier to innovation, man-agement is another classic example. Businesses have objectives and KPIs, so it’s human nature for man-agement to tell someone to focus on the issue of the day, rather than improvements.

“Culture is another, although by existing, the centre influences the culture to reduce fear of failing, bring about an appetite for new ideas and take an approach to risk management which includes the risk of lost opportunities.”

Although the idea came from the rapid design and prototyping opportunities offered by 3D printing, the centre also has facilities to produce textile, electronic and virtual prototypes.

Don has seen projects ranging from discreet pock-ets to fitting knee-pads into a uniform, to a compact underwater propulsion device.

“When we do a tour of the centre, we usually do a virtual reality demonstration using an Oculus Rift, but we also take visitors through out textile worksta-tion,” Don says.

“Innovation doesn’t have to be sexy – it can be very conventional fabrication tools, or even just help-ing someone with an idea.”

u More information about the Fleet Base East Centre for Innovation, can be found on the intranet at drnet/navy/NavyInnovation/Pages/Fleet-Base-East-Centre-for-Innovation.aspx


Land Systems Division is dedicated to

providing the best equipment for the ADF

FROM a beautiful bluestone building in Melbourne’s Victoria Barracks, General Thomas Blamey made crucial decisions during World War II. In his office, at his old desk,

now sits Major General David Coghlan who, as the Head Land Systems within Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, makes decisions shaping Defence’s future capability.

“The nature of land warfare is very diverse and we have to integrate everything from helmets through to missile systems,” David says.

“We do that for the ADF and we fill a large niche that industry can’t.”

Land Systems Division has 1050 personnel, of whom about 850 are APS employees. It is responsible for delivering the vast majority of ADF’s land-based capabilities to support “raise, train and sustain” requirements and urgent operational deployments.

This includes vehicles, weapons, field gear, deployable health systems, surveillance equipment, pharmaceuticals and rations.

Land Systems Division takes capabilities from development through to acquisition and in-service management.

The division is managing 22 acquisition projects, with a budget of about $1.45 billion this financial year and 28 sustainment projects, with a budget of $693 million this financial year.

Its largest project is Land 400 Phase 2, which will deliver a replacement for the Australian Light Armoured Vehicle, and is worth about $5 billion.

This will be dwarfed by the coming Land

THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

400 Phase 3, the project to acquire Army’s new mounted close-combat vehicle that replaces the M113 armoured personnel carrier, which will be worth an estimated $10-15 billion.

By contrast, the smallest project by value is $6.65 million to obtain a high-altitude parachute operations oxygen system for Army.

“I’d also add that the value of a project may not necessarily reflect its complexity,” David says.

David says the division has operated in one form or another since 1908 and most soldiers

would be familiar with his division’s “Land” project numbers.

“You need a detailed understanding of the ADF to make sure you’re providing the best equipment possible. Without us, the ADF wouldn’t have the equipment to the depth or quality it has now,” he says.

“In all modern western armies there is an equivalent organisation doing a job like us.”

The work of the division ranges across development, acquisition, fleet management, through-life support and disposals.

By Sergeant Max Bree

CAPABILITY FEATURECAPABILITY FEATURE

The Head Land Systems, Major General David Coghlan, works at the desk used by then General Thomas Blamey during World War II.


“The skill sets to be found among our people are incredibly diverse and include everything from strategic planning, project management, scheduling, engineering and design, through to hands-on technical skills such as welding, maching, fabrication, spray painting and carpentry,” David says.

“For us, the major benefit of an integrated workforce is highly effective collaboration that leverages diverse backgrounds and experience.

“Military experience within integrated teams brings to life perspectives on the challenges of modern-day warfare and how we can collectively best serve the war fighter.

“I’m proud of the team we have here and how they keep on delivering day in and day out for our ADF, sometimes in the face of very challenging circumstances.”

Down the hallway from David’s historic office, his senior leadership team meets in the refurbished conference room, used by General (later Field Marshal) Blamey during World War II. The conference table is complete with buttons used to call aides during meetings.

Today, the Land Systems team has its finger on the pulse of capability requirements and takes its cues from the Defence White Paper.

“The White Paper is government’s direction. During the initial stages of the capability life cycle we develop options in partnership with Army, Navy and Air Force headquarters and, once a decision is made by government, we purchase and sustain that equipment,” David says.

Another 16 potential projects worth more than $25 billion are scheduled for government consideration in the next four to five years.

The equipment rolling out today is a far cry from that seen by David when he joined the Army in 1981.

“There is absolutely no comparison. Back then, the Army primarily had equipment left over from Vietnam,” he says.

“Over the past couple of decades the change has been dramatic. Many of our new capabilities will skip a generation and provide us with the best equipment in the world.”

There is now a need to upgrade and refresh equipment at a faster rate than in past decades.

“The mindset has changed. As the pace of warfare increases, so does the pace of acquisition and sustainment to match,” David says. “And, Land Systems Division is here to meet that need.”

CAPABILITY FEATURECAPABILITY FEATURE

THE government’s announcement in March that German contractor Rheinmetall had been selected to deliver 211 Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles followed an intensive three-year process.

Fifty people are dedicated to the Land 400 Phase 2 project, however the Head Land Systems, Major General David Coghlan, high-lights the contribution of many others.

“It is important to recognise the hard work also put in over the years by past project team members, other areas such as our Land Engineering Agency and the wider defence team for Land 400, which includes Army Headquarters and a range of other Defence organisations,” David says.

He says the tendering process included a high level of industry engagement.

“It also included an exhaustive evaluation process that included environmental testing across Australia; land, sea and air transportabili-ty trials; and blast testing.

“It’s a tribute to the project team, past and present, and our supporting partners across Defence that Land 400 Phase 2 achieved this milestone months ahead of schedule.”

The Boxer is the largest single acquisition that has been made for the Army.

The Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, says it will be “an outstanding addi-tion to Army capability and a quantum leap forward in our capacity to prosecute the mission given to us by our government and to take care of our people in doing so”.

Boxer choice three years in the making

MEET SOME OF THE TEAM

David SinaiAssistant National Fleet Manager Direct Fire Support Weapons“I AM a supply logistics manager. I look after equipment and I make sure our people get what they need when they need it.

“This covers machine guns, missile systems anti-armour weapons and auxiliary items associated with them.

“For me the highlights so far have been the diverse role, and I greatly enjoy the workplace team environment.”

Lieutenant Colonel Byron CocksedgeProject Manager Land 159 and 4108 UNDER Land 159, all small arms in the ADF will be replaced. Land 4108 is the direct-fire support weapons replacement project, which covers anything bigger than a small arm.

Byron says the projects have gone through gate zero – the identification of a capability need – of the capability life cycle.

“We are at the strategy and concept stage, and preparing on how we are going to do the acquisition and what some of the capabilities are going to look like,” he says.

He is enjoying the role, which he describes as a “completely different feel” to his background in the infantry.

“I work within the full gambit of project management; from dealing with industry and different issues with contracting and acquisition to policy and procedure,” he says.

Trish RouhanProject ManagerJoint Project 157 Phase 1 THE project Trish is managing will replace Defence’s aviation refuelling vehicles.

“We currently have 30,000 and 16,000 litre tanker models and a hydrant car that dispenses fuel,” she says.

“They are aged and need to be replaced.“We anticipate having 100 vehicles by the

end of financial year 2018-2019. “As we get a new one in we swap it out.”Trish says the new tankers have better

electronics to indicate usage and fuel dispersed.

Trish is from a corporate background and says it is “nice to give back to the community; it is quite pleasing and does make you proud working here”.

She is proud of the achievements of the team, which is a finalist in the Major Acquisition category of the Essington Lewis Award to be announced at the Defence and Industry Gala Awards in Canberra on 1 August.

“I hope we win.”

Integrated Soldier Systems Branch – Armaments, Systems Program Office

MATTHEW’S team comprises two military and five APS personnel.

“We are responsible for the management and sustainment of small arms weapons in the ADF, from pistol through to rifles,” he says.

“What that means to us is that we make sure that soldiers have access to weapons that are capable, effective and serviceable.”

He says the team is constantly looking for ways to benefit soldiers, whether that is new equipment, weapon upgrades or access to more effective equipment.

“Where a deficiency or capability gap is identi-fied, our job is to make sure it is rectified as quickly as possible, with the least amount of impost to the soldier, at an appropriate cost and budget,” he says.

“I see the job as bringing a capability to the ADF as very important – it is massive and I always want-ed to see how it all worked.

“Since working here I have now got an apprecia-tion for everything that goes on behind the scenes.

“It takes a long time for something to get in, but that is because it is going through due diligence in making sure that the equipment the soldiers get is right the first time.”

Captain Matthew QuinnAssistant Fleet Manager Small Arms

Land Vehicle Systems Branch –Commercial & General Service Vehicles, Systems Program Office

Corporal Bill Solomou catches up with

personnel from Land Systems Division and asks

them about their jobs.

22 Defence Issue 1 2018Photos: Corporal Bill Solomou

Lieutenant Colonel Michael ChapmanDeputy Program Director, Indirect Fire Support “WE LOOK after artillery, mortar, and associated computers and equipment,” Michael says.

In his fourth year at CASG, he thrives on the inter-esting and dynamic environment. He says the team has a proven track record of delivering leading edge technologies.

“Passionate people work here,’’ he says.“We try and ensure that the best possible kit is in

the hands of the user.”

MEET SOME OF THE TEAM

Amanda FisherSustainment Manager Light/Lightweight CapabilityAMANDA’S team is responsible for a fleet of 2268 light and lightweight vehicles and 1921 trailers bought from Mercedes-Benz and Haulmark Trailers (Australia) over the past five years.

“I manage the fleet and contracts; we make sure all the sustainment activities are carried out and maintained with Joint Logistics Command and units,” she says.

“The vehicles can deploy to provide humanitarian aid and the like. They are not war-like deployable vehicles.”

Amanda says she enjoys her role, especially working within the team environment.

Major Andrew Priestley National Fleet Manager B Vehicles ANDREW’S team looks after 6000 vehicles in service, “everything from S-Liners, Land Rovers, all-terrain-vehicles to motor bikes and trailers”.

“We sustain the fleet, which has been in service for 30 years plus,” he says.

“By sustaining, I mean that we ensure the user has the vehicle with the capability of doing the job they require.”

His section has an annual budget of about $60 million a year.

“We disperse a lot of that money into Joint Logistic Units to maintain the fleet, that is to repair the vehicles,” he says.

“It’s a great environment to work in, and it’s good to see capability delivered to the user and sustained.”

Lieutenant Colonel Warren WhibleyChief Engineer

WARREN is primarily responsible for ensur-ing the integrity of all the vehicle fleets.

“Integrity means the vehicle is safe to operate in all the modes that we operate it in, that it is functionally fit for the purpose we use it for and that it complies with all the legislative requirements associated with the vehicle,” he says.

In his second year in the job, he says he enjoys working with the people in Land Systems Division.

“Everyone is focused on the job and is very professional,” he says.

His integrated team is composed of 70 per cent APS employees and 30 per cent ADF, all of whom are “focused on the job and are very professional”.

Owen Horsfield Project Director Land 19-7B,THE project is to deliver a short-range ground-based air defence system.

“It is essentially a replacement for the current in-service RBS 70 capability, which is a man-portable air defence system,” Owen says.

“This new system will see the ADF through to 2040 or thereabouts.”

The project received first pass approval in February 2017 and the second pass will be mid-2019 with a 2022-23 finish date.

Owen leads a team of 12, consisting of engineers, project managers and ADF personnel.

His biggest highlight was travelling to Norway to witness a live-fire exercise of the system and visiting the Kongsberg manufacturing plant.

He says his greatest challenge is balancing capa-bility and the budget.

Land Manoeuvre Systems Branch – Combat Support, Systems Program Office


WALKING through the front door of the Prototype Engineering Division (PEC) is a lot like entering the Tardis – small from the front but with

an impressive array of workshop equipment that could rival the M16 James Bond ‘Q’ workshop.

Some of the work undertaken at PEC at Laverton in Melbourne is top secret; however, that is where the similarities with James Bond end.

You will not find explosive watches or pens or a floating jet car, but you will find real lifesaving projects being undertaken.

The Manager of PEC, Denis Cassidy, makes no secret he loves his job and it is clear his team of 14 APS trade and administration personnel also love working there.

“We manufacture prototypes, we conduct small-scale production runs and we provide technical assistance in design,” Denis says.

By Corporal Bill Solomou


CUTTING EDGE

DESIGNThe Land Engineering Agency workshop

is designing and manufacturing lifesaving equipment for our ADF personnel

The Manager of the Prototype Engineering Centre, Denis Cassidy, stands above the machine shop at CASG’s Land Engineering Agency workshop in Melbourne. Photos: Corporal Bill Solomou

PROTOTYPE ENGINEERING DIVISION


“The type of items we manufacture can be as simple as a small bracket, up to a complete upgrade kit consisting of parts that have been specially designed and manufactured so they can be installed in theatre with minimal workshop resources required.”

He is rightly proud of his team and their determination to get the job done.

“They get a sense of belonging and satisfaction on following a job through from plan to product,” Denis says.

“The work is extremely varied and some of the items we manufacture are simply amazing.”

One such project is the Bushmaster ambulance survivability upgrade – Protected Mobility Vehicle – Ambulance Variant (PMAV). The latest option has: new blast-attenuating seats;

the seats have a five-point safety harness and a removable insert to make it more

comfortable if you are wearing a camelback or small backpack;

a new stretcher system that folds down from the wall;

window blanking plates to save weight; and,

a special floor to reduce the potential of lower limb injury.The Land Engineering Agency Survivability

Engineer, Danyal Alakus, says the upgrades are designed to facilitate improvements in occupant survivability.

“The soldiers can decide if they want to configure the PMAV to one stretcher and four seats, or two stretchers,” Danyal says.

“The feedback has been great, soldiers are still commenting on how comfortable the new seats are.”

Danyal says a key design challenge for the vehicle is ensuring its compliance with Defence

technical regulations, as well as making sure it conforms to Australian Design Regulations, so that it can be technically certified as a passenger vehicle and is able to operate on public roads.

Using the PEC workshop and tradespeople, the team was able to build and modify a full working prototype on site, host representatives from the Army user group and make changes straight away.

Different components are then contracted to local industry for production and these are all assembled back at PEC and sent directly into theatre.

Danyal says it was a real success story to see everything happen at once and be delivered directly to the soldiers overseas.

Working on the hydraulic shelter upgrade, the Technical Adviser, Warrant Officer Class Two Stephen Plunkett, says the shelters are converted into mobile workshops.

“They fit straight onto our trucks, so transporting them is easy,” Stephen says.

“We can fit them out to be a repair shelter, a fitter and turners’ workshop; in fact they have a wide array of uses.

“Rather than disposing of the shelters, we can now convert them into medium, expandable mobile workshops.”

Working as a team, PEC trade staff Donna Starpoli and Patrick Andrews, conduct 3D scanning of the PMAV to map out its structural integrity.

The 3D scanner is some of the latest technology used by PEC. It is attached to a robotic arm that can be positioned into tight places and a laser beam sends a signal back to a laptop that scans the structure in real time.

Computer-aided design software is used to assist in accurate drawings of the scan.

Patrick says the Romer Absolute Arm with tactile probe and integrated RS4 laser scanner enables fast and accurate 3D data capture.

“The integrated scanning/ probing features of the Romer Absolute Arm are well suited to PEC’s critical inspection, reverse engineering capability and RODUM investigation in support of CASG/Defence,” Patrick says.

“This system allows confidence in the accuracy of our measurements.”

Left, the Land Platform Development Program Engineer, Danyal Alakus, right, and Protected Mobility Vehicle Technical Adviser, Brent Hunter, in the refurbished Bushmaster ambulance.Below left, the Prototype Engineering Centre Technician, Donna Staropoli, conducts laser scanning of the Bushmaster hull to build a digital 3D model at CASG’s, Land Engineering Agency workshop in Melbourne.

PROTOTYPE ENGINEERING DIVISION


SINGLE LANE

AHEAD

YEARS of planning came to fruition late last year with the release of the Defence Seaworthiness Management System (DSwMS).

The Project Manager of DSwMS, Captain Aaron Young, who was the lead design authority of the system, says it was the culmination of significant research, analysis, peer review and hard work by the design team.

“All of the reviews into Defence maritime reg-ulation highlighted a need for a consistent and sys-tematic approach to managing seaworthiness to meet government tasking requirements,” Aaron says.

“This is exactly what DSwMS is; it’s a whole new way of regulating the maritime community.

“It’s a testament to the convictions of those who believed there was a way of better achieving maritime operational outcomes, by taking a Defence-wide approach.

“Historically, maritime regulation has been highly prescriptive. DSwMS is an outcome-focused goal-based regulatory framework which means we’re less concerned about how each organisation governs and manages seaworthiness in their specific context.”

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett is the inaugural Defence Seaworthiness Authority (DSwA), responsible for enacting and reviewing the effective-ness of the system.

“Defence is different to many organisations – we often work in dangerous operating environments, so we needed a regulatory system which could accom-modate our role in keeping the nation safe and pro-tecting our way of life,” Tim says.

“DSwMS represents a turning point for Defence maritime, as the new approach means there will

be a single Seaworthiness Outcome. All activities carried out on the maritime mission system, across the Capability Life Cycle, are working towards the Outcome.”

As the Defence Seaworthiness Regulator (DSwR), the Head of Navy Engineering, Rear Admiral Colin Lawrence, is accountable for managing and contin-ually improving DSwMS to regulate and assure the management of seaworthiness.

“DSwMS aims to manage hazards and risks through an enterprise system of controls. It’s a new framework that will guide Defence personnel to make informed decisions on seaworthiness matters,” Colin says.

From Army’s vessels to Estate and Infrastructure Group’s wharves, to Capability and Sustainment Group’s involvement in maritime acquisitions and testing, everyone who has anything to do with a ship being able to achieve its mission is regulated under DSwMS.

Aaron says a key feature of the system is the Risk Management and Assurance Framework, which is based on an internationally recognised business model adapted for Defence.

“We call it the ‘three lines of defence model’, but it depicts three independent layers of assurance to manage risks,” Aaron says.

“The system is unique because it doesn’t prescribe methods to those it regulates; it places the onus on subject matter experts within the regulated organi-sations to find the best method to meet the required operational effect.

Formerly of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the Executive Director of the ODSwR, Karen Roberts, knows about prescriptive regulation.

By Corporal Sebastian Beurich

A new one-stop management system is making life easier on the high seas

“IT’S A WHOLE NEW WAY OF REGULATING THE

MARITIME COMMUNITY.”AARON YOUNG

PROJECT MANAGER


From left to right: Captain Colin Dagg, Karen Roberts,

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Mark

Binskin, Acting Associate Secretary Rebecca Skinner,

Deputy Chief of Army, Major General Rick Burr and Head

of Navy Engineering Rear Admiral Colin Lawrence at

Campbell Park for the launch of the Defence Seaworthiness

Management System in October last year.

Photo: Petty Officer Phil Cullinan

“For example, in CASA we would regulate that a runway must be a certain length and width, whereas DSwMS would only be concerned with an aircraft landing safely,” she says.

“How that happens is up to the person best placed to make that decisions – whether they are the Capability Manager, or working on a ship.

“It’s one of the problems other global regulators have – in the context of an organisation of thousands of people, there’s no way a regulator with a small staff can have the expertise of an entire organisation.”

For Karen, DSwMS is a completely new way of thinking about how to solve a problem.

“We don’t give the Capability Managers rules and then tick a box when they’ve completed a task; they come back to tell us how they are going to comply, then we complete our assurance processes,” she says.

“It doesn’t constrain them in how they are going to meet the Seaworthiness Outcome; it gives them more flexibility to respond in the heat of the moment

and places a higher importance on Defence achieving its operational effect.”

The system acknowledges the often onerous task of complying with significant amounts of legislation which can vary between states and territories.

Karen offers the example of a vessel travelling between Sydney and Brisbane.

“In the past, there were more than 10 different pieces of legislation a vessel would have to abide by, some of which differ between New South Wales and Queensland,” she says.

“Now all the legislative and management require-ments of maritime systems are rolled into the new system, so if a vessel is compliant with DSwMS, they’re already complying with each state’s legisla-tion.

u For more information on DSwMS visit: drnet.defence.gov.au/seaworthiness

HAVING A BALL One public servant is going from strength to strength

in her chosen sport

With a sticky grip-aid on her hands, Jess Donnellan, of the Office of the Defence Seaworthiness Regulator, picks up and hugs a 65kg Atlas stone, as she prepares to propel it up and over the bar.Photo: Sergeant Mark Doran


COMMUNICATIONS manager Jess Donnellan can’t be accused of not pull-ing her weight… and a lot more.

She recently joined the country’s strongest women during the Arnold Strongman Australia Championships

held in Melbourne from March 16-18 where she placed fifth out of 19 in her division.

Jess qualified for the pinnacle strongman event after winning her division at the Gates of Valhalla competition in December last year in Minto, NSW.

Standing at just 159cm and weighing less than 65kg she regularly lifts more than three times her body weight.

“I had a personal goal of making the top five as it was my first time at the competition so I achieved what I wanted,” Jess says.

Jess works at the Office of the Defence Seaworthiness Regulator (ODSwR) at Campbell Park Offices in Canberra.

The ODSwR is a new organisation responsi-ble for implementing and managing the Defence Seaworthiness Management System (DSwMS).

The office, which will eventually have close to 80 civilian and military staff, has an enterprise view across all maritime organisations within Defence.

Jess’s responsibilities within the new organisa-tion include planning the communication strategies informing Defence organisations and maritime industries about the DSwMS and the positive impact it will have.

She says ODSwR is not just creating regulations for Defence maritime organisations to respond to.

“We’re also here to educate and advise all of Defence about the system to ensure that all groups and services understand their obligations,” she says.

“The goal is to guarantee issues of the past never happen again.”

Jess studied journalism at James Cook University in Townsville before she began working with the Macquarie Radio Network in 2006 writing advertise-ments.

She then became a copy writer for a Cairns-based advertising agency and worked on corporate market-ing campaigns.

Jess says her work took her to Perth where she worked for a systems integrator which gave her an insight into mining and maritime systems as well as Defence.

“My partner, Ryan, who is also my coach, and I missed the East Coast, so in 2015 Ryan suggested I apply for an APS job based in Canberra,” she says.

“I was successful and began working with the Department of Education and Training at the end of the year, which included a six-month secondment with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet as a communications adviser with the Office for Women.

“When I heard about the position at ODSwR late last year I thought my background and exposure to pri-vate industry would make me well suited for the role.”

Jess says she is enjoying her job and working in the Defence environment.

“Aside from needing to learn a lot of acronyms, it’s a fantastic environment here because the team just wants to get the job done and they don’t like wasting time,” she says.

“It’s the type of environment I thrive in and I’ve also been given the opportunity to do the Gateway Leadership Program.”

After competing in powerlifting and making it to the national finals in 2014, Jess says she found she was not enjoying the sport.

“During the national finals I was trying to get the world record, but failed the lift,” she says.

“It was extremely devastating, even though I placed equal first in my category.

“I was also getting a lot of injuries, so I decided to concentrate on having fun and finding a new chal-lenge.”

With just under a year in the strongman sport, Jess has risen from competing in local novice com-petitions to winning a national online strongwoman competition and taking third place in the Static Monsters worldwide log and axle competition.

Each competition typically includes five different events spanning a range of parameters.

With events including yoke walk, farmer’s carry, monster dumbbell overhead press and atlas stones, strongman competitions are not for the fainthearted.

Jess says even regular training sessions leave her with random bruises and scratches, while competi-tions tend to leave the athletes beaten up.

“When I started at ODSwR I told everyone what I do so they don’t get the wrong idea when I turn up to work covered in bruises,” she says.

“I normally train for about two hours five times a week and I have my own strongman equipment at home, just in case.

“I also focus on a high protein, low fat diet and try to keep my water intake up.”

Jess says some strongman events are for max-imum weight, others for moving a weight in the fastest time and some for the maximum number of repetitions per minute.

“I learnt quickly to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and be good at working on my weak-nesses,” she says.

“I love the constant challenge of the sport, its gaining in popularity among women and it’s exciting to watch.

“My division (under 65kg) is one of the most competitive because smaller women are often under-estimated in terms of physical strength.

“Last year I lifted 205kg during the maximum axle deadlift for the national record at the Static Monsters competition and the heaviest stone I lifted so far is 90kg to 1.3m.

“It’s empowering to see my body get stronger and recording the results every time I get a new personal best.”

Jess also qualified for the 2018 Static Monsters World Championships to be held on the Gold Coast in May where she will attempt to beat her own national record.

By Sergeant Mark Doran

“I LEARNT QUICKLY TO BE COMFORTABLE

WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE.”

JESS DONNELLAN,COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

CHANGING FACE OF THE APS


The Australian Public Service is a vastly different organisation these days and is

gearing up for more change

THE future of work was the focus of a pres-entation by the Australian Public Service Commissioner, John Lloyd, in February when he spoke about the findings of the

State of the Service Report 2016-17.The main features of his presentation were chang-

es to individual roles, increased flexibility, and the growing diversity in the APS.

In John’s view, the future of work in the APS will involve changes to individual roles.

“It’s important to acknowledge that the nature of work and the way it is undertaken is dynamic and both change regularly,” John said.

“Going forward, it is inevitable that some jobs will be replaced, others will be redesigned, and some with inherently human decision-making roles, will possibly continue with not a great deal of change.”

A challenge for the government and the APS is to adapt to these changes. John said this would involve “clear communication with staff about the risks and the opportunities involved in the future of work”.

For him, the future of work offered staff opportu-

nities of “ever more fulfilling and effective jobs”.Another key part of the future of work is

increased flexibility. In particular, this involves the flexibility of having teams that can be formed and adapted quickly.

“There is going to be momentum I think to have a more flexible approach to how we use people,” John said.

“I just think we can’t get away from that. And I hope that that sort of momentum pushes it into recog-nising the skills of people and having the capacity to form teams around particular issues, to run them for a while, and when the matter’s done, finish and away they go.”

John believes that these changes will extend to management hierarchies.

“I think hierarchies, management hierarchies, are going to change. There is going to be much more emphasis on teams,” he said.

“I think for us as leaders, we’re going to be test-ed not so much on our authority, for our position in the management structure, but by how effectively

we lead a team. We will be as much a team coach I suspect as manager, and we will need to bring out the diversity, the skills, the strength of the team and coach it to achieve optimum outcomes.”

The demographic composition of the APS is also undergoing change.

Other findings of the SoS report are that the range of employment opportunities for people with a disa-bility are expanding, while indigenous representation in the APS has increased to 3.2 per cent.

Gender equality is increasingly embedded in the everyday business of the APS. Women make up almost 60 per cent of the APS, with the number of women in SES roles at its highest since 2000. Further, employees who identified as LGBTI were increasingly recognised within the APS.

“As a public service, we should reflect as best we can the community we serve,” John said.

The SoS Report also identified that 62 per cent of APS staff work outside Canberra, while 14 per cent of APS staff work outside a capital city.


42.3% of Defence APS are

women

47% of 2018 graduate

intake is female

32.4% identify as culturally

and linguistically diverse

2.2% of APS identify as

indigenous

3.6% identify as a

person with a disability

55.2% located outside

Canberra

31.8% aged between

50-60

18.6% of Defence

workforce is APS

Review of the APSTHE Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has commissioned an independent review of the APS to ensure it is keeping up with current trends.

“A range of global, technological and public policy developments are transforming our economy and our society, presenting both opportunities and challenges,” the PM said.

“It is therefore timely to examine the capability, culture and operating model of the APS, to ensure it is equipped to engage with key policy, service delivery and regulatory issues of the day.”

In the terms of reference for the review, the Prime Minister outlined that he expects the APS to:

drive innovation and productivity in the economy;

deliver high quality policy advice, regulatory oversight, programs and services;

tackle complex challenges in collaboration with the community business and citizens;

ensure our domestic, foreign, trade and security interests are coordinated and well managed;

improve citizens’ experience of government and deliver fair outcomes for them; and

acquire and maintain the necessary skills and expertise to fulfill its responsibilities.The review will be undertaken by a panel

of experts with both public and private sector experience. It will be led by the former CEO of

Telstra and current chair of CSIRO, David Thodey. The panel will consult widely, both within and outside of the APS and will be supported by a secretariat within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The panel will produce its report in the first half of 2019.

In addition, an APS-wide national conference series, “Positioning the APS for the future”, will be run from June to October in a number of major cities.The Secretary for Defence, Greg Moriarty, is encouraging all Defence APS employees to get behind the review.

u For more information, see http://www.apsreview.gov.au

Composition of APS in the Department


Photo: Jayson Tufrey

THE old nine-to-five work day is becoming a thing of the past as people take up flexible work arrangements in the APS.

According to the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) State of the Service Report 2016-17, almost half of respondents to the APSC census reported using flexible work arrangements.

This new era of how people shape their work day brings with it vast capabilities which Defence has started capitalising on. From an organisational perspective, mainstreamed flexible work practices can improve attraction and retention, talent identification and management, increase employee engagement and aspiration and increase representation within all diversity groups.

As part of a whole-of-government requirement to make all APS roles flexible, the Diversity Directorate is rolling out a ‘pilot program’ across several divisions within the organisation to participate in a ‘Flexible Work Awareness Campaign’.

The campaign aims to promote awareness and create a conversation between staff and managers around flexible work options available to staff in their immediate work area. The campaign will be tested and rolled out over 2018/19 with the hope of it becoming common practice within Defence working arrangements by 2019.

The Assistant Secretary Culture and People Development, Rowena Bain, says the 12-month program is being run to look at different ways

of engaging people in the APS workforce.“We find motivation and engagement levels

from staff that are on flexible arrangements to be relatively high,” Rowena says.

“They feel more loyal and committed to the organisation when they are supported to do the things they need to do outside of work.

“You get increased productivity and better team dynamic, you’re also able to attract from a broader talent pool.”

Flexible arrangements have been available to Defence APS for many years but are commonly used by women with children. Rowena says she would like to see a bigger uptake by men.

The push to increase the uptake of flexible arrangements is part of the government-wide agenda driven by Balancing the Future: the APS Gender Equality Strategy 2016-19.

Rowena says Defence is aiming for an all-role flexible work initiative based on the assumption that all roles can be flexible and using the approach ‘if not, why not’.

She says part of this is challenging elements of gender bias, where some supervisors see flexible arrangements as being only for women in addition to an expectation that presence in the workplace equals productivity.

“Some people think you have to be seen to be thought of as productive and performing, however we are working on changing this misconception,” Rowena says.

Attaining flexible work arrangements starts with asking your supervisor and documenting the arrangement within your performance agreement.

“IF IT CAN’T BE ACCOMMODATED,

THERE IS A REQUIREMENT TO ASK WHY AND IF IT CAN’T HAPPEN NOW, THEN

WHEN? ”

ROWENA BAIN,ASSISTANT SECRETARY, CULTURE

AND PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

More employees are taking advantage of user-friendly working arrangements

LET’S GET FLEXIBLE

An awareness campaign is being piloted across several divisions to encourage people to take advantage of more flexible working arrangements.



Arrangements can vary from working shorter or longer days to working three months on and three months off.

“If you say ‘no’ to some of those things, that individual is forced to make a choice and often that may be to bow out of the workforce,” Rowena says.

“The trial awareness program is about educating the workforce of what is available and how to access it.

“Historically, the emphasis has been on the employee justifying to their superiors why they would be able to have those arrangements, but now we’re trying to turn it around and create a situation where there is good discussion with the manager to find a way to make it work.

“If it can’t be accommodated, there is a

requirement to ask why, and if it can’t happen now, then when? It’s about encouraging people to have that conversation.”

The Assistant Director People Reform, Melissa Hennessy, is encouraging her staff to consider flexible work arrangements.

“I have found that by having an open dialogue with my team with regards to promoting flexible work, as well as working flexibly myself, helps to further promote the benefits.

“I think it’s a powerful message to send when you can demonstrate working flexibly, while still meeting team objectives, is achievable. This promotes opportunities for others to consider flex work options, which in itself is a step in the right direction.”

The awareness campaign is being tested within several divisions in the Department before it rolls out to the wider Defence APS in 2019.

Despite the best of intentions, Rowena says there are some roles that may never be suitable to flexible arrangements. These include ADF and APS members on operations, staff who work on standalone networks, ministerial liaison roles and on-call positions.

“Regardless, we want to continue to challenge assumptions, consider new ways of doing things, such as through technology, to see what might be possible,” Rowena says.

u More information on flexible working arrange-ments can be found on the DRN at drnet.People/Changing-Roles/Pages/Flexible-Working-Arrangements


RAISING THE BAR

THE Defence Legal team has been recog-nised for its relentless hard work by being awarded Government Team of the Year by Lawyers Weekly.

In a further boost to the team the Head of Defence Legal, Mark Cunliffe, was also awarded Government Lawyer of the Year.

The awards, held in March, recognise the perfor-mance of Mark and his team as exemplary profes-sionals, highlighting their legal prowess, leadership capabilities, and personal achievements.

In Mark’s words, “to be recognised by your con-temporary professionals and by specialists in the field is obviously a badge of honour”.

“It is something that we should be proud about and certainly that I am proud of,” Mark says.

Mark has been Head Defence Legal since July 2004, in what he calls “the greatest legal job in the world within the government structure”.

In this role, he has guided his team through advis-ing government, conducting litigation and drafting legislation on some of the most complex and sensitive issues of national importance.

The Defence Legal team comprises 140 perma-nent APS staff, including legal officers and paralegals and other enabling staff, and 127 permanent ADF legal officers, complemented by 380 reserve legal officers. The permanent team is located in more than 40 different sites, including commands, bases and units across Australia, as well as deployed overseas.

The team works on areas as diverse as interna-tional humanitarian law, major litigation and dispute resolution, including sensitive personnel issues, com-mercial law and law of the sea, and is a frontrunner in emerging areas such as cyber law, space law and autonomous weapons systems.

Defence Legal practitioners must not only be pro-ficient in specialised areas of law, but they must have the expertise to readily apply their skills and legal knowledge to new scenarios and the agility to switch

between them, often operating within compressed timeframes.

“Sometimes you just need to know a little bit about everything, but sometimes you need to know a lot about narrow things,” Mark says.

“I personally believe that our very best are as good as anybody I’ve worked with. And I’ve worked as a judge’s associate, I’ve worked with judges, I’ve worked with people who I think are among Australia’s leading legal intellectuals and leading practitioners in my lifetime.”

Mark is highly esteemed among his peers and is a valued mentor and role model to his team. Notwithstanding this, one of his key personal quali-ties and strengths as a leader is his humility.

When asked why he thought he won the award, Mark responds with grace.

“I don’t really think I’m the best government lawyer in the Commonwealth – I think the Solicitor-General might have a disagreement about that for a start,” he says.

“But leaving that aside, I don’t think that’s really what the award says. I think it’s really saying ‘this is an indicator of the success of the whole structure’.”

Mark says the awards go hand-in-hand, in the sense that one reflects the leadership of the other in what can be considered an overall team effort.

“In terms of legal knowledge, I know there are people in this office who know a lot more law than I do,” Mark says.

“But being a lawyer is not just legal knowledge. It’s technique, it’s a whole range of other features as well, because outcomes are a combination of a whole mixture of strands of things. And so hopefully, that’s what the awards are really saying – the outcome shows the effectiveness of our combined effort.”

Mark’s strong leadership of Defence Legal is demonstrated by the decisive steps he has taken to ensure the wellbeing and professional development of Defence Legal practitioners.

This includes providing guidance and growth through continuing legal education and maintaining a focus on professionalisation. It has also involved regular engagement with staff based around Australia and overseas, to reinforce a sense of community and ensure that all practitioners are aware of the impor-tant role they play.

Under Mark’s custodianship, Defence Legal has made a significant contribution to Defence and gov-ernment in a high-tempo and high-stake operational environment, dealing with complex legal issues rarely encountered elsewhere in the legal community.

Yet, as Mark says, the Defence Legal team must continue to learn and develop in an ever-changing environment.

“We’ve always got room to grow, and what you always know is no matter how well you do, you can’t just stop there. It has to keep getting better.”


Defence Legal wins Government Team of the Year and Government Lawyer of the Year


Above: The Head of Defence Legal, Mark Cunliffe, (above) is presented with the Government Lawyer of the Year award by the Director, Lawyers Weekly, Phillip Tarrant. Left: Defence Legal representatives from left, Anna Rudziejewski, Commander Ian Campbell, Mark Cunliffe, Grace McIntosh and Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Worthington. Photos: courtesy of Lawyers Weekly


Blurb font is myriad pro regular 13pt on 15pt

WOMEN AT WORK

WOMEN ADVANCE DEFENCE

Women make up close to 60 per cent of the Australian Public Service. The roles for women in Defence are many and varied,

as Sarah Collins reports.

Ashleigh Streeter-JonesGraduateRECOGNISED for her work encouraging young women to get involved in inter-national affairs, Ashleigh Streeter-Jones was awarded the honour of ACT woman of the year in a ceremony at the National Arboretum in Canberra on 7 March.

The following day, International Women’s day, she was back at work as a Defence Graduate, popping out for a luncheon as a guest of the ACT Minister for Women, Yvette Berry.

Later that evening she attended a speed networking event at the British High Commission along with 60 other women.

Ashleigh is currently on her first grad-uate rotation working in Navy capability and planning.

Although she doesn’t know the extent of her official duties as ACT woman of the year, she says she is lucky to have a supportive team behind her should she be called to action for the role.

“Fortunately I have a really flexible team and the graduate team have been wonderful as well, they said they are happy to give me some extra flexibility so I can attend events,” she says.

Applying for the Defence graduate program was a no brainer for Ashleigh, when she saw it matched up with her key interest of women, peace and security.

“When I was applying for all my grad jobs I had a look at the national action plan and had a look at the Defence White Paper and women, peace and security was written up in there so I thought ‘right, I am going to aim towards Defence’.

“I know Defence is taking a lot of pro-active measures to increase the presence of women in defence.”

Although her niche interest in women, peace and security was sparked when she was writing her honours thesis, she began volunteering for gender activ-ism when she was 18. “I was doing a lot of volunteering and work in the interna-tional development space, I was working with World Vision and through all walks of life, women are more disadvantaged”.

“That’s the one common theme that runs through all society, whether it’s in Australia or Palestine or whether it’s in famines in South Sudan, women are always worse off.”

Ashleigh is keen to continue her work at Defence, but is unsure what the department has to offer in this space.

“I don’t really know yet what pro-grams Defence runs in this space, I need to do some more research,” she says.

While Ashleigh admits her main goal for the year is to embrace the learning and development opportunities that come with the graduate program, she has her dream job well in her sights.

“My dream job would be working as a peace mediator; originally my vision was to do it with the African union.”

Ashleigh’s advice for any young men and women wanting to get involved in the sphere of women and gender equali-ty is simple, start a conversation.

“Having conversations within your community. Reach out to your net-works, find out who else is doing things because it could be that you want to work with girls or women or women in a sporting club, women in a church”.

“It might come down to getting a group of women together to have the conversation and have the conversation with men as well, this is not a women’s issue that women need to take action on, it’s something everyone needs to take action on.”



Vanessa Pickerd Research Engineer,Defence Science and TechnologyVANESSA Pickerd’s job is filled with problem solving and challenges, mostly involving weap-on assessments against ADF assets.

“I investigate the effects weapons may have on our maritime assets and attempt to predict what kind of damage might be expected as a result of a weapon hit on a vessel,” Vanessa says.

“This area of work feeds into damage con-trol and recoverability studies for new and existing platforms, platform design assessment, safety studies and operational analysis.”

Finding her way to DST after doing a work placement while on her university study break, Vanessa has spent all eight years of her Defence life in the group.

Vanessa believes women working in Defence are provided broad opportunities and rewarding work delivering capability to the Department, which is somewhat demonstrated by her impressive list of career highlights which feature explosives testing and overseas travel.

“My very first explosive blast trial was a highlight. I learnt so much about real aspects of doing live fire testing, impact of explosive damage to structures and working with other Defence groups,” Vanessa says.

“I also spent a year in Dayton, Ohio, work-ing with some of our United States colleagues at the Air Force Research Laboratory. It was a huge growth year for my career and also per-sonally.”

Vanessa encourages young women wanting to pursue a career in DST to believe in them-selves and their abilities.

“In my experience women in our field, and maybe in general, are much more cautious, ensuring that they are 100 per cent certain before being confident in themselves,” she says.

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was from the previous Chief of my division in DST, who caught me downplaying some work I received an award for.

“She said ‘don’t ever undersell yourself’. For me, this was amazing advice.”

Vanessa Pickerd, of DST, places sensors around a mild steel container in preparation for an explosive charge.

Rosemary Vandenberg Regional Medical Adviser, Joint Health Command ARRIVING at Defence in 1982 in a RAAF uniform, Rosemary Vandenberg, now the Regional Medical Adviser for Victoria and Tasmania, subsequently fell into a contractor role and finally the APS.

“I’m the senior clinician for this region and manage the health incidents and other qual-ity and clinical governance issues,” Rosemary says.

“In addition, I do a variety of tasks as need-ed for Joint Health Command mostly relating to e-health systems.

“I describe my day as coming to work and seeing what fire is burning the brightest and dealing with the problems arising.”

Graduating from Melbourne University in 1976, Rosemary worked for six years in the public hospital system before making a change that would determine the rest of her career.

“There are highlights scattered all through my career. The defining decision was my choice to join the Air Force in 1982,” she says

“My current role is the best role I have held. It is varied and challenges my brain.”

Rosemary relishes in the fact she has had a diverse health career in comparison to a regular doctor and says young doctors should explore the different pathways the profession can take them.

“University medical training is seen as a vocational degree predominantly leading to 1:1 clinical care. When I started medicine, I had no idea where my degree could take me,” Rosemary says

“I have followed an unusual path and taken opportunities as they arose. My advice is not to see the degree as the end point but to embrace the journey.”

“I HAVE FOLLOWED AN UNUSUAL PATH AND

TAKEN OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY AROSE.”

ROSEMARY VANDENBERG

“ONE OF THE BEST PIECES OF ADVICE I EVER RECEIVED

WAS ... ‘DON’T EVER UNDERSELL YOURSELF’.”

VANESSA PICKERD


“WE HAVE MANY INTELLIGENT AND

MOTIVATED WOMEN IN THIS DEPARTMENT,

MANY OF WHOM ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAKE THEIR JOB

SERIOUSLY, WITHOUT TAKING THEMSELVES

SERIOUSLY.”

PHOEBE GREENTREE

Phoebe GreentreeDirector South and South East Asia Branch,International Policy DivisionVARIETY is the spice of life for Phoebe Greentree, who recently returned to Canberra from her posting at the Australian embassy in Brussels where she was First Secretary (Defence).

“No two days were the same, and I was always learning. I enjoyed working in a multi-lat-eral, civilian-military environment and across the breadth of defence and security issues related to my role,” she says.

Phoebe was the primary working-level civil-ian contact between the Australian government and NATO representing Australia at relevant NATO committees, covering issues including operations and the protection of civilians.

She worked daily with NATO’s International Staff and Allied national representations to advo-cate for Australia’s interests.

Before entering the Department, Phoebe worked at the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York and in the office of a US congressman on Capitol Hill in Washington DC.

Among other roles she has held in Defence, Phoebe worked in international engagement in Army Headquarters, where she was responsible for supporting Army’s relationship with the US Marine Corps and the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force.

One of her most memorable experiences at Defence was leading the development and implementation of Australia’s policy for Afghans at risk due to their support of our whole-of gov-ernment effort in their home nation.

“I deployed twice to Afghanistan to support our Force Elements and Commanders imple-ment the policy, during which time I met many Afghans seeking resettlement,” Phoebe says.

“I was incredibly moved when, the following year, I saw several of these young Afghan men again – but this time, just as they were start-ing their new lives here in Australia. Over 800 Afghans have now been resettled in Australia as a result of this policy, which is something I feel very good about contributing to.”

She says the key to success in Defence is being adaptable, flexible and willing to continue learning.

“The work is challenging and stimulating and offers great opportunities for continuing profes-sional development.”

“We have plenty of intelligent and motivated women in this Department, many of whom also have the ability to take their job seriously, with-out taking themselves seriously.”

“DEFENCE WOMEN SHOULD AIM TO STAND

APART FOR THEIR PROFESSIONALISM,

CAPABILITY, INTELLECT AND COMMITMENT TO WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE DEFENCE

OBJECTIVES.”

VICTORIA TODD

Victoria ToddAssistant Director Strategic Issues Management,Ministerial and Executive Coordination and Communication DivisionVICTORIA Todd lists her role as Defence’s First Secretary at the Australian Embassy in Beijing as a career highlight – a role she was the first to do.

Before joining Defence, Victoria worked on admin-istrative law cases as a judge’s associate in the Federal Court of Australia after completing economics and law degrees. She also spent time as a banking and finance solicitor for a commercial law firm in Sydney.

Victoria switched from the legal world to International Policy seven years ago and recently completing the posting in Beijing.

“I developed this role to provide organisational capability to Defence and wider government in progressing our foreign, defence and international engagement objectives with China,” she says.

“A major part of the role encompassed providing advice on strategic and operational political-military issues with implications for Australia and for the Australia-China bilateral relationship.”

Other important aspects of the role included advocating Australia’s policy positions to Chinese and other officials; undertaking extensive representa-tional duties; and engaging with host nation officials, local academia, and other international representa-tives within the diplomatic and military attaché corps and international organisations in China.

Victoria says she valued the chance to use her skills, knowledge and experience to work towards achieving Australia’s international policy objectives. She encourages other women to follow suit.

“There are many opportunities to follow an infinitely interesting and increasingly important inter-national-focused career with Defence,” Victoria says.

“You get to meet a lot of people in the field which informs your professional goal-setting and you can maintain these contacts as a source of support and advice as you work through achieving them.

“Defence women, like all Defence employees, should aim to stand apart for their professionalism, capability, intellect and commitment to working together to achieve Defence objectives.”

Victoria has recently been appointed Assistant Director Strategic Issues Management in Ministerial and Executive Coordination and Communication.


“IT IS AN INTERESTING AND DYNAMIC REGION TO WORK

ON, NO DAY IS THE SAME AND SOMETHING IS ALWAYS

HAPPENING.”ZOE CAMERON


“DON’T COVER UP YOUR MISTAKES, DON’T BE AFRAID TO GIVE FRANK

ADVICE AND LOOK AFTER THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.”

Zoe CameronAssistant Secretary South and South East Asia,International Policy DivisionAFTER a one-year exchange to Japan in high school, Zoe Cameron realised her interest in the world of international policy

“It was a time of great change in the international environment and I found it fascinating,” she says.

Since then she has worked across the board in the realm of international policy, recently returning to the department after a decade away working in other agencies such as the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Prime Minister and Cabinet developing her strategic international poli-cy and analysis skills.

Zoe is happy to be back in Defence and is bringing her wealth of knowledge and a better whole-of-government perspective on national security issues with her.

“It’s been good to return to Defence and be able to share what I’ve learned and see how Defence is tackling similar issues,” she says.

“I think I’m able to make a stronger con-tribution to Defence because of my broader experience.”

Zoe had worked in many agencies in both policy and assessment roles and cov-ered just about every region, though mainly focused on North and South East Asia.

Her current role in International Policy Division is heading up the South and South East Asia Branch, a job which keeps her on her toes.

“The geographic scope of the branch is very broad and we manage a diverse range of Indo-Pacific defence relationships includ-ing India, Pakistan and the 10 ASEAN states,” she says.

“It’s a busy branch and that’s because increasing and deepening our engagement in this region is a critical Defence White Paper objective.

“It’s also an interesting and dynamic region to work on, no day is the same and something is always happening.”

Although challenging at times, Zoe says the diversity of issues and talented col-leagues is rewarding.

“It’s when you are going beyond the text book, and into uncharted policy or assess-ment territory in real time, that the work gets really interesting and rewarding.

“That’s what makes working in interna-tional policy in many parts of government so unique, it’s a chance to shape history as it is being made and in ways that work for Australia’s national interests

“I’m very much enjoying working with the individual teams and Defence Attaches – and I’m in awe of their energy and com-mitment.”

Linda McGannActing Assistant SecretaryGlobal Interests Branch,International Policy DivisionSPENDING almost two decades with the Department, Linda McCann lists her fondest memory as something she never intended to do.

“A career highlight is probably my time as Australia’s Policy Adviser in Kabul in 2006,” she says.

“It wasn’t something I had aspired to but once I was there, I realised what an amazing opportunity I had to shape the international community’s efforts in Afghanistan.

“Our first Reconstruction Task Force was deploying into Uruzgan province and our ISAF partners were impressed with our business model focused on skills transfer to the local community.

“I loved working with the Afghan gov-ernment officials, with ISAF partners, and travelling between Kabul, Kandahar and Tarin Kowt meeting the ADF members that were away from their families, doing a really impressive job.”

Her team in Global Interests Branch works to progress Australia’s strategic interests in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Europe, Africa, Canada, non-Pacific Latin America and in the United Nations.

Seeing the hard work come to fruition is one of the things Linda loves most about her job.

“One of the great things about working in International Policy Division is seeing the effects of our work, so it is not hard to get a sense of achievement here,” she says.

“Having the recommendations in our Cabinet submissions agreed by govern-ment, or moving a bilateral relationship forward through a dialogue that the branch worked hard to deliver, is very rewarding.

However, Linda says her team’s effort and determination to achieve these out-comes is what impresses her the most.

“They work so hard, get hit with unrea-sonable deadlines every day and still man-age to deliver high quality policy advice while being supportive of each other and keeping their sense of humour,” she says.

The secret of success in international policy according to Linda is to be account-able, willing to engage with risk, and actively pursue relationships across the department and government.

“Don’t cover up your mistakes, don’t be afraid to give frank advice and look after the people around you.


Crystol Fox First Secretary Defence, International Policy DivisionCRYSTOL Fox first stepped into the world of Defence as a Health and Wellbeing Adviser, 10 years later she is on second-ment to NATO working with other international staff on opera-tional issues in Afghanistan and Iraq.

After her secondment, she will take up her position of First Secretary for Defence at the Australian Embassy in Brussells.

It’s not Crystol’s first time on a posting, having previously deployed as a policy officer to the Australian Commander in Afghanistan.

She says working in International Policy Division has allowed her to take advantage of interesting roles and work alongside a great team.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work in some really interesting and different roles. You never know what the day is going to bring,” Crystol says.

“I’ve participated in Status of Forces negotiations to support Australia’s response efforts following the downing of MH17 over Ukraine, I’ve sat in the room when Australia’s Foreign and Defence Ministers have held high-level discus-sions with counterparts, I’ve worked as the Staff Officer - Policy to the Deputy Secretary Strategic Policy and Intelligence.

“But perhaps most importantly, I like the people I work with.”

Crystol says she would like to see more women in Defence leadership roles in the future and urges them to seize any opportunity that comes their way.

“All of the women I work with are intelligent, strong and resilient,” she says.

“I think some off this comes from working alongside the military – this environment teaches you to advocate your posi-tions confidently and provides you with opportunities that are often outside your comfort zone.

“Take advantage of the opportunities offered to you, the broader your experience the better later in your career.”

“TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO YOU,

THE BROADER YOUR EXPERIENCE THE BETTER LATER IN YOUR CAREER.”

CRYSTOL FOX

Belinda McNamara Counsellor for Defence Policy, International Policy DivisionNOTCHING up almost 14 years in the International Policy Division, Belinda McNamara has travelled and worked all around the world.

Currently the Counsellor for Defence Policy at the Australian Embassy in Paris, she has been a peace monitor in Bougainville, a civilian policy adviser in Afghanistan, accom-panied a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Minister to an Anzac Day service in Villers-Brettonneux and worked on maritime securi-ty issues from our embassy in the Philippines.

“Here in Paris, I work closely with the Defence Attache to manage the Australia-France bilateral defence relationship on the ground,” she says.

“The Future Submarine Program is a central pillar in the bilateral relationship, but our defence links are much broader. They range from strategic dialogues and personnel exchanges, to military exercises and materiel cooperation.

“Defence also contributes to the whole-of-embassy effort to advance Australia’s foreign, trade and international security priorities. It’s a really exciting time in the Australia-France relationship and I’m very fortunate to be a part of the embassy team.”

What Belinda loves most about working for Defence is the chance to advocate and defend Australia’s national interests.

“I’m keen to continue working in areas where I’m making a difference, and being challenged. I really enjoy my work as part of a dedicated and highly motivated team; equal-ly there are lots of interesting opportunities across Defence and more broadly across the public service,” she says.

She encourages anybody wanting a unique and rewarding career to consider International Policy Division.

“I love that there is never a dull day – the work is interesting and varied,” she says.

“It is a great privilege to be trusted with advancing our country’s interests – what we do has real-life, far-reaching implications for Australia’s international defence engagement.

“WHAT WE DO HAS REAL-LIFE FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA’S INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE ENGAGEMENT.”

BELINDA MCNAMARA



Justine Fievez Director, Regional ICT Services CIOGMANAGING large contracts and delivering services is all in a day’s work for Justine Fievez.

Justine started out her career in a stereotypical female role, as a nurse, before making the change to the public service and eventually the male centric area of IT.

“I changed careers to better manage my work-life balance. As a mother of four, some flexibility in the workplace is important,” she says.

“I do believe that working in the public service, while often misrepresented in the media, is making a real contribution to the Australian community.”

Justine has been with Defence for 15 years, six within CIOG where she has held various roles from managing regional ICT services to supporting the outsourcing strategy for the centralised processing bundle.

“I have worked with so many committed individuals in Defence,” Justine says. “Organisational change is something I am passionate about and I have been for-

tunate to lead a couple of high level activities for CIOG. “Early career highlights include implementing the ACT Region’s Customer

Service Centre model for CSIG, it was a fairly simple premise that has stood the test of time.

“Later highlights have included implementing new service delivery models for CIOG, supporting the outsourcing strategy for the centralised processing bundle and working in Parliamentary Services and supporting the Fijian Parliament through the United Nations developing countries program.”

While there aren’t many women in her area, she says she can see a tide of change.

“We are seeing change and more women at the table and coming through the ranks. I work with a lot of young, talented, confident women; many just starting their careers with Defence and future leaders for sure,” she says.

“Female numbers have increased, particularly in key management roles over the years.”

Justine encourages women who want to pursue a career within STEM to go for it.“Have faith in yourself, be open to change and never stop learning. Grab oppor-

tunities as they present themselves; don’t let doubt or fear of not having the full suite of skills prevent you from having a go”, she says.

“Go for it, own it and learn along the way.”

Dianne Lovell Director, Logistics Information Systems Support, CIOGA LOT of things have changed since Dianne Lovell started at Defence in the 1980s, but she says her work environment is still heavily male-dom-inated.

“In my 37 years in Defence, while I have worked with several senior military and APS one and two stars, who are great women and leaders, I have never had a direct female supervisor,” Dianne says.

“I have been in logistics for most of my career starting as an APS1 Inventory Clerk. In those days we still had specialist data entry opera-tors, our pay was delivered by armed guards and people were allowed to smoke at their desks.”

Transferring to CIOG from CASG five years ago, she now leads an integrated team of APS and ADF personnel delivering a range of ICT ser-vices to ensure logistics applications are available and meet the needs of users, both in Australia and overseas.

“Our products and services support 16 logistics applications includ-ing the core logistics ICT tool MILIS and specialist tools for fuels, explo-sive ordnance and pharmaceuticals.

“We support 16,000 users across all Groups and Services in most Defence locations including deployed forces and overseas locations such as Butterworth.”

Her role is critical to Defence and she enjoys being able to directly support Defence military and business outcomes.

“We are able to see that what we do aids the war-fighter – logistics is a critical dependency/enabler,” she says.

“We support the people in Defence who buy, store and issue all of the commodities the ADF needs – from sandbags to ammunitions and weapons, clothing, repair parts and assemblies, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.”

While she recognises the future will be filled with challenges in the ever evolving sphere of IT, Dianne is excited about the future.

“The next few years in ICT are going to be challenging and fantastic,” she says.

“New ICT systems, developing applications that work on mobile solu-tions and integrated information – I want to help lead the next tranche of ICT services.”

Dianne encourages young women to follow in her footsteps and cut their teeth in IT.

“The work we do and how it contributes to Defence outcomes is important,” she says.

“Defence offers diverse careers, support for learning and develop-ment and flexibility.”

“THE WORK WE DO AND HOW IT CONTRIBUTES TO DEFENCE OUTCOMES IS IMPORTANT.”

DIANNE LOVELL




Carolyn Bolling Director Insider Threat and Investigative Support, Chief Information Officer GroupIN THE ever increasing cyber environment Carolyn Bolling feels her work is more necessary and worthwhile than ever.

“The work has constant challenges as technology improvements continue to outpace almost everything else, but we are never short of something to keep us occupied,” she says.

Carolyn is part of the ICT Security Branch which has a portfolio wide remit for Defence cyber computer network defence.

Understanding relevant policies and guidance is key to thriving in her role so she can oversee, supervise and direct the application of toolsets for network mon-itoring and analysis.

One of the highlights in her eight-year career within CIOG has been shaping and guiding the essential capability of insider threat within cyber security in Defence, something she is passionate about.

“I believe very strongly in the mission of cyber security and information assur-ance and am able to take personal satisfaction in the work my team is doing,” she says.

“This work is on par with efforts by our international partners, who we value and are able to do high level knowledge sharing with.”

Although the IT world is somewhat leveraged towards men, Carolyn says women in CIOG and Defence overall have great support.

“I don’t know if it’s a true for just Defence,, but the drive and commitment of the women I encounter within the Defence force is truly exceptional.

“I think that the commitment and mission orientation that Defence inspires in all its workforce is particularly true of its women and that those women who can shape and guide those around them particularly flourish in this environment.”

For women who want to break the stereotype and pursue a career in IT, Carolyn says integrity, self-motivation and an ability to think outside the box is a must.

“Most other things are skills that can be taught through on-the-job training or learned through training on toolsets or through various study programs, but what a young woman would need to demonstrate to me is those inner strengths and abilities.”

Janis Cocking Chief Science Strategy and Program, Defence Science and TechnologyWHEN Janis Cocking joined the Department, women in any field were few and far between, but in her field they were rare.

“My choice to pursue a career in Defence in the 1970s was a relatively unconventional career path for a young woman at the time,” Janis says.

“I was in the last year of my Metallurgy degree at the University of Melbourne, and a represent-ative from the Department approached our pro-fessor to recommend students for two positions, I was one of only four women in this degree.”

Now Chief of Science Strategy and Program Division in DST, she believes it was the best place she could have come.

“Defence has nurtured my career, offered unique opportunities and support throughout my tenure,” Janis says.

“My interest in Metallurgy began after study-ing the movement and structure of metals under a microscope; I wanted to understand the behav-iour associated with structure.”

And understand she did. At DST, she worked with high temperature alloys to develop a new type of thermocouple now used as a standard device for measuring high temperatures in many applications worldwide.

Working with Thales to develop the Bushmaster armoured vehicle was another career milestone.

“We have never lost a life to improvised explosive devices of any soldier travelling in those vehicles,” Janis says.

In the ’80s Janis was appointed as a visiting scientist in the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC.

“It was a unique insight into how scientists were treated overseas, it reinforced the value of working in Australia, we are a small community, and very collaborative,” she says.

After returning to Australia in 1987, she worked on submarine propulsion systems and helped establish a ‘fast track’ program to rectify problems identified during the testing period of the Collins-class submarines. One of her memo-rable career highlights relates to submarines.

“A unique experience that only happened because of my job was to be on an island in the Swedish archipelago at 10pm in sunlight having dinner with the people from the Swedish Navy, after spending several days on board a Swedish submarine.

“It was something I never remotely thought would be something I would do. This was before women were able to be crew members on Australian submarines. After my return I was asked by the then Chief of Navy about having women as crews on submarines.”

Janis says her career wouldn’t have been as varied if she wasn’t at Defence.

“There was no free ride because of my gen-der, but I was never discouraged either,” she says.

“You do have to compete if you want a pro-motion.

“My advice for younger scientists, regardless of gender, is to build up credibility, get published and it comes down to having sound science to back you up.” – Valessa Basic

“THERE WAS NO FREE RIDE BECAUSE OF MY GENDER, BUT I WAS NEVER

DISCOURAGED EITHER.”JANIS COCKING



Kate MartinProject Director Future Frigate Program, Capability Acquisition and Sustainment GroupTHE chance to manage a $35 billion project doesn’t present itself too often and for Kate Martin, it was one she was all too happy to accept.

“I have had the opportunity to grow an amazing project team, work with our Defence stakeholders and international shipbuilders to select a ship design that will deliver incredible capability for the Royal Australian Navy and become a cornerstone of future naval shipbuilding in Australia,” Kate says.

“There are not many opportunities to be the project director of a $35b program, especially in the early stages. While it has often been exhausting, it’s been an adrenalin rush like no other.”

Kate is responsible for the overall management of the Future Frigate Program including the competitive evaluation process activi-ties and co-ordination of the Fundamental Inputs to Capability (FIC).

Kate has also been fortunate to be part of some other incredible Defence projects in explosive ordnance and guided weapons.

“I have been Project Manager of Super Hornet Weapons where I managed the project for the acquisition, certification and integra-tions of weapons for Super Hornet, as well as Director RAAF Guided Weapons which oversaw all guided weapon acquisitions for RAAF platforms,” she says

While heading these projects isn’t an easy feat, Kate says the pur-pose and the people are what drive her and emphasises one should be not shy away from opportunities they arise.

“In this job I am lucky to be part of an extremely complex and huge project and work with an incredible group of professionals. We are always busy and there’s rarely two days that are the same,” she says.

“These types of projects throw all sorts of challenges at you. It pushes you to limits you may not have thought possible. But it also engages you and drives a sense of satisfaction each time you meet a milestone.

“No matter what stage you are at in your working life, it’s never too late to try something new. If you want it, go for it.”

Sue MathamRegional Environmental Officer,Estate & Infrastructure GroupSUE Matham’s work is varied and interesting. It can include looking for an endangered bearded dragon species in the Majura Training Area, review-ing roof restoration works at Duntroon House and dispelling myths about environmental officers.

The portfolio managed by Sue includes contamination, bushfire, heritage, energy efficiency, biodiversity, weeds, feral animals, waste and water management.

“The highlights for me are the diversity of my job and demystifying the environmental role for people that I work with – getting them to understand that Enviros or REOs are not tree-hugging hippies, but a valu-able resource for Defence,” Sue says.

“Our role is about protecting and managing important environmental values while enabling capability and working together with our stake-holders and ADF is a much better way to achieve this.”

In pursuit of a role in an organisation whose core business was not the environment, she began her career in E&IG six years ago.

Before this Sue was working for some not-for-profit organisations conducting landscape restoration projects with community groups and working with North Queensland farmers to conserve remnant vegeta-tion.

“Originally a city girl, I had this great opportunity to work with farmers (dairy and beef and sugar cane) who had remnant vegetation on their properties and collaborated to enhance these remnants with tree plant-ing and fencing,” she says.

“This project work had benefits for conservation and for the farmers as their properties and farms benefited financially with improved pro-duction.

“This work was my epiphany to how these kinds of works could be mutually beneficial for the landholders and conservation of endangered ecosystems and species.”

For young women passionate about the environment and heritage, Sue recommends pursuing a career in conservation and in doing so, stray off the beaten track.

“I would say go for it. For someone who has studied and has a passion for environment and/or heritage it can be extremely rewarding working for an organisation whose core business is not conservation,” she says

“As the largest land manager in Australia, Defence has an extremely diverse and vast estate that has many endangered species and ecosys-tems that can often coexist and thrive alongside military activities. This encourages innovation in the methods adopted to manage the environ-ment and therefore enable Defence’s capability to achieve organisational outcomes.”

“DEFENCE HAS AN EXTREMELY DIVERSE AND VAST ESTATE

THAT HAS MANY ENDANGERED SPECIES AND ECOSYSTEMS.”

SUE MATHAM

“I AM LUCKY TO BE PART OF AN

EXTREMELY COMPLEX AND HUGE PROJECT AND WORK WITH AN

INCREDIBLE GROUP OF PROFESSIONALS.”


KATE MARTIN


FIGHT AND FLIGHT

IMAGINE a Black Box Flight Recorder designed for a person. It’s on its way and it’s called the Fight Recorder, a device worn by a soldier in battle.

Supported by the Next Generation Technologies Fund, the Fight Recorder project is a collaboration between two small technology compa-nies and Defence Science and Technology (DST). It’s a perfect example of what the fund is all about.

The Chief of DST’s Science Strategy and Program Division, Dr Janis Cocking, leads the fund which was launched a year ago.

She lists the Fight Recorder as one of its first achievements.

“We were able to bring together a small compa-ny in South Australia and a small company in New Zealand that previously didn’t know each other to create a system or a sub system, for Defence, that by themselves they wouldn’t have been able to do,” Janis says.

“If it hadn’t been for this program we never would have discovered that.”

Another program kicking goals is the Grand Challenges program, a centerpiece of the Next Generation Technology Fund with Dr Roger Neill at the helm.

“This is a 10-year venture and what the team has managed to put together in just 12 months is stagger-ing really,” Roger says.

“Six of our collaboration programs are up and running, the first Grand Challenge, the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Quantum Technologies program, the Australian Multi-disciplinary University Research Initiative with American universities, the Cyber Data 61 partnership and the Small Business Innovation Research for Defence, or SBIRD program, are all under way.

“We’ve already committed more than $120 mil-

lion on emerging defence research through these programs.

“When I look back at where we were this time last year, it felt like we were preparing to climb an impos-sibly tall mountain, but we have done it.”

Roger says one of DST’s first Grand Challenges struck a chord with Australia’s defence industry and scientific community.

“Its goal is indeed ambitious – to counter impro-vised threats without casualties,” he says.

“More than 650 people, representing many of Australia’s best and brightest scientists and engineers, attended information sessions DST conducted around the country over two weeks in May 2017.”

After an extensive and thorough evaluation and assurance process, 14 partners were chosen to work with DST on this first Grand Challenge.

These include universities, small businesses and two defence primes. Defence is investing $19 million in the successful proposals.

Janis Cocking says the model is achieving results.“I think what’s really good about the fund is that

the government, through the funding, has enabled Defence to provide a greater number of universities and industry with the ability to do research that could have a really big impact on Defence capability in the future,” she says.

Under the Next Generation Technology Fund, key programs are tailored initiatives which share the common goal of building game-changing capabilities through collaborative research programs.

The first Defence Cooperative Research Centre was launched in May. Its focus is on Trusted Autonomous Systems.

Defence is investing $50 million over seven years in this Cooperative Research Centre. Headquartered in Queensland, it will involve indus-try and researchers from across Australia with BAE

Systems, RMIT University, DefendTex and DST as inaugural partners.

DST also has the Emerging and Disruptive Technology Assessment program, a series of sympo-sia involving universities and industry representatives.

These symposia are designed to monitor and dis-cuss future technology trends that impact Defence. The fund supported two of these last year on infor-mation, knowledge and digital disruption and on advanced material technologies.

The most recent symposium was held in May and focused on advances in human biotechnologies.

Janis says one of her long held visions is now becoming a reality for DST.

“While we might have dreamed in the past of being able to collaborate more widely, having this fund has enabled us to do that and realise the dreams,” she says.

“Before now we never would have been able to stand up something like a Grand Challenge program because it’s a large amount of money, it’s a really challenging problem and really multidisciplinary in its approach.

“Through this fund we’ve got researchers from across the whole of DST involved, we’ve got univer-sities involved and we’ve got both large and small industry involved.”

Defence’s first Grand Challenge was so well received, many suggestions have been made as to the subject of a second Grand Challenge.

Janis says that will be determined in the second half of this year.

“We’re looking at expanding programs,” she says.“There will be other Grand Challenges and

because there’s been so much interest on the various ideas that might make up a new challenge, we intend to run a competition to determine what the topic for the next challenge will be.

By Alison Caldwell

One year on, the Next Generation Technologies Fund is punching well above its weight


“THERE’S A REAL INTEREST IN BEING

ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND THERE

IS A REAL POTENTIAL FOR EXCITING CAREERS

IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.”

DR JANIS COCKING,CHIEF SCIENCE STRATEGY AND

PROGRAM DIVISION, DST

Dr Janis Cocking and Dr Roger Neill, of DST Group, in the new Collaboration Hub with the 3D printer.

The Program Lead of the Enhanced Human Performance Program, Dr Nick Beagley, attaches a model of the Fight Recorder to a soldier’s backpack.

“The Defence Cooperative Research Centre is based on the highly successful CRC programs.

“The difference is that Defence CRCs are stra-tegically-mission-driven by Defence. I think both this and the Grand Challenges have sparked a lot of excitement inside Defence about what the next topic for both will be.”

The NGTF team is always assessing and reas-sessing the structure and its various collaboration vehicles.

Janis says they are all proving to be effective.“There’s a range of size and complexity associat-

ed with them,” she says. “Every single one of them is based on something

that’s been successful overseas, so we’re starting from a foundation where we have a degree of confi-dence they will pay off, but time will tell.

“The depth of talent is immense. There’s a real interest in being able to make a difference and there is a real potential for exciting careers in science and technology associated with Defence and defence industry.”

LEAP IN RIGHT DIRECTION

By Alison Caldwell

THE world of quantum technologies promises so much, yet there is still a sense of uncertainty in some quarters regarding any decision to invest heavily

in research.Defence has sensed the quantum future and

is working with the research community to bring certainty to that promise, with a new program under the Next Generation Technologies Fund.

Quantum technologies exploit the most fundamental elements of nature to develop novel capabilities not possible through more standard approaches.

Quantum theory is based on the hypothesis that there are small fundamental particles which cannot be subdivided and form the building blocks of everything else. These particles make up matter, light and other forms of energy. Modern physics uses quantum theory to describe the behaviour of atoms and sub atomic particles.

Quantum technologies have played a crucial role in enabling many aspects of our modern society, including current computers, lasers and global positioning systems.

The next generation of quantum technologies holds equally significant game-changing potential

for a wide range of applications including sensing, radar, communications, materials development, computation and clocks.

Defence Science and Technology (DST) has a team of people dedicated to exploring the uses and development of quantum technologies. Former Research Leader, Aerospace Capability Analysis at Fishermans Bend, but now working for DST in Washington, Brian Hanlon helped design and build the Quantum Technologies Research Network.

“It’s exciting that we can increasingly harness these properties to explore new and novel applications across a range of different technology domains,” he says.

“Quantum technologies research has the potential to provide game-changing capabilities in areas such as ultra-accurate clocks, high accuracy navigation, novel communication technologies and new approaches to computing. These may help Defence and society in a range of ways from more resilient and durable navigation and communication devices, through to advanced computational capabilities for application in areas including medicine and optimising complex problems, such as those which occur in logistics.”

In January, DST called for applications to establish the Quantum Technologies Research Network. Brian says the team was delighted with the response. No less than 80 proposals were received from a broad range of applicants across the major quantum technology areas of interest to Defence.

Brian says Australia has a vibrant and world class research capability in quantum technologies.

“Australia is at the forefront of many exciting research efforts and is a significant contributor to this field of scientific enquiry.”

Quantum physics received a massive boost in recognition with the announcement of Professor Michelle Simmons as the 2018 Australian of the Year. She is the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales.

Brian Hanlon says Professor Simmons is an outstanding leader in the area of quantum technologies and computing.

“Professor Simmons’ recognition is an acknowledgment of her contribution to the field and raises awareness of the strength of quantum technologies research in Australia.”

A new program is bringing certainty to the world of quantum technologies

Reward for good workANDREW McCulloch received a prestigious award from the Afghan government last year for his work advising senior financial staff at the Afghan Ministry of Defense.

Andrew received the Ghazi Mir Bacha Khan Award, one of the highest honours given to non-Afghans.

The award was given to Andrew for his excellent work advising Afghan officials as part of NATO’s Resolute Support mission where he helped reform Afghan military pay and conditions.

“For them to recognise the work I did, at the level I did, was very humbling,” he said.

Andrew returned to HMAS Kuttabul as Finance Manager in October after his 18-month deployment where he worked in an EL2 position in Afghanistan.

His previous experience working for the Chief Finance Officer prepared him well to advise senior financial staff at the Afghan Ministry of Defence.

During this time he mainly advised a Major General and an Afghanistan civilian SES2 equivalent.

“I went from a major general who understood war and tactics but not finance, to a civil practitioner that was very experienced, with a PhD in business,” Andrew said.

“He understood finance but never really worked in a military environment.”

During his time in Afghanistan, Andrew also helped talent manage young Afghan officers at the Ministry.

NEWS SHORTS

Honour board a swimming ideaA RESTORED honour board was unveiled at the Manuka Pool in Canberra in March by the Commandant Australian Command and Staff College, Air Commodore Matt Hegarty, (representing the Chief of the Defence Force).

The Secretary of Defence, Greg Moriarty, and the Deputy Secretary for National Security, Allan McKinnon, also attended the unveiling.

The honour board commemorates nine men who were members of the pool’s Amateur Swimming Club in the 1930s and 1940s and who died in active service in World War II.

The men were Frank Browning, Mick Clemens, Bill Dullard, Wally Hall, Ian Ingram, Lindsay Knowles, Eric Peterson, Ian Ray, and Harold Thorpe.

Four were the sons of heads of Commonwealth departments while one was the son of the tiler who in 1930 laid the tiles that still line the pool today.

Four were killed in 1942 with two having no known grave and one dying after the war ended. The youngest was just 18 and the oldest, 25.

Walk the walkTHE Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the Minister for Sport, Bridget McKenzie, launched the ‘Prime Minister’s One Million Steps’ as part of the Heart Foundation Walking program on 25 March.

The ‘Prime Minister’s One Million Steps’ is part of the government’s Healthy Heart Initiative and aims to encourage all Australians to become physically active through walking.

The Secretary, Greg Moriarty, has endorsed the program and is urging personnel to get involved.

“I encourage you all to register and find ways to build more steps into your day, whether it be through walking to or from work, parking the car further away, getting off the bus at an earlier stop, having ‘walking meetings’ where practical, or undertaking physical activity at lunchtimes,” the Secretary says.

The free program started on 25 March and will run right through until 11 August. There are monthly incentives and participants will receive rewards for reaching milestones and go into a draw for prizes.

According to the Heart Foundation, regular walking is one of the best ways Australians can reduce their risk of heart disease, diabetes and dementia, build their fitness and strengthen muscles and bones.

u For information on how to register, go to walking.heartfoundation.org.au/

No surprises in BudgetTHE 2018-19 Budget maintains the Government’s commitment to provide Defence with stable and sustainable funding, as set out in the 2016 Defence White Paper.

Previous commitments to Defence funding were maintained in the Budget, with the Government to provide Defence (inclusive of the Australian Signals Directorate) with $36.4 billion in 2018-19 and $160.7 million over the Forward Estimates.

The Defence budget is due to grow to two per cent of GDP by 2020-2021. In particular, the Budget provides funding which will continue to deliver

Defence operations, to boost capability and to support defence industry.The Government will continue to fund major Defence operations,

including Operation Okra in Iraq and Syria and Operation Highroad in Afghanistan, along with engagement in the near region and domestic events. There are currently about 2300 Defence personnel deployed globally.

The Government maintains its commitment to invest $200 billion in Defence capability over the next decade through the Integrated Investment Program.

This includes around $90 billion being invested in the Naval Shipbuilding Program, with $50 billion assigned to the Future Submarine Program, $35 billion to the Future Frigates Program and $4 billion to Offshore Patrol Vessels. The Integrated Investment Program also covers programs such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, EA-18G Growlers and P-8A Poseidon aircraft, along with the new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles.

The Government will continue its support to defence industry through major policy initiatives falling under the 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement.

Key policies include the Defence Export Strategy and the Defence Industrial Capability Plan, accompanied by initiatives such as the Australian Industry Capability Program, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability and the Defence Innovation Hub.

Andrew McCulloch with the Ghazi Mir Bacha Khan Award, one of the highest honours given to non-Afghans. Photo: Sergeant Max Bree

The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, stands in front of NUSHIP Sydney at the Osborne Shipyard in Adelaide. The Government’s 2018-19 Budget reiterates its commitment to boosting capability through initiatives such as the Naval Shipbuilding Program. Photo: Russell Millard


48

Two new services will enable the Innovation Hub to further streamline its processes

THE Defence Innovation Hub has received more than 400 proposals in its first year and is about to expand its operations by introducing two new service offerings – Special Notices and Rapid Assessments.

The Assistant Secretary Defence Capability and Innovation, Benjamin Hayes, says the first 12 months has been rewarding.

“Signing our first contract was a major milestone. Since then, we’ve signed 46 contracts for a total investment of around $59.6 million and an additional eight Special Notice contracts worth $4.96 million,” he says.

“It’s not just about the numbers either. The most important achievement so far is that our investments are aligned with Defence strategy and tied to capabil-ity needs.”

Benjamin says he is looking forward to the Hub’s evolution with its new offerings.

“So far, we’ve operated predominately on an industry ‘push’ model in response to broad priorities identified through the Force Design process,” he says.

“With the introduction of our Special Notice offering, we’ll be establishing a Defence ‘pull’ model—targeted solicitation to address particularly tricky capability challenges as identified by Defence.

“I think this will form the majority of our work in the future – going after specific challenges identified by Capability Managers or projects within Defence.”

Benjamin says the Special Notice capability will offer an end-to-end service.

“And, as a user-pays model, the Special Notice capability will also be available to support other national security agencies in pursuing their own inno-vation needs,” he says.

“Other agencies will be able to bring their specific capability challenges and funding to the Hub and we

“THE MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR IS THAT OUR

INVESTMENTS ARE ALIGNED WITH DEFENCE STRATEGY AND TIED TO

CAPABILITY NEEDS.”

BENJAMIN HAYES,ASSISTANT SECRETARY

By Edward Boettcher

Defence Issue 1 2018

STRENGTH TO STRENGTH


can then reach out to industry and research organisa-tions for innovative solutions.”

In regards to the new Rapid Assessments Benjamin says the platform “will replace and enhance a service offering from a legacy innovation program, delivering it in a more flexible and tailored way”.

“Within Defence and industry there’s a lot of familiarity with the old ‘Quick Looks’ and ‘Quick Answers’ that were offered by the former Rapid Prototyping Development and Evaluation program, which formed an important part of Defence’s engage-ment with industry,” Benjamin says.

These new enhancements, along with lessons learned over the last year will enable the Hub to pro-vide more targeted and effective support to Capability Managers and enhanced engagement with industry.

“We’ve worked hard to adopt a culture of contin-uous improvement in everything we do,” Benjamin says.

“Being able to transition through project phases more smoothly is something we’re looking at closely.

“We’re trying to close the gap as much as pos-

sible between each phase to provide industry with greater certainty while ensuring our decisions are still clearly linked to strategy and capability needs.”

Benjamin says one area being looked at is pro-cessing times.

“Admittedly, our processing times haven’t been ideal. Some proposals have taken too long to assess but it’s something that is improving and the team is working very hard to address,” Benjamin says.

“Over the past year, internal processing times were reduced by almost 70 per cent on average.

“There is more work to do, but the trend is good.”The Hub Investment Advisory Group, chaired by

Benjamin, has played a key role in tapping into the collective wisdom of the Defence organisation.

“The Advisory Group members have approached their role with commitment and passion, and have worked terrifically well together to really embody a ‘One Defence’ approach to innovation in Defence,” Benjamin says.

The feedback from industry, research organisa-tions, international partners, and within Defence also indicates the Hub is on track.

“Daronmont Technologies, as one example, have publically commented on the support and transpar-ency provided to them by Hub staff, and how excit-ed they are to further develop their technology to achieve operational maturity much faster than antici-pated,” Benjamin says.

“Army Innovation Day was also a major high-light of 2017. We’ve now reached a point where our internal stakeholders have confidence in what we do, evidenced by Army asking us to provide the procure-ment, contracting and project management support for ideas pitched at Army Innovation Day. They see value in the Hub and how we can support their inno-vation needs.”

The Hub will continue to further develop links across industry and Defence.

“Collaboration is our key focus for the year ahead. We’ll be putting more effort into how the Hub sup-ports collaboration between all of our stakeholders,” he says.

“Nurturing industry’s potential to develop innova-tive capability for Defence is at the core of what we do in the Hub.”

The Assistant Secretary, Defence Capability and Innovation, Benjamin Hayes says the focus of the Defence Innovation Hub is collaboration. Photos: Jay Cronan


Jessica Watts Acting Assistant Director Policy, Partnerships and GovernanceWhat does your job typically entail?OUR team is responsible for a broad range of activities. My primary role is managing media and communications activities for the Hub, but I’m also involved across the board in policy development, events management, secretariat functions for our governance committees, and ministerial and parliamentary requests.How long have you worked in the Branch?Since May 2017.What do you like about your job?I love working in an area where we’re investing in innovative ideas to ensure the ADF has the latest advanced capability. I’ve worked in areas where I’ve seen the worst that can happen, particularly when it comes to deaths in service. Ensuring our members have the best defence capability available to them in order for them to do their job effectively and safely is very rewarding.How have the last 12 months been?“When I joined the Branch, I had to hit the ground running as there was a variety of high-level and time-constrained tasks. This experience has been educational and it’s rewarding to work on so many different and interesting things. The workload is high, but it’s fascinating work.”Any specific highlights?Attending industry trade shows such as Pacific 2017 and MilCIS 2017 and getting to talk with people within defence industry. It’s a great opportunity to discuss how the Hub and the Defence Innovation System can assist businesses and research organisations in developing their innovative ideas while learning about what each organisation is working on. Industry is such an important part in developing Australian defence capability and working in the Hub, I’ve realised how important the Defence and industry relationship really is.

Meet some of the teamKevin Hernan, Assistant Director, Project Management and DeliveryWhat does your job typically entail?I WORK with Queensland Industry, including the universities, to create new innovations that aim to reduce our defence capability gaps.

I’m lucky enough to spend every day work-ing with world leaders in industry and science to create these new innovations for our Defence services.

Every day I get to play with, talk about and help shape new amazing world-leading tech-nologies. One day I could be kick-starting an Innovation Hub project where we spend half a day clarifying the project outcomes and the next day I could be at a demonstration of anoth-er new technology.How long have you worked in the Branch?I’ve been here since the inception of the new Defence Capability and Innovation Branch, but that doesn’t make me old as it hasn’t been around long. We’re basically a ‘start-up’ our-selves.What do you like about your job?What I love about my job is that I work every day to help save people’s lives. This might sound abstract, but most of the projects I work on do exactly that. It’s a fantastic feeling and keeps me hungry to help.How have the last 12 months been?The last 12 months have been fun. I’ve worked across some fascinating projects, in particular in the counter improvised explosive threat space.Any specific highlights?Sitting with the Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne, as he announced a new three-year Innovation Hub contract that I will be leading.

Jason SpurrExecutive OfficerHub ManagementWhat does your job typically entail?I PROGRAM-manage two legacy innovation pro-grams: the Priority Industry Capability Innovation Program which is technically complete but still has an administrative tail; and the Defence Future Capability Technology Centre Program (DFCTC). The Defence Materials Technology Centre Program (DMTC) is an incorporated entity established under the DFCTC Program that receives contributions from Defence and its partners in industry and aca-demia. Its focus is on materials technologies for defence applications. My role involves pretty much anything concerning the DMTC.

I am also a program manager within the Defence Innovation Hub with a focus on proposals that have been rejected or set aside. I provide feedback to unsuccessful proposals and assist with debriefs.

How long have you worked in the Branch?From the start. I was in the first group of APS staff to begin work under the Defence Capability and Innovation Branch. Previously I worked in the Defence Industry Division within the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group.

What do you like about your job?It’s a great culture. There’s a lot of mutual respect and everyone knows how to work in a close team to pull everything together. Government’s intention is to work more closely with industry and we’re really modelling that within the team.

I also enjoy being in an area where you’re exposed to new technologies and ideas. It’s certain-ly not a boring work environment.

How have the last 12 months been?Extremely busy. The success we’ve experienced so far has been a magnet for more work which needs to be carefully managed. It’s great that we have recently recruited more good people into the hub.

Any specific highlights?Going out and seeing technology demonstrations. You’re actually seeing what they are proposing and the outcomes of what we’re investing in.”

Immersing myself with the graduates. I’ve been around for a while and can have a fairly traditional style of doing things at times. The newer generation bring new ways of solving problems and thinking, and it’s great to get a different perspective and nur-ture new members of the team. We need this sort of capability within the hub. We’re all doing a great mix of work here across all of the levels.


AMONG a sea of uniforms, two Defence civilians spent six months crunching the numbers at Australia’s main base in the Middle East.

Iwona Lisowska and Steph Carbone have recently returned to Australia after working in the finance cell helping keep a handle on the opera-tion’s expenditure.

Iwona, who was the Finance Adviser for the base, provided advice to the deployed task units.

“I helped with their budgets and provided monthly reports on their expenditure, I advised them if they were going over the budget or not,” she says.

“I also gave them advice on whether we could use operational funding for certain purchases.”

Iwona is a Certified Public Accountant with 20 years’ experience in finance, 10 with Defence.

Back home she works in Joint Operations Command (JOC) as an EL1 but took the opportunity to deploy as an APS 6.

“I wanted to deploy so much I went in a lower position just to get the experience,” she says.

Iwona says the best part of her deployment was seeing the other side of what she does at JOC.

“I got more involved and could see the issues they come across rather than just hear about them back at JOC,” she says.

“It’s the overall experience of being over there; it was quite enlightening.”

Steph, an assistant financial adviser, provided support to financial advisers in places like Taji and Baghdad in Iraq.

“I was their first point of contact when they need-ed guidance or financial advice,” she says.

“I completed all reporting, audit and journal requirements in addition to providing advice and sup-port to the cash offices.”

At home Steph works as the desk officer at JOC handling financial issues in the Middle East and United Nations Operations.

“I am the first point of contact for my position here, so I have now seen the other side of it,” she says. “It definitely changed my perspective on work, how we do things, what is achievable and what isn’t.

“I definitely have more of an appreciation for the people over there.”

Steph works as an APS 5 at JOC but deployed as an APS 6.

“It was great to experience the environment to see what the ADF does on operations, why we’re there, seeing our contributions and what it takes to support operations,” she says.

“I’ve wanted to deploy for a couple of years – it’s something different – and there aren’t many opportu-nities for civilians to deploy within Defence.”

After joining Defence in 2011, Steph spent time in Chief Information Officer Group before moving to JOC.

She says the deployment gave her enough work to keep busy every day of the week.

“I could have worked seven days a week but I think having down time is important so six days was manageable,” she says.

“I enjoyed working with different people and made some good friends. I also enhanced my work-ing relationships. It was a good environment.”

By Sergeant Max Bree

CHEQUES AND BALANCES

Iwona Lisowska, right, and Steph Carbone recently returned to Headquarters Joint Operations Command after being deployed to the Middle East region. Photo: Sergeant Max Bree

Two financial advisers learnt some valuable lessons on

deployment to Al Minhad Air Base


PROBLEM SOLVER

CARCINOGENIC poisoning isn’t on most people’s minds and Tim Barry is helping keep it that way.

Tim is a senior engineer at Battlespace Communications and

Operations Group (BCOG) within Capability, Acquisition and Sustainment Group.

He accepted a Defence Work Health and Safety award on behalf of his team in Canberra on 17 April for its work eradicating exposure to carcinogenic cadmium in Defence vehicles.

The cadmium was found in vehicles fitted with Defence’s Battle Management System (BMS), a secure network of GPS, data and radio enabled modules fitted in Defence vehicles and mobile units.

The system allows commanders to visualise and manage assets on the battlefield in real time.

Tim was meeting with manufacturer representatives when he realised paint wearing on BMS component mounting trays could expose soldiers to unsafe levels of cadmium in the undercoat.

“We were chatting about differences in American and Australian definitions of hazardous chemicals and unacceptable substances in Australia,” Tim says.

“They said, ‘oh yeah, we know it’s got a cadmium undercoat on it’.

“I called the tray manufacturer and provided them with a list of restricted substances.

“They didn’t realise there were tighter regulations on cadmium within Australia, so we

bridged a gap between American and Australian standards.”

Tim says Americans aren’t concerned about cadmium on the trays because American military personnel use the equipment differently.

“We remove the radios in between uses rather than securing them in the vehicle so our wear and tear on the trays is significantly greater,” he says.

“The Americans just lock their vehicle and say ‘radio secure, we’re done’.

“So we were seeing decades worth of American wear-and-tear in the space of a year in Australia.”

During the testing process, occupational hygienists studied Bushmaster vehicles fitted with the mounting trays to look for the presence of cadmium.

“They were able to tell us there’s enough cadmium potentially getting into the air vents of the system and places like the keyboards of the BMS,” Tim says.

“Users were likely to end up with it on their fingers and then were at risk of ingesting it through eating, drinking or smoking.

“When a carcinogen accumulates in your body, you have bad life outcomes 20 years down the track.”

After unsuccessfully petitioning to have cadmium removed from the trays in the US, Tim says BCOG considered modifying the trays in Australia or building new ones.

“These trays are certified for blast testing and

other issues within the Bushmasters, so we’d have to blow one up with tray in place to certify it worked,” he says.

“We’re talking about several million dollars to certify a new tray for use, and that’s if we got it right the first time.”

It was also too expensive to remove the undercoat in Australia due to its toxicity.

“We discovered an abrasive-resistant tape – which is apparently used on drive shafts when bearings fail – designed for high friction, high use and minimal wear,” Tim says.

“Instead of being several thousand dollars, this solution ended up costing less than $50 to roll out, including man-hours.”

Tim credited the efforts of teams and individuals who worked on the solution.

“I felt like I only had a small amount of touch time and there were lots of other hands playing ball to make this happen,” he says.

“This wasn’t a one person show; we had a lot of people engaged to bring a good solution for all personnel who use Defence vehicles with their management system.”

By Private Renee Breeze

A senior engineer took on a potentially dangerous hazard and developed a cost-effective solution


All Defence vehicles with a BMS should have been modified to prevent undue wear to the protective paint.

The BCOG team and other Defence Work Health and Safety winners will be entered into the Comcare Work Health and Safety Awards, presented at the Comcare National Conference on 18 September in Melbourne.

“INSTEAD OF BEING SEVERAL THOUSAND

DOLLARS, THIS SOLUTION ENDED UP COSTING LESS THAN $50 TO ROLL OUT.”

TIM BARRY,ENGINEER, CASG

WHS Award WinnersCategory one – Prevention AwardWinner: Australian Navy Cadets – for implementing the #safety selfie leading to increased participation in safe work practices among Navy CadetsRunner up: HMAS Perth – for developing a program encouraging deployed personnel to engage in activities promoting physical and mental wellbeingCategory two – Early Intervention AwardWinner: Battlespace Communications and Operations – Capability Acquisition and Sustainment GroupRunner up: No. 92 Wing – for testing and implementing a remediation program to reduce the instance of exposure to toxic hazards in the workplaceCategory Four – Individual Contribution AwardWinner: Petty Officer Cameron Symons – for researching and creating a heat management tool for use in fire-fighting training scenarios.Runner up: Dr Ajith Bandara Yapa Mudiyanselage, Defence Science and Technology – for implementing Land Division Regulatory Governance FrameworkNote: There were no qualifying entries for Category three – Recovery and Return to Work Award

The First Assistant Secretary of Defence People Group, Richard Oliver, left, and the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, present Tim Barry, of Battlespace Communications and Operations Group with the Category Two – Early Intervention WHS Award at Ngunnawal Theatre, Russell Offices, Canberra.Photo: Phil Vavasour


JOINT FORCE BY DESIGN

AFTER two years as the inaugural Head of Force Design, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld handed over the reins to Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer in March 2018.

Since being stood up on April 1, 2016, Force Design Division, part of the VCDF Executive in ADF Headquarters, has been busy maintaining the integrity of the Integrated Investment Program (IIP).

At the same time, the division has been building a Force Design methodology and is poised to deliver the design of a capable, agile and potent future force.

In its first 18 months, the Division helped imple-ment two of the key First Principles Review (FPR) recommendations:

a strong, strategic centre to strengthen accounta-bility and top level decision-making, and

a single end-to-end capability development function within the Department to maximise the efficient, effective and professional delivery of military capability.

Mel views the Division’s role as providing the ‘front-end’ to an innovative process that translates strategic policy into a vision of the future force struc-ture and provides proposals that are consistent with the Government’s requirements of the future ADF.

Reflecting on his role, Mel says his remit was to ensure the ADF of the future was a truly integrated force with optimal cross-service, cross-platform, and key international partner interoperability.

“We are the sum of all our parts. As a small force, we are more potent when we are working together,” Mel says.

“We can ensure there is not a level playing field [with respect to a potential adversary] by being more integrated across the ADF, as well as with our allies.”

He says the process of designing an integrated ‘One Defence’ force is complex, continuous and iterative.

Force Design Division has adopted a busi-ness-as-usual cycle of tasks to replace the previously episodic Force Structure Reviews. This includes introducing a Force Design Cycle that summarises how the Division will deliver evidence-based capabil-ity investment and force structure options.

The Defence Capability Assessment Program (DCAP) was also developed as the program of activ-

ities through which the Force Design Cycle will be delivered.

The Force Design Cycle and DCAP have the abil-ity to operate at different rates to support Defence’s response to both short notice changes and longer term forecasts in the strategic, environment or technical domains.

It is also designed to be iterative, building on the knowledge, decisions and perspectives captured in prior years.

This is intended to provide Defence and Government with a more effective organisational and decision-making model that builds a collective under-standing of the current, planned, and future force and how these elements align with strategic guidance, resources and circumstances.

“This process monitors long-term trends and grad-ual shifts but also builds a warm base of evidence that enables us to be agile and responsive to surprises,” Mel says.

“Regardless of timeframes, the purpose of Force Design Division is to provide decision makers with early, evidence-based analysis to enable capability and investment trade-off decisions.

“We cannot afford to allow investment in capabili-ties that don’t or won’t integrate with the Joint Force, and that don’t fit within appropriate balance of invest-ment priorities.

“Likewise, we cannot afford to be inefficient in decision timelines, nor fail in being agile in response to rapidly developing technology, and threat, and stra-tegic circumstances.”

It has been a whirlwind two years for the develop-ing division, as it designed and started to lay down its path to meet Government requirements for FPR.

The Division is championing innovative and unique strategies that are now being followed around the world, as the ADF leads the way by implementing a continual review of a truly integrated force.

Force Design Division, alongside the Integrated Portfolio Management Branch, have focused on the implementation of the IIP, which streamlines funding and prioritisation across six over-arching streams, instead of focusing on individual projects in isolation.

This allows decision makers within Defence and Government to understand how each investment will support or impact the broader Joint Force.

Aurora Daniels and Shawn Liew

The Force Design Division has been busy designing a capable future force

“GOOD RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FORCE DESIGN AND ITS

STAKEHOLDERS, WHICH ARE ALL OF DEFENCE,

ARE CRITICAL TO ACHIEVING THE BEST

OUTCOME.”

AIR MARSHAL MEL HEPFELD,FORMER HEAD FORCE DESIGN


An integrated force is the way of the future and something Force Design Division is working toward. Image courtesy of Elbit

Additionally, this ensures that investment approv-als are informed, contested and timely and that value for money is delivered through efficient and effective procurement, sustainment and disposal of Defence capabilities. Defence maintains transparency and accountability of capability investments by reporting bi-annually to Government.

Yet Mel is keen to reiterate that the Division is still learning, striving to improve and cannot achieve all they aim for on their own.

He says Force Design is not about the strategic centre determining force requirements in splendid isolation. Rather, the Division needs all of Defence’s

help to be able to provide a clear, coherent, relatable and consistent capability narrative to both the public and political spheres.

“We can’t and won’t operate in a vacuum. Good relationships between Force Design and its stakehold-ers, which are all of Defence, are critical to achieving the best outcome,” Mel says.

“This narrative must begin internally, and be contested by our APS and military staff, before we engage with external stakeholders, including central agencies, industry and academia.

“While Force Design is only just starting, and picking up where the Force Structure Review has

placed us, the key to ongoing implementation is continued cultural reform, at all levels, to improve our connections across this extensive Department to truly become One Defence and one integrated force by design.”

Mel extends this invitation to the rest of Defence and Defence Industry.

“We are taking advantage of the enormous oppor-tunities of FPR, but there is more to do and we are committed to it and want to do it with collaboration from you and your teams.”

Force Design Division is working hard to change its own behaviours and culture, and look for ways to reach out and engage with all its stakeholders earlier and in a more effective manner.

In October 2017, the Division successfully held its first Force Design Conference to improve dialogue and the flow of ideas between Defence, Government, industry and academia.

The feedback from participants was positive, but Mel believes there is room to improve what the Division is calling ‘the sophisticated conversation’ with its stakeholders.

That is, being able to have solution agnostic discussions with Government, industry and aca-demia about the future environment and technology that Defence needs to consider. In keeping with this theme, the Division is planning its next Future Fore Conference for 2019, with further details to be announced later this year.

In late March this year, Mel handed the Division over to Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer who expressed his appreciation for the work achieved by Mel and the Division.

“The team has built the foundation for an integrat-ed and joint future force by design,” Stuart says.

“It is an exciting time in Defence with revised and coherent mechanisms to truly address the capabilities required in an uncertain and resource constrained future.

“I look forward to continuing Mel’s great work and supporting the strategic centre’s modernisation of ADF capability.”

The inaugural Head of Force Design Division, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld. Photo: Corporal David Said


WAR ON BARNACLES

THE term underwater warfare conjures images of submarines launching torpedoes as destroyers drop deadly depth charges.

But there’s another intractable and silent battle being waged beneath the waves.

While not as potentially lethal for ships and crews, the attacks are relentless and costly – both for the Navy and for Australia’s marine environment.

The enemy is marine animal and plant life that attaches itself to the hulls and propellers of ships.

This build-up is called fouling. If left unchecked it can double the amount of fuel a ship needs to sustain operational speeds because of the increased friction, which inevitably slows the vessel, increasing its consumption of fuel.

Defence Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with partners in Australia and overseas are developing new ways to counter the intense fouling that plagues the Navy’s aluminium-hulled patrol vessels.

Research Scientist Dr Andrew Scardino, of DST, is leading the fight against biofouling and says finding a solution is a continuing battle.

“These creatures are desperate to find a home to settle on. If they can’t, they die,” Andrew says.

“But we’re trying just as desperately to repel them. It’s effectively an arms race because as we come up with new ways to deter them they either evolve better strategies to cling on or a new species replaces the ones that can no longer compete.”

The research is being driven to cut fuel costs. Even mild marine growth can quickly increase fuel consumption by 10 per cent, reducing a ship’s top speed and operating range, while raising emission levels and adding to maintenance costs and decreasing vessel efficiency.

Fouling is also a serious biosecurity issue. Navy vessels regularly call at foreign ports and ridding them of their unwanted stowaways is critical to reduce any threat to Australia’s native marine resources, fisheries and aquaculture industries.

Strategies to prevent fouling have included the use of tin (which is now banned), chlorine, ozone, iodine, air, sound, vibrations, and a number of mechanical solutions – most with only short-term or species-specific success.

It has long been accepted that a single solution is unlikely as so many factors impact on bio-fouling rates: The diversity of ship types, the variety of hull forms and materials, variable speeds, the impact of the climates they operate in – even the length of time a ship spends in port.

A copper-oxide coating that was overseen by DST and adopted on Navy’s steel ships in 2016 corrodes aluminium so is unable to be used to protect aluminium-hulled vessels, such as the Armidale-class and Cape-class patrol boats, which operate for extended periods in Australia’s northern waters, where fouling is intense.

The latest hybrid hydrogel coating contains an aluminium-compatible biocide, copper

By Alison Caldwell

DST scientists are working on ways to counter the costly issue of fouling on Navy ships

“IT’S AN ARMS RACE BECAUSE AS WE COME UP WITH NEW WAYS TO DETER THEM ... A NEW

SPECIES REPLACES THE ONES THAT CAN NO LONGER COMPETE.”

DR ANDREW SCARDINO,RESEARCH SCIENTIST


Dr Andrew Scardino examines antifouling coatings for improved efficiency of Navy vessels.

pyrithione and has proven particularly successful in trials on Cape-class boats in the tropics. If the new coating continues to perform well, it is likely to be rolled out for all the Fleet’s aluminium vessels.

One of the more exciting areas of research has been DST’s radical approach to protecting Collins-class submarines.

A biocide has been incorporated into the elastomer or rubber skin that covers the hull, which is then slowly released through the skin’s surface over time to prevent fouling and Andrew says field trials have proven encouraging.

“Prototype elastomers have remained fouling-free for over three years and we hope to completely eliminate the need to apply an extra underwater coating. By altering the thickness of

the rubber skin, we expect to be able to increase the reservoir of biocide and extend the period fouling can be kept at bay,” he says.

As often proves the case, the advances that flow from these DST programs will have broader military and civilian applications, with the potential to deliver extensive economic and environmental benefits.

Even a small reduction in fouling would save the Navy several million dollars a year, reduce fossil fuels and exhaust emissions, and give our Fleet greater speed and range to optimise its vital role in maintaining Australia’s border security.

u Go to DST’s website at www.dst.defence.gov.au to listen to a podcast on antifouling

RESEARCHER Richard Piola is shining a light on fouling. He has been working with Dutch company Royal Philips on a novel approach to combating biofouling using ultraviolet light.

“The fundamental idea is to have a type of coating which emits UV light outward from the surface as opposed to traditional methods of UV antifouling that direct an external light onto a surface,” Richard says.

His team at DST has been testing the technology at a site in Melbourne and is now testing it in tropical waters near Cairns.

“Test results are consistent; surfaces are kept completely free from fouling for prolonged periods, regardless of location or circumstances. And this is achieved at very low power levels at the surface, in the order of 1mW of UV light per square metre,” he says

This system works because the DNA of the colo-nising organisms absorbs UV light. When this occurs chemical bonds are broken, genetic codes are dam-aged and the organisms cannot replicate.

The Philips’s collaboration came about, as many good ideas do, via a conference.

While UV light has been used to control water-borne organisms for decades, Richard became aware of Philips’ novel use of LEDs embedded in silicone films to turn underwater surfaces into UV light emit-ters.

“We saw that this could be applied to com-

plex-shaped vessel niche areas and other surfaces such as sensors,” Richard says.

“These are areas that have always been problem-atic as they’re not conducive to the effective use of traditional antifouling coatings that perform well on hulls.

“Philips were interested in testing the concept under a wider range of environmental conditions, and they were enthusiastic about us joining the research because of Australia’s expansive coastline and wide range of biofouling pressures.”

Following a pilot study on a first generation panel and after providing feedback into the redesign of a second generation panel, testing over the last year and a half has shown the system works well.

Richard has tested the UV panel, which has 10 LEDs in a slab of silicone of about 30 x 30cm, in a number of scenarios such as static and flowing water and is now trialling a panel at DST’s tropical expo-sure site.

“At the Melbourne marine site, we bring the test item up every month for evaluation,” he says.

“It is showing some signs of wear and tear and a degradation in the LEDs has seen a reduction in the effective antifouling area over time.

“This is expected as the optical properties of the silicone have changed over time, but we have exceed-ed Philips’s expectation of what would be possible, and shown that this technology is really promising.”

The flexible silicone covering can be moulded to

fit different shapes, making it a novel solution that will be useful in a number of situations. It’s also non-toxic, unlike some traditional techniques.

“Our results indicate that, given energy losses, a realistic consumption of 1mW per square metre is required for effective biofouling and that’s really quite low,” Richard says.

“We haven’t done a study of the duty cycles required, in other words how often the light needs to be turned on, but indications are that it doesn’t need to be continuous, even an hour a day is enough to kill anything settling during the intervening periods.

“That needs further assessment, and the sweet spot will depend on the environment.”

Philips has partnered with AkzoNobel to com-mercialise the technology. Going forward, the focus will be on optimising the technology for low power, covering larger areas, and making the films thinner and more flexible.

DST is looking at extending this basic UV radia-tion concept into the area of optical sensor anti-foul-ing. There are currently various methods such as wipers used to protect optics but they aren’t very effective.

Richard’s team is working with the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville to examine the potential of using internally refracted UV light to keep the lens of optical sensors free of fouling.

SHINING LIGHT DST researchers Dr Richard Piola and Clare Grandison inspect a test panel fitted with a novel UV panel system that aims to deter fouling.

Defence Issue 1 201858

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

SMART Soldier celebrated its 50th edition in December last year, with the Lessons Production Manager of 10 years, Stephen Ellis, taking the lead.

The publication, which has been pro-duced by the Centre for Army Lessons (CAL), now known as the Army Knowledge Centre (AKC), is a recognised Army-produced periodical which helps soldiers learn from others’ experiences.

While many articles are contributed by Army members both inside and outside of the AKC, Stephen, an APS since 2006, was also responsible for researching, writing and editing content, and facilitat-ed the production of Smart Soldier 50.

Stephen says he was a natural fit for the role after his long career with the Army.

“It was fine for me because I did 21 years in the Australian Regular Army (ARA), and I’m still a reservist, so my whole life has been Army,” he says.

“If there was a civilian in there without that back-ground, I think they would have a great deal of diffi-culty with it.”

Stephen served in a variety of roles within the Army which he says helped when it came to generat-ing ideas for articles on training and development.

“I was originally a geospatial technician in the Royal Australian Survey Corps for 10 years,” he says.

“Then I was in the Royal Australian Engineers corps for 11 years and was a Warrant Officer Class One when I finished up my ARA career.

“I’ve been working out of the Combined Armed Training Centre as a reservist for a decade.”

He says he feels he has contributed more to Army as a public servant than when he was in uniform.

“I enjoyed producing geospatial products, but I think there is something particularly satisfying in helping others to learn and improve,” Stephen says.

“Having a soldier tell you of a problem and then being able to pass the information on, whether that’s up the chain of command, or by writing an article, is rewarding.

“I trust that the soldiers have faith that we are looking after them.”

By Corporal Julia Whitwell

Learning from others’ experiences is the role of

Army periodical Smart Soldier

Stephen Ellis says his experience in the Army has helped him in his role producing the periodical Smart Soldier.

Stephen says it would be remiss not to mention the first editor of Smart Soldier, Michael Brooke.

“Michael did a great job setting up and publishing the first nine editions, so credit to him,” he says.

“There have also been other contributors within the old CAL over the years, too numerous to list.”

From working primarily on his own in his first five years, Stephen says the team has evolved and expanded to include ARA and reservist officers and soldiers.

“Having personnel come in every couple of years is great as it provides a new perspective on what arti-cles would be useful to Army,” he says.

In mid-2017, Stephen moved to temporarily fill the role of Doctrine Production Manager but says he will soon be back to producing Smart Soldier.

“It has been an interesting experience and a good opportunity to learn a completely different production process, but I am looking forward to soon returning to the lessons field,” he says.


www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine

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