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Katherine Ziesing | Canberra
 
This month’s edition was a bit of trial for me I have to say. If you read the opening article of our annual Defence Capability Plan (DCP) Calendar, you can see where some of my frustration came from. The better part of a month was spent going around in circles. I have no doubt that I am not the only one who is irritated by the lack of information coming out of Defence at the moment.
 
We are being told to wait for the White Paper, the Force Structure Review and to see how the new Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) will come together. These are just the newest documents in a long line of reports, reviews and frameworks from  government and the department.
 
By the time this edition of ADM lands on your desk, CDG and DMO will be gone, replaced by CASG. The shape of this new and improved One Defence organisation remains a mystery, even to many in DMO and CDG. The possibility of a reshuffling of the deck chairs is not to be under estimated. 
 

"By the time this edition of ADM lands on your desk, CDG and DMO will be gone, replaced by CASG."


The First Principles Review was an excellent document in pointing out the flaws in the current system. And page 75 even provided a timeline for what was to be achieved and when. The three month goals are due . . . now. 
 
But how will this be achieved? The First Principles writing team have now become the implementation team, and have two years to see the plan they so carefully crafted put in place. 
 
However, talking to various Defence personnel at Russell offices, the finer detail (and even most of the larger detail) is up in the air. Many do not know their fate. Given that morale at Russell is a chancy thing even on a good day, this uncertainty is not doing anyone any favours.
 
Nevertheless, I live in cautious optimism that change for the better is in the wind. I refuse to give in to the wide spread cynicism so prevalent in the defence community.  Change is not an easy thing and there will no doubt be growing pains along the way as new processes and people settle into new roles and responsibilities. 
 
Changes both big and small will reverberate through defence over the coming months, with some of the ripple effects not being felt for some time. The consequences of the new framework may not become apparent for months, if not years, in some cases. As I wrote last month, time moves differently in defence it seems. 
 
As mentioned earlier, a raft of new strategic guidance is on the way and these too will move their way through the defence community with varying effects. 
 
Personally, I am looking forward to a new DCP and associated industry policy statement. These two documents provide business planning information that Defence Industry needs to be able to function effectively both now and into the future. They also provide a benchmarking opportunity to see how various major programs are progressing and performing. 
 
A longitudinal analysis of dollars, schedule and capability from the last decade’s worth of DCPs is not something that defence procurement and sustainment officials are particularly proud of in many cases I suspect. These figures alone provide no context for the various procedures and processes (not to mention the roles of scope creep and politics) that need to be followed in the legislative environment that faces Defence and indeed, government. That is where ADM comes in; it’s all about context, ladies and gentlemen.
 
Keen eyed ADM readers will have no doubt spotted a few changes to the design of the magazine this month. It’s still the same in terms of the quality of the stories and the people behind them, but presented in a more modern way. 
 
As always, your feedback on any ADM product is more than welcome. Please feel free to give me a call or email when you have a moment. My details are off to your right and haven’t changed.
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