It is always tempting in the December/January edition to look at the year that was and the year ahead. And it is a temptation I will give into. It has been a year of ups and downs in many ways. Work continues on a number of important capabilities that will shape the ADF for decades to come. Both the AWD and LHD are recognisable ships these days, with the first LHD due to hit the water in 2014. On the air front, training programs under HATS and Air 5428 progressed, setting the stage for decisions in 2014.
Munitions under the Domestic Munitions Manufacturing Arrangements (DMMA) program have turned into a battleground for contenders that will make for interesting times in 2014. When ADM broke the story in late August that the process could be delayed due to wrangling over intellectual property, the outcry was louder than expected. It remains to be seen what surprises are yet in store for this program.
There have been highlights in 2013. As seen on P.92, the first two Australian Romeo helicopters have been handed over, though still in the US. The Hawk Lead-In Fighter will receive a comprehensive upgrade. The Heron deployment in Afghanistan will stay until July next year. These are but a few of the 2013 highlights in terms of capability.
The big news in Defence is that the majority of troops in Afghanistan are coming home. After a decade of intense operations around the globe from the Middle East to our own region in East Timor and the Solomon Islands, Australia is bringing home the bulk of its personnel.
There are both short and long term issues to deal with in the wake of such moves. In the short term, the purely logistical task of bringing home our equipment is well underway.
“In December 2012 there was approximately 336 tonnes of stores and equipment at the base in Tarin Kot,” according to Defence Minister Senator David Johnston in his statement on Afghanistan to the Parliament in December. “There is now less than 26 tonnes remaining.”
Yet the mission in Afghanistan is far from over. Australia will play a role in helping to build the machinery of government and other institutions that will hopefully lay the foundations for a democratic society.
“While we are on track to draw down our forces from Uruzgan province by the end of this year, this does not mark an end to our commitment to Afghanistan,” the minister continued in his statement. “In 2014, around 400 ADF personnel will continue to be engaged in Afghanistan through training and advising the Afghan National Security Forces in Kabul and Kandahar.”
While not a traditional war fighting role, the ADF is showing the range of skills it needs to be effective in the 21st century. The nature of warfighting and the consequences of conflict are not static; the Australian Defence Organisation in its many guises is already planning for the future. I am heartened when I talk to senior ADF members about the planning underway within the services. They recognise that there are both deficiencies and challenges and they are working steadily to address both.
That said, planning and guidance documents for procurement and sustainment are in a constant state of evolution. The third quarter of 2014 will see a new White Paper, Defence Capability Plan and Industry Statement, according to Minister Johnston, as outlined in our From the Source interview this month. Johnston has some brave and bold plans for defence in 2014 and beyond. It remains to be seen what the May budget will bring but he seems confident that the whole of government stands behind the plan to provide two per cent of GDP funding in the next decade. Those now in government speak of dependable linear growth in defence spending.
Given that $900 million was taken out of the Approved Major Capital Investment Program this financial year, that will be welcome news to both DMO program managers and the wider industry community. Paraphrasing a senior DMO official ‘I can’t spend money I don’t have. The Financial Management Act frowns upon it.’
A little certainty on the funding front will go a very long way. Again, I very much look forward to seeing the budget in May and what the forward estimates look like in detail.
To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous Fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them.
2014 would be a good year to see some positive ‘outrageous fortunes’ in Defence (industry taking up arms seems drastic, if little too apt). We have suffered our slings and arrows over the past few years and have indeed opposed many of the measures that have come through. Here’s to 2014 leaving the sea of troubles behind us.
