• Australian Army soldiers support New South Wales Police with quarantine compliance checks in Sydney.
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    Australian Army soldiers support New South Wales Police with quarantine compliance checks in Sydney. Defence
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The events of the last month are unlike any we have ever seen. Such social impact has not been experienced in the Australian population since WWII. Almost every aspect of industry within Australia is impacted, and the Defence industry is also seeing some of this impact starting to filter into everyday work and operations.

Defence has set an example that industry should follow, being the immediate and effective introduction of social distancing rules for its personnel, including the provision for remote work options where possible. The employment of technology such as remote access tokens is proving invaluable in times like this, though it is unlikely that these provisions were forecast to be used in such a situation.

Furthermore, Defence should look for opportunities to increase industry participation via the Strategic panel arrangements such as the Defence Support Services (DSS) panel. Specifically, within the DSS panel, the Major Service Providers (MSPs) should have their employment mandate reduced by Defence.

It is understandable that the MSPs are needing to provide work for their staff, but to ensure SMEs are not disadvantaged, the percentage of SME employment should be increased in order to help SMEs survive this challenging period. Similarly, there should be an attempt to monitor and enforce Australian Industry Capability (AIC) plans in order to maximise employment for Australian businesses.

We have joint interest in international projects such as the JSF. Italy and Japan recently closed their production factories for a period, and in doing so impacted the global supply chain model that is so critical to the success of the JSF program. The strengths of global cooperation are now proving to be a weakness and the effects on JSF production are likely to be felt over the coming months. Therefore, the opportunity to investigate options for ‘Australianising’ the supply chain should be investigated. This will help to build resilience if a similar event should occur in the future and set a framework for this to become commonplace for Defence projects.

Collaboration via distance

With the social distancing requirements comes a need to carefully monitor how you collaborate with your partners. No longer can you conduct a boardroom meeting to discuss strategies and initiatives, you must look for alternatives to enable your business to continue.

Industry groups are often seen as a key facilitator of Defence business and collaboration.

This pandemic, through social distancing, is having significant impacts as events and meetings are cancelled and postponed. I personally have had a large collection of events disappear from my calendar, all of which I saw as crucial to developing existing, and establishing new relationships, at the start of 2020.  While it is necessary, I foresee a considerable drop in the building of collaborative capability and individual business development over the foreseeable future. Video conferencing is great but it does not replace the face to face interaction that is so important in building relationships.

The answer to surviving this pandemic for the industry is multifaceted. It is Defence identifying and making available opportunities to those more susceptible to collapse. It is about businesses getting innovative and realising their potential in other areas. Finally, it is about businesses adapting and finding new ways to do their everyday business. A business should maximise opportunities for staff while ensuring social distancing and other associated personal hygiene steps.

The Australian Defence Industry is resilient and hardy, and it will take every bit of these traits to ensure survival in what is a harsh and confusing environment, and one which is unlikely to see an improvement for many months.

Note: Kevin Chenney is Senior Consultant for Goal Professional Services.

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