DMO Bulletin For Industry - Department of Defence

Handling 

tHe Heat 

Ensuring the ADF’s 

equipment is up 

to scratch 

Getting the job done 

Acquiring the Skandi Bergen 

Bulletin 

SRP collaboration 

DMO and industry work together to 

achieve savings 

DMO PURPOSE | Equip and Sustain the Australian Defence Force 

ISSUE 2 2012

Thanks to everyone who 

provided background 

information for the articles in 

this edition of the 

DMO Bulletin. 

Special thanks to the 

following: 

Writing/Editing/Proofing 

Harry Baxter 

Luke Brown 

Wendy Messer 

Michelle Perks 

Richard Stevenson 

Graphic Design 

Mic Bowbrick 

Zuzana Milne 

Artwork styled and produced 

by DMO Communications. 

Please contact the DMO 

Bulletin Editor if you would 

like to re-use any part of this 

publication. 

All republished articles 

must be attributed to 

the DMO Bulletin. 

Contact the 

DMO Bulletin Editor, 

Michelle Perks, with your 

story ideas: 

e: dmo.bulletin@ 

defence.gov.au 

p: 02 6265 1636 

For general enquiries or 

support please email the 

DMO Communications team: 

e: dmo.communication@ 

defence.gov.au 

The editorial team reserves 

the right to edit and rearrange 

all items in the DMO Bulletin 

for the reasons of clarity and 

space. While the editorial 

team isn’t responsible for the 

accuracy of the information 

submitted, every reasonable 

effort will be made to verify 

content. 

MARCH: 

APRIL: 

MAY: 

IN THE NEWS 

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) will have access to an additional C-17 

following Government approval to purchase a sixth aircraft through the United 

States (US) Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The sixth C-17 has been 

acquired for $280 million and is expected to arrive in Australia early 

next year. 

A second Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (TUAS) will be 

delivered for use to Australian troops preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, 

almost one year ahead of schedule. While this TUAS was originally scheduled 

to be delivered in the first half of 2013, the US has agreed to deliver it in the 

first half of 2012. 

The Air Warfare Destroyer program has reached an important milestone 

following the arrival in Adelaide of the first of three state of the art horizonsearch 

radars.The radars were purchased for around $10 million each and will 

be used to search and track targets immediately above the sea surface. 

The Minister for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare, held a two-day summit with 

senior Defence Officials and the CEOs of companies involved with Projects of 

Concern, to ensure that the “people responsible for these projects are doing 

everything necessary to remediate them.” According to Minister Clare, these 

meetings “bring the right people together and focus them on getting these 

projects back on track and off the list.” There are currently six projects on the 

Projects of Concern list. 

Nine Australian companies are being offered more than $12 million in matched 

funding to commercialise new defence technologies that will contribute to 

Australia’s Priority Industry Capabilities (PICs) in the defence sector. Over the 

next seven years $45 million will be invested in PICs through this program. The 

Minister for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare, said the funding “is about making 

sure our troops have the equipment they need to do their job.” 

The Government has appointed a General Manager of Submarines to take 

responsibility for all materiel related aspects of submarine support across 

Defence. David Gould has been appointed to the position and will answer to 

the CEO DMO. The Government also announced that it would provide $214 

million for the next stage of the Future Submarines Project. This funding will 

go towards further detailed studies and analysis to inform the Government’s 

decision on the design of Australia’s next submarine. 

The Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence have released the final report 

of the Australian Defence Force Posture Review. This review addresses a 

range of present and emerging global, regional and national strategic and 

security factors that require careful consideration for the future. The Force 

Posture Review will feed into the 2013 Defence White Paper. 

Access the DMO’s latest news on the DMO website. 

The DMO: www.defence.gov.au/dmo 

Skilling Australia's Defence Industry: www.defence.gov.au/dmo/id/sadi 

The Defence and Industry ePortal: www.dplusi.defence.gov.au 

DMO Bulletin Issue 2 2012 | 2

Deming’s words are a good warning 

against over-optimism and blind faith. 

Clearly one of the DMO’s most important 

tasks is delivering what the ADF needs, when 

they need it and within the affordability and 

scope requirements approved by Government. 

We cannot fulfil this task effectively without 

thorough and accurate analysis of the 

requirements, cost, schedule and risks 

associated with every project. 

Simply parroting the project ambitions for 

capability, cost and schedule that were 

envisaged early in the acquisition development 

cycle is not acceptable. 

The implementation of the two-pass approval 

process provides us the time and resources 

necessary to undertake this work thoroughly. 

To date this has been broadly successful 

with a measurable improvement in schedule 

performance. 

We must continue to use this process wisely and 

for the best outcomes. 

I am concerned that just occasionally our 

project managers have become more 

“project advocates” than professional project 

implementers. Our role is to advise on project 

issues, plan an effective project strategy 

including risk reduction and, once approved, 

implement those plans to get the job done. Let’s 

leave project advocacy to the capability manager 

who is best placed to do this in 

any case. 

Of course this is not an excuse to simply 

make our targets so soft that we will always 

reach them. Against the background of proper 

care and caution we also need to proceed 

with ‘managed urgency’ and set ourselves 

responsible but nevertheless challenging project 

outcomes. 

Sometimes the outcome apparent to us as 

the best or most obvious choice isn’t backed 

Warren King 

CEO DMO 

CEO DMO 

UnDERStAnDInG 

OUR ROLE 

a message from 

the ceo 

Warren King 

“In God we trust; all others must bring data.” Management guru, W. Edwards Deming 

3 | DMO Bulletin Issue 2 2012 

by analysis of the data. Our advice and 

recommendations must be supported by 

detailed analysis and evidence. 

Out and about 

In the lead-up to the Melbourne BPR I was 

able to visit a few DMO teams in and around 

Melbourne. I was impressed with their level of 

commitment and energy, and it was good to 

come face-to-face with some of the people 

involved behind-the-scenes in delivering 

successful projects. I met with individuals who 

are providing direct support to operational 

deployments and actively supporting the efficient 

processing of international financial transactions. 

I also met with teams supporting the introduction 

of new force protection measures and testing 

enhancements to soldier safety. 

Speaking of the BPR, we were fortunate to hear 

from Major General Angus Campbell, the new 

Deputy Chief of Army. In his typically insightful 

way, the General reminded us of Army’s priorities 

and challenges and reinforced the importance of 

fielding solutions, rather than just admiring the 

problems. 

As the recent Commander of the Australian 

forces in the Middle East, he spoke with 

authority about the positive contribution our 

efforts are making in support of ADF operations. 

His words were very appropriate and a timely 

reminder of the reason for our existence – to 

equip and support the men and women of the 

ADF – with a particular and urgent focus on the 

requirements of deployed units and those in the 

critical training and readying phases. 

Putting it to 

the test 

04 

Getting on with 

the job 

09 

Cooperation is 

the key 

11 

SRP collaboration 

13 

Going digital 

15 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

DMO ENGINEERING 

Looking into PTS’ hot chamber. 

Ever wondered what happens 

to an ADF vehicle when it’s 

left outside on a cold winter’s 

night in Afghanistan? Does the 

demister work and the engine start 

in minus 17 degrees Celsius? What 

happens if you leave one of these 

vehicles sitting on the tarmac in 

Darwin in the middle of summer? 

Nestled in the Victorian bushland is a 

DMO facility that can simulate these 

exact climatic conditions. Step into 

the giant metal fridge and it feels like 

you’re at the snow, then walk through 

the corridor and into the room filled 

with countless rows of heat lamps and 

it’s like you’re in the tropics. 

Equipment that goes to the ADF is 

rigorously tested—but how does this 

actually happen? The DMO Bulletin 

recently visited the Land Engineering 

Agency’s (LEA) proving ground at 

Monegeetta, Victoria, to get a better 

idea of how we ensure the ADF’s land 

equipment is up to scratch. 

Our tour of the facility concentrated on 

the work conducted by the Prototype 

and Test Services (PTS) group. This 

team helps to ensure that technical 

integrity of land materiel is attained 

and maintained over its entire lifecycle 

at an affordable cost. The team does 

this by conducting a range of trials, 

capturing and analysing the data and 

then providing independent technical 

PUttInG It tO tHE tESt 

advice to project teams. It’s essential 

that LEA’s advice and test data are 

accurate and comprehensive, because 

the information it provides helps 

capability managers and Government 

to make informed acquisition and 

sustainment decisions. 

While this is serious and precise work, 

the Director of PTS, Gary Lampard, 

said his team has a lot of fun in the 

process. 

“Unlike many other jobs, our staff get 

their hands dirty actually using and 

testing military equipment,” he said. 

“That’s the only way we can check 

whether the equipment will meet the 

soldier’s needs.” 


FAST FACT 

The LEA proving ground 

has been used to test Army 

equipment for approximately 

70 years. A new facility was 

officially opened by the 

Minister for Defence Materiel, 

Jason Clare, in November 

2010. As of this year, all test 

facilities are now located at the 

Monegeetta site, providing the 

Army with a one stop shop for 

all its testing requirements. 

The Manager of the Automotive 

Performance Lab, Les Caddaye, 

showed us how the Army’s vehicles 

are put through their paces. Setting off 

in a G-Wagon, Les took us on a tour 

of the vehicle proving ground. While 

we started off on a few kilometres of 

normal bitumen road, we got more 

adventurous as the drive continued. 

“Michelle, do you reckon this vehicle 

can get up a set of stairs?” asked Les. 

“How about drive over some concrete 

obstacles?” 

By the end of our tour I realised 

that this utility could handle pretty 

much anything. Mud, grass, gravel, 

boulders, stairs – you name it, we 

went through it or over it. (For the 

record, the vehicle we were travelling 

in can drive up, down and complete 

Inside PTS’ mechanical testing lab. 


a reverse hill start on a 60 per cent 

/ 31 degree incline. I have a new 

appreciation for seatbelts.) 

Les explained that these kinds of tests 

help the Army understand the limits of 

its vehicles. 

“Our serving men and women need to 

know what their vehicles can handle 

before they get into the field,” he said. 

“When they’re in the middle of an 

operation they need to know exactly 

where they can drive and for how long 

in order to plan their missions properly. 

This is why our test and evaluation 

processes are so important.” 

Brett Oldfield, the Manager of the 

Mechanical and Environmental Lab 

also manages testing, but unlike Les, 

his job is to assess the mechanical 

integrity of ADF equipment and the 

impact that different environmental 

conditions can have on its 

performance. 

In the large climatic chambers, Brett 

and his team can simulate a range 

of conditions that Australian Army 

equipment could endure. They can 

create hot environments of up to 73 

degrees Celsius, cool environments 

down to minus 33 degrees Celsius and 

muggy conditions with up to 98 per 

cent humidity. They can also see how 

equipment copes when bombarded 

with different elements like dust, salt 

and heavy rain. 

continued page 6 


Testing vehicles on LEA’s proving ground.


Inside PTS’ hot chamber. 

Brett said some of this testing is about 

asking common sense questions. 

“A vehicle can have all the mod-cons 

in the world, but if it doesn’t do what 

you need it to, it’s of little value,” 

he said. 

“ADF vehicles in Afghanistan face 

some extraordinary conditions in 

winter. So we need to check some 

simple things; in extreme temperatures 

can the vehicle be started and does 

the demister work so that troops can 

actually see out of the windows.” 

Over in the mechanical labs, Brett and 

his team pull, stretch, drop, beat and 

shake different pieces of equipment to 

better understand capability limits. 

Standing in a room full of technical 

contraptions, Brett explained how 

some of the testing takes place. 

“Sometimes there’ll be reports of certain 

pieces of equipment all experiencing the 

same problems,” he said. 

“Say for example when a particular 

kind of radio is dropped, the battery 

pack falls out.” 

The hot and cold chambers at LEA’s 

Monegeetta facility. 


“We’ll then get a sample of these radios 

and drop them from exactly the same 

height and record what happens. This’ll 

let us know whether it’s a problem with 

the actual capability or just a bad batch 

off the production line.” 

“Even this kind of basic testing 

makes a real difference to our 

troops on the ground.” 

Aside from environmental, mechanical 

and automotive testing, PTS is also 

equipped to test communications and 

electro-optics equipment, and measure 

electromagnetic compatibility, noise 


and vibration, blast, ballistics and 

various electrical parameters. 

According to Gary Lampard, this 

diverse range of testing makes PTS 

a fascinating place to work. 

“The people that we’ve got here, 

particularly the young engineers and 

technical officers, really enjoy what 

we do,” he said. 

“We take work experience kids from 

secondary schools and people from 

the different DMO graduate programs 

and try to show them the opportunities 

that exist in this line of work.” 


Attracting young technical people 

to Defence business has arguably 

never been so important. With the 

recent record numbers of project 

approvals and the threat facing our 

land forces continuously changing, 

Australia needs a solid base of 

technical staff to ensure our troops 

are provided with the best possible 

equipment. LEA’s continued efforts 

to train and retain these technically 

skilled workers will no doubt assist 

the DMO in responding to the 

ADF’s needs.

DMO + INDuSTRy 

Forgacs worker stripping the forecastle deck. 

A 

successful Defence industry 

program has been adjusted 

to make it easier for 

companies to get involved in the 

scheme and enhance the training 

provided to workers in Australia’s 

defence industry. 

The Minister for Defence Materiel, 

Jason Clare, announced reforms 

to the Skilling Australia’s Defence 

Industry (SADI) program in late April. 

The changes are being introduced 

after extensive consultation with 

industry during 2011 and include: 

• Providing up to $400,000 per 

company per year for on-the-job 

technical training 

• Shortening the forecasting outlook 

for companies by holding two 

guaranteed funding rounds each 

year, aligned with educational 

semesters 

• Introducing quarterly reporting on 

funded activities, to allow unused 

funds to be reallocated in the 

second round 

• Introducing an online application 

and grants management system to 

minimise paperwork for businesses 

applying for SADI funding. 

Priority may be given to applications 

for funding in areas identified 

as Priority or Strategic Industry 

Capabilities. 

SADI CHAnGES 

More information on the SADI program 

including Program guidelines and stepby-step 

guidance on completing the 

application form is available on the 

DMO website. 

FAST FACT 

Applications for the next round 

of grants for up to $8 million of 

funding can be submitted until 

midnight 29 May 2012. 

Successful grant recipients 

will be notified before the end 

of June. 


ADF providing humanitarian and disaster relief assistance following the Aceh tsunami. 

2011 was a challenging time 

for Defence’s amphibious 

capability. But rather than 

wallowing in the downfalls 

identified, maritime stakeholders 

across the department and abroad 

are collaborating to ensure the 

problems are remedied. From 

investigations like the Rizzo Review, 

to the purchase and leasing of 

additional vessels, significant effort 

is being invested into the maritime 

space to ensure the ADF has the 

amphibious support it requires both 

now and in the future. 

“You want it when?” 

This is probably how most people 


would respond if they were asked 

to acquire a new support ship for 

the Australian Navy within a matter 

of months. But when Commander 

(CMDR) Matt McCormack was asked 

to lead Joint Project (JP) 3033 in 

October 2011, and acquire an Interim 

Maritime Humanitarian Assistance 

and Disaster Relief Capability by early 

2012, he rose to the occasion. 

CMDR McCormack and his team 

met these steep requirements and on 

March 17 2012, the contract for the 

acquisition of the MV Skandi Bergen 

was signed. 

So how did this swift acquisition 

actually eventuate? 

DMO CAPABILITy 

GEttInG On WItH tHE jOb 

CMDR McCormack said it was 

largely to do with professionalism and 

teamwork. 

“We had people all over Defence, 

central agencies and industry working 

to acquire this ship; specialists from 

the DMO, the Capability Development 

Group, the Australian Government 

Solicitor, and contractors,” he said. 

“Everybody had to be on board with 

the approach and the high pressure 

timeline, and focussed on what could 

be done rather than why we couldn’t 

do it.” 

After the project was approved in 

December, the project team worked 

with DMO contracting and legal experts 



to develop an acquisition strategy. 

It was decided that the contract 

would be built around an international 

maritime industry standard contract, 

and while this required significant 

legal effort, it resulted in a quicker 

contracting process. 

The project team then released two 

direct source tenders in January to 

find (i) a maritime broker who could 

locate and purchase a ship, and 

(ii) a contractor who could conduct 

due diligence inspections of the 

candidate ships as well as initial ship 

management, crewing and sustainment. 

With both of these contracts fulfilled 

by February 2012, the contractors 

could get on with rapidly acquiring our 

next ship. 

By February 2012, the selected 

maritime broker, Strategic Marine 

Group, had located over 8000 

candidate ships. A team of experts 

then inspected the selected contenders 


and narrowed down this list to those 

that could do the job. 

The ships were judged against various 

Defence requirements including cargo 

capacity, accommodation, endurance, 

speed, age and condition. 

As with most projects, a number of 

vessels were identified as largely 

suitable and these options were 

presented to senior management for 

final selection. The CEO DMO, General 

Manager Systems, General Manager 

Commercial and Head Maritime 

Systems all reviewed the candidates 

and liaised with the Government 

throughout the process to make a 

final decision. 

This new ship will primarily be used 

to transport troops and supplies in 

support of humanitarian and disaster 

relief. It will be operated under a 

civilian crew arrangement and after 

Defence introduces the Landing 

Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships the ship 

the DMO Bulletin answers more question about this purchase on page 18. 

Australian soldiers practice delivering humanitarian assistance during amphibious Exercise SEA LION 2012. 

FAST FACT 

The vessel will be delivered to 

Defence in May in Norway and 

Defence contractor Teekay will 

operate the vessel for the first 

three months. The long term 

ship management, crewing 

and sustainment contract for 

the ship is currently being 

tendered. 

will be transferred to Customs and 

Border Protection. 

Skandi Bergen represented the best 

value-for-money whole of government 

solution due to its ability to meet the 

needs of multiple customers and the 

longevity of its remaining service life. 

It met both Defence’s humanitarian 

assistance and disaster relief 

requirements, as well as Customs’ 

Southern Ocean patrol needs, and will 

be in service for the next 20 years. 


A US Army CH-47 Chinook during a resupply mission in Afghanistan. 

The needs of our deployed 

forces are constantly 

changing depending 

on the threats and situations 

they face. With the DMO 

responsible for equipping and 

sustaining the ADF, one of our 

biggest challenges is ensuring 

that we can rapidly deliver 

materiel solutions to our 

troops’ ever-changing needs. 

In May 2011, the ADF lost one 

if its highly capable workhorses 

when a Chinook helicopter 

crashed in Afghanistan and was 

destroyed. 


Australian Chinooks play a pivotal 

role in both national and international 

military operations. They transport 

troops and battlefield equipment, 

assist during search, rescue and 

disaster relief operations, and are in 

high demand due to their superior 

performance in hot and high-altitude 

conditions in the Middle East Area 

of Operations. 

Understanding this aircraft’s crucial 

role, the Government approved the 

purchase of two additional Chinooks 

just six months after the May 

Chinook crash. In November 2011, 

the Government announced that the 


COOPERAtIOn IS tHE KEY 

helicopters would be purchased via 

FMS from surplus US Army stock. 

The DMO project team responsible 

for this acquisition has since been 

working tirelessly with the US Army 

and industry, to allow the aircraft to 

be delivered as quickly as possible 

to the Australian Army. 

Speaking to the DMO Bulletin, the 

AIR 9000 Phase 5D Project Manager, 

Lieutenant Colonel (LTCOL) Tyron de 

Boer, said cooperation and planning 

were key to this project’s success. 

“We have had a highly aggressive 




An Australian CH-47 D Chinook hovers and waits for clearance to take off at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. 

project schedule, from initial 

planning and project approvals 

right through to delivery of 

capability,” he said. 

“We continuously engaged 

with the many players involved 

in the process to ensure they 

were aware of our schedule 

requirements and worked with us 

to meet our deadlines.” 

Working through the Christmas 

stand down period, the project 

team successfully accepted 

the aircraft from the US Army in 

Germany in January 2012. The 

project team then collaborated 

with ADF contractors, US 

Government officials and local 

German authorities to transport 

the Chinooks (by road) to a US 

Air Force base in Germany. From 

there, they were relocated to 

Australia via two separate C-17 

strategic airlift operations. 

On arrival in Townsville, the 

aircraft underwent deeper 

maintenance and modification to 

match the configuration of the 

rest of the ADF’s Chinook fleet. 

This maintenance, rectification and 

modification program was extensive 

and required significant effort and 

coordination between engineering 

and logistics staff and our industry 

partners, BAE Systems and 

Columbia Helicopters Inc. 

Initial ground flight tests of the 

Chinooks are now underway and the 

project is on track to deliver Initial 

Operational Capability by mid-2012. 

The aircraft will undergo a second 

modification program in early 2013 to 

become fully deployable, paving the 

way for Final Operational Capability 

to be achieved by mid 2013. 

LTCOL de Boer said lessons learnt 

during this acquisition process will be 

very useful for later AIR 9000 phases. 

“The planning, cooperation, flexibility 

and coordination within the project 

team and across Defence were 

critical factors in this success, 

combined with the effective use 

of contracted support throughout 

the project.” 

“In essence this project has been a 

dress rehearsal for when we replace 

the existing ADF fleet with the 

modernised variant of the Chinook 

(CH-47F) in 2014-16 under AIR 9000 

Phase 5C.” 

Air 9000 Phase 5D has reinforced the 

need for the DMO to play a greater 

role in the FMS process. It’s also 

shown the value of having ‘boots on 

the ground’ representing the ADF’s 

interests. 

This acquisition success story is the 

result of thorough cooperation and 

holds great lessons for all of us as 

we strive to rapidly respond to the 

ADF’s changing needs. 

About AIR9000 Phase 5D 

The additional Chinooks 

acquired under Air 9000 5D 

take the ADF’s fleet to seven. 

This will reduce the pressure 

on the Chinook’s training 

and maintenance schedule, 

resulting in enhanced support 

of the Chinooks currently 

deployed in Afghanistan on 

Operation SLIPPER. 


RAAF Air Traffic Control Officers maintain the control of all aircraft movements, both military and civilian, at RAAF Base Darwin during 

Exercise Pitch Black 2008. 

A 

revised support contract 

for the Australian 

Military Airspace Control 

Communication System (AMACCS) 

is set to deliver significant Strategic 

Reform Program (SRP) savings for 

the Commonwealth. 

BAE Systems was awarded a five year 

extension of the AMACCS contract 

in April. The DMO and BAE Systems 

renegotiated this contract 

to ensure that it was more costeffective 

and continued to deliver 

required levels of service to the Air 

Force as the lead customer. 

The DMO’s Ground 

Telecommunications Equipment 

(GTE) SPO worked closely with BAE 

Systems to rebuild the contract. The 

savings were achieved by analysing 

the project practices, streamlining 


processes using LEAN principles, 

and drawing on past experience with 

AMACCS. 

The Director of GTESPO, Group 

Captain Peter Pollock, said the revised 

contract is a win for Defence and 

industry. 

“The DMO and BAE Systems have 

collaborated to develop a contract that 

will deliver improved levels of support 

for the AMACCS fleet and provide 

ongoing savings to Defence,” he said. 

BAE Systems’ Director Land & 

Integrated Systems, Kim Scott, 

echoed with similar comments. 

“Ensuring we continue to find 

innovative ways to deliver value to 

the Commonwealth through the SRP 

program remains a key objective for 

us,” Kim said. 

DMO REFORM 

SRP COLLAbORAtIOn 

“This AMACCS extension is another 

testimony of how working together we 

can achieve significant long 

term cost savings on our projects 

without compromising the quality 

of service.” 

FAST FACT 

AMACCS provides in 

service support to the Air 

Force’s ground to air radio 

assets across a range of 

segments; air traffic control, 

air weapons ranges, pilot 

monitoring facilities, air 

defence ground environment 

and some remote Airservices 

Australia sites.

DMO + INDuSTRy 

The JSF at the Australian International Airshow 2009. 

An Australian company 

involved in the development 

of the Joint Strike Fighter 

(JSF) has reached an important 

milestone, completing first 

production of its parts two months 

ahead of schedule. 

Quickstep Holdings specialises in the 

production of advanced composites 

manufacturing and technology 

development and has been contracted 

to produce assembled access doors 

and panels for the centre section of the 

F-35 JSF aircraft. 

The parts have been presented to 

Northrop Grumman for acceptance. 

Quickstep expects to manufacture 

approximately one completed part 

per week, and will gradually ramp up 

that quantity as the JSF production 

rate increases. 

Quickstep’s Managing Director, Philippe 

Odouard, said the commencement 

of commercial JSF production was a 

significant event for the company. 

“This represents the start of 

Quickstep’s first major production 

contract for the international defence 

industry,” he said. 

“To date, Quickstep has met, and in 

many cases outperformed, all JSF 

delivery deadlines agreed with Northrop 

Grumman – a record of which we can 

be justifiably proud.” 

The DMO’s Director of the JSF Industry 

Team, part of the New Air Combat 

Capability project, John Wilshire, 

echoed with similar comments. 

“This successful delivery marks the 

beginning of many years of production 

of composite parts for the F-35, and 

will no doubt lead to other defence and 

aerospace composite manufacturing 

opportunities for the company,” 

he said. 

More information on the progress of the JSF is available on the DMO Website 

jSF PROGRESS 

“This opportunity demonstrates the 

value of Australian industry participation 

in the JSF production program.” 

FAST FACT 

Vipac Engineers and Scientists 

Ltd has become the fifth 

Australian-based industry 

supplier to receive a grant 

under the NACC industry 

support program. 

Vipac is developing an 

Aircraft Bearing Acoustic 

Monitor (AirBAM) system, 

which uses remote 

microphones to monitor 

the health of aircraft jet 

engines. AirBAM will monitor 

bearings, pumps and gears and 

detect internal foreign object 

damage as well as engine 

combustion irregularities. 


The pallets of F-111 records at RAAF Base Amberley. 

Nobody likes filing, but 

when it comes to decades 

of Defence documents, 

we have to make sure this 

history is preserved. With all 

of the demands for access to 

information about our business, 

and the changes to the Freedom 

of Information Act, it’s now more 

important than ever that DMO 

records are properly managed. 

Tucked away in a hangar at RAAF 

Base Amberley are over 130 

pallets of F-111 records. That’s 

approximately six million sheets 


of paper that encapsulate the 

history of this hard working and 

dearly loved aircraft. Understanding 

the significance of these records, 

the Disposal and Aerial Targets 

Office (DATO) (formerly known as 

the Strike and Reconnaissance SPO) 

is looking to improve how they are 

managed. Physical storage over 

many decades is a costly activity. 

The DATO has identified what 

documents need to be archived and 

how long each document needs 

to be kept (known as a retention 

period) and has recently established 


DMO RECORDS 

GOInG DIGItAL 

FAST FACT 

Careful and accurate 

records management 

throughout a platform’s life 

reduces the work required 

when the platform is retired. 

The introduction of 

Objective will assist areas 

in maintaining records and 

prevent the build up of hard 

copy documents, which 

will ultimately save space 

and money.

DMO RECORDS 

a $1.2 million contract with 

Salmat Business Process 

Outsourcing to create a suitable 

archive format for these physical 

records. 

Over the next six months, 

Salmat will bring these records 

into the digital age. Employing 

local residents from the Ipswich 

area, Salmat will scan each 

piece of paper and create an 

electronic version of these 

records. Individual records will 

be accompanied by relevant 

background information (known 

as metadata) and appropriate 

search and index tools will 

be built into the electronic 

database. 

DATO Director, Teresa Harding, 

said there are many benefits of 

digitising these documents. 

“Bringing these records into a 

digital format will not only make 

them more cost effective and 

easier to manage and access, 

but it will also prevent them 

from being lost or damaged,” 

she said. 

“After the work is completed, the 

paper records will be destroyed, 

which will free up a lot of space 

at RAAF Base Amberley. We’ll 

also transfer this electronic 

database to Defence’s mandated 

records management tool – 

Objective.” 

Record digitisation saves time, 

space and ultimately money. 

While it requires financial 

investment and careful planning 

to initiate, the long term benefits 

make it worthwhile. 

Record digitisation is happening 

right across Defence and 

it’s important that DMO staff 

understand these activities. 

Left and Above: F-111 aircraft. 


The DMO manages a significant 

amount of Commonwealth 

money as it works to deliver 

vital equipment and services to the 

ADF. Our serving men and women 

and all Australian taxpayers rely on 

us to do our job effectively. 

A useful way to assess our 

performance is to compare our 

organisation with our counterparts 

abroad. While the differences between 

some of our key processes prevent 

direct comparisons, budget and 

staffing are two points that can be 

assessed. 

The DMO delivers its services with a 

level of workforce consistent with the 

UK and Canada. 

With about 85 per cent of 

our Defence equipment 

set to be replaced over the 

next 15 years, Australia needs a 

solid base of local engineers to help 

meet the ADF’s materiel needs. 

With this in mind, the Minister 

for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare, 

recently announced that the DMO 

would extend its sponsorship of the 

F1 in Schools Technology Challenge 

– a program that encourages school 

students to take up careers in 

engineering. 

The news follows the announcement 

of the 2012 F1 in Schools Australian 

winner – Brighton Secondary School, 

Adelaide, which will be attending 


Budget ($AuD 

million ) 

DMO COntInUES tO SUPPORt 

YOUnG EnGInEERS 

the World Final in England later 

in the year. 

The F1 in Schools program gives 

primary and secondary students 

the opportunity to design, test, 

manufacture and race miniature 

Formula 1 cars. 

The students collaborate with industry 

partners to develop engineering, 

leadership, teamwork, media and 

project management skills. 

Speaking about the competition, 

Mr Clare confirmed that the Federal 

Government, through the DMO, would 

provide an additional $1.1 million 

over three years to continue the 

successful program. 

DMO Bulletin Issue 2 2012 | 17 

DMO 

AuStRAliA 

DEFENCE 

EquIPMENT 

AND 

SuPPORT 

uniteD 

KingDom 

DMO uPDATE 

“Australia needs more engineers and 

the Defence industry is no exception,” 

Mr Clare said. 

“This program puts Australian students 

in the fast lane towards a career in 

engineering.” 

Research shows that over 60 per 

cent of boys and 35 per cent of girls 

who participated in the F1 in Schools 

challenge changed their school 

subjects to science, technology, 

engineering and maths. 

For more information 

head to: 

f1inschools.org.au 

MATERIEL 

GROuP, 

DEPARTMENT 

OF NATIONAL 

DEFENCE 

CAnADA 

10,100 21,400 4500 

Staffing 7400 20,000 4100 

Budget/Staffing 

Ratio($AuD 

million / head) 

HOW DO WE COMPARE? 

1.36 1.05 1.10 

Values are in 2011-12 Additional Estimates prices and at constant Exchange Rates 

Figures for each country are drawn from open source (public) material

Page title 

StREnGtHEnInG OUR AMPHIbIOUS CAPAbILItY 

The ADF’s professional warfighting efforts receive 

worldwide recognition, but it also undertakes many 

activities outside of combat zones. 

From the Queensland floods, to the Indonesian earthquakes and 

tsunamis, the ADF has, and must continue, to provide specialist 

equipment and support to humanitarian assistance and disaster 

relief operations. 

In December 2011, the Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, and 

the Minister for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare, announced plans 

to purchase an additional humanitarian and disaster relief ship 

to ensure the ADF is equipped to respond to these missions. 

Three months later, in March 2012, the Ministers announced the 

Government had agreed to purchase the offshore support vessel 

Skandi Bergen. 

Some have questioned the purchase of this additional ship. 

According to the Canberra Times, critics believe “the Skandi 

Bergen is of no use to the Navy and the purchase is a public 

relations stunt”. 

Strengthening our amphibious capability has been a major focus 

for Defence (DMO and Navy included) and the Government over 

the last 12 months. Developments in this area have included the 

purchase of HMAS Choules, the Rizzo Review and the leasing 

of vessels 18 | DMO to provide Bulletin an Issue interim 2 2012capability. 

The Skandi Bergen is 

one part of this overall package; a swift but carefully-scrutinised 

purchase to assist the ADF to complete its humanitarian and 

disaster response operations. Claims that it is of no use to the 

Navy have been labelled by the Chief of Navy (CN) as incorrect. 

Instead, CN says, the purchase “significantly enhances” Defence’s 

ability to manage the transition period prior to the introduction of 

the LHD. 

The ADF will use this additional humanitarian and disaster relief 

ship until the arrival of the LHD ships in the middle of the decade. 

The Government has agreed that the ship will then be transferred 

to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. This, to 

quote Minister Smith, “is a capability advantage and an effective 

and efficient use of taxpayer funding.” 

Both Minister Smith and CN have publicly responded to the 

criticism surrounding the purchase of the Skandi Bergen. Their 

comments, as well as the responses Defence provided to the 

Canberra Times, are available on the Defence website. 

See page 9 of this edition of the Dmo Bulletin for more 

details on the acquisition of the Skandi Bergen.

DMO Bulletin For Industry - Department of Defence

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