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210 australian maritime issues 2009: spc-a annual
Kipling devotes a significant proportion of his speech to the importance of people to
the development of naval capabilities, decrying the traditional focus on equipment.
Manpower (as it then was) and people (today) are a critical factor in naval power but
too often they have been ignored or their importance downplayed. Historically this
may have been due to ready acceptance of class status and notions of duty. But today
with volunteer professional forces, much greater effort is required to recruit and retain
people. As Kipling notes, life at sea is uncomfortable and inherently risky, and it is no
longer enough to accept a situation simply because ‘it has always been done this way’.
Over the past few years, the RAN has introduced a range of initiatives under the Sea
Change program to improve general conditions for its people at sea and for them and
their families ashore. The RAN has taken advantage of the Gap Year, whereby school
leavers can spend a year with the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and many have
then signed up on completion. Furthermore, the RAN has also altered its training
continuum to get recruits to sea as soon as possible allowing them to make an early
assessment of their own suitability for life at sea. From July 2009, the RAN under its
New Generation Navy program will also be restructured to better focus on its raise,
train, sustain role, with a greater emphasis on personnel than there may have been
in the past. Implicit in these changes are a priority focus on leadership and cultural
behaviour to reinforce the importance of people to the RAN.
Where there has been a major change since the era of Kipling’s speech is the role of
women in a navy. It is only relatively recently that navies have ‘allowed’ women to go
to sea. The implementation of such a policy has not always been easy and navies have
grappled with messing and accommodation arrangements and some did not give enough
consideration to overcoming long-held cultural attitudes of a traditionally all male
working environment. In the RAN’s case, these problems have long been overcome.
Women assume an equal place at sea and the fact that a commanding officer is female
is no longer remarkable. 5
Kipling further noted the isolation when fleets deploy, and notwithstanding the range of
technologies currently available, such as mobile phones, satellite communications and
the internet, many restrictions on communication still apply. There is also no avoiding
the fact that lengthy deployments still mean long absences from family and friends.
While these remain difficult issues, there are a number of long running programs
that help inform people about life at sea and give them a better understanding of the
RAN. Under the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme, Australians aged between 16 and 23
undertake an 11 day voyage to learn both self reliance and teamwork skills, while also
experiencing life under sail. 6 Meanwhile, as part of the ADF Parliamentary Program,
many members of parliament have been attached to a variety of warships to not only
gain an understanding of that ship’s mission and role, but to also experience service life
and gain a greater appreciation of naval capabilities, personnel and management issues.