Publication:Plan Blue 2006/Fundamental Inputs to Capability - Support
| 74 | a | The Future Navy must work with Government and industry to implement initiatives aimed at addressing the current and future problem of skilled work force shortages. |
| b | Future support[1] arrangements must address the operational risks presented by the likely increased use of contractors to deliver support services. | |
| c | Support initiatives must contribute to the reduction of the cost of ownership and operation of Navy's major systems. |
Guidance
75. Engaging Industry. Navy must engage with industry so that its support needs are understood, particularly those that are crucial to the delivery of future capability. Navy should attempt to ensure that any rationalisation of Defence industry does not result in a national support base that can not meet future capability delivery and sustainment requirements. This is particularly important where rationalisation results in foreign ownership of key defence contractors.
76. Navy and industry, with Government support, must collaborate to address the current and future skilled workforce shortage. The flexible movement of people between Navy and defence industry should be supported, including initiatives such as an increased opportunity for industry people to become Navy Reservists. Navy and defence industry could also collaborate in the expression of the sector's future skills needs to educational institutions. DSTO should play a central role in the collaborative maintenance of key skills and capabilities in the defence sector, particularly in advanced technologies.
77. Retention, Integration, Reachback or Reachout. The Future Navy must determine the best methods under which support is delivered to deployed forces. The choices are either:
- retain the support capability within the uniformed element of a deployed force or the wider ADO;
- integrate contracted support into the deployed force;
- reach back to Australia, neighbouring units, other force support assets or the national or international support base;
- reach out for alternative support arrangements through local purchase from neighbouring sources and forces, coalition arrangements, contracts within the area of operations, or implementing arrangements with other nations.
78. These decisions will need to be carefully balanced against operational requirements, such as the speed that the support is required and how critical the support is to the mission.
79. Navy must ensure that future support requirements are clearly articulated to our enabling organisations. It must be anticipated when overseas OEM host governments may not support ADF activities, and place limitations on the delivery of supplies and contracted support. Identifying critical logistic and support capabilities that are not available from within the Australian support base as part of the procurement process mitigates against this supply risk. The additional costs that could be incurred must be assessed against operational risk in light of the requirement to control costs across the organisation.
80. Cost Control in Support. Navy must look at a range of initiatives to control the cost of supporting operations. These may include data-linking maintenance requirements information directly to a contractor to permit them to build ship maintenance packages, buy stores and shape the workforce 'just in time', reducing the cost and length of maintenance periods.
81. It is understood that many of the supporting services that have been discussed above and in the Supplies FIC are the purview of enabling organisations such as DMO and Defence Support Group. However, guidance is articulated with a view to informing enabling organisations of the issues Navy foresees and where Navy's priorities may lie in addressing those issues.
Footnotes
- ↑ Support refers to the national support base that supports Navy's activities and includes ship building and repair, technology and defence industry support, research and development support, administrative support, training, transport and contractor support from outside the ADO.
