Publication:Sea Talk Autumn 2006/Specialist support

By LCDR Antony Underwood

Director-General of Naval Capability, Performance and Plans CDRE Trevor Jones has detailed measures designed to expand activities of the Naval Reserve to provide specialist support to and surge capability for the Navy when required for operations.

Additional funding for the Reserve Capability Enhancement Program totals $5.2 million over the next three years. It starts with $1.1 m for next financial year, increases to $1.7m for FY07/08 and increases further to $2.4m for FY08/09 and succeeding years.

CDRE Jones told the Naval Reserve Symposium at Darling Harbour the concept of NR capability is to focus Reservists on what is fundamentally important to the Navy - support of operations.

This is to be achieved through:

• Development and maintenance of skills which are not resident in the Permanent Navy but which are needed (surgeons, intensive care nurses, public relations specialists, maritime trade organisation specialists, psychologists etc) through complementary reserve areas;
• Support of Navy at sea by training Reservists for seagoing positions;
• Support of Navy in critical skill areas; and
• Maintaining the ability to 'surge' if required.

CDRE Jones addressed the Complementary Reserve aspects first - those in the RANR who provide skills which the Service either does not have or has only in short supply - using a PowerPoint display including the Capability Statements table on p. 19.

"For Complementary Reserves the need is not to change what they are doing now," he said, "just to be prepared to do more of it.

"For Medics, the operational use of surgeons and anaesthetists is when the primary care reception facility (PCRF) on board the LPAs is activated. To assist in training Reservists for these roles in the PCRF, Navy has allocated the additional $120,000 for Reserve salaries and travel to get the personnel to training locations from wherever they may live."

Psychologists have been allocated an extra 300 days of service and additional travel funds.

"Bands are an essential part of promoting Navy and public events around Australia," CDRE Jones said. "The Permanent and Reserve bands are in constant demand and I see the need to increase use of Reserve members for activities, especially those which increase prominence of Navy as a potential career in people's minds."

An extra 400 days has been allocated to Reserve bands 'in recognition of their growing importance.'

Public relations specialists also received a boost of 200 more days Reserve service and more travel funds to cover training for operations, deployment on exercises and reporting on significant events.

"Maritime Trade Organisation personnel regularly deploy on exercises and operations and, again an increase of 200 days Reserve service per year is needed to cope with the increasing workload," CDRE Jones said.

He added that Legal and Intelligence Reservists will, between them, receive an additional 650 Reserve days.

"This reflects the increasing use of these personnel in operations, exercises and daily activities in headquarters," he said. "These two areas also have an aim within the Capability Statement of being able to surge to fill Permanent Navy positions.

"Navy has for many years relied on Reservists to backfill positions - thus releasing the Permanent Force members for operations.

"This has been done on an 'on occurrence' basis in the past. Now the category sponsors and DGRES-N have clear guidance on how many staff may be called upon by Navy.

"This will assist in the recruitment and training goals of individual areas and provide planning factors for Navy operations."