On-line Defence

Submission for the Defence Efficiency Review

by Tom Worthington

12 November 1996 (Draft[0] of 12 November 1996)

Introduction
Accepting the Opportunity for Radical Change
On-line all the time
Much has already been done
See also

Introduction

This is in response to an invitation [1] from the Minister for Defence, Mr Ian McLachlan inviting suggestions to the Defence Efficiency Review. Terms of reference [2] for the review include looking at management and financial practices. This submission proposes that the Department of Defence adopt on-line working techniques now made possible by the Internet for the administration of the department. As well as an improvement in the peacetime administration of the organisation, this would increase the capability of the department to meet demands in times of conflict and can foster the Australian on-line industry for the export of Internet based products and services.

Accepting the Opportunity for Radical Change

A radical change is now occurring in Government administration, business and culture. The visible manifestation of this are media reports about "the Internet" and issues to do with on-line censorship, problems of regulation of the emerging on-line economy and effects on workers jobs. Rather than wait for the change to overtake us and then attempt to adapt, it would be preferable to plan to adopt the best of the new practices and attempt to mitigate the undesirable changes.

The Defence community have traditionally played a large part in bringing about changes in the use of information technology. The US Department of Defence funded research which lead to the creation of the Internet. The Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation has played a significant role in fostering the technology in Australia. The Australian Department of Defence was one of the founding members of the Commonwealth Internet Reference Group which has guided development of Internet use by the Federal Government agencies.

A point has now been reached where a decision must be made if Australia is to continue to be at the forefront of this technology and thereby gain maximum benefit from it, or become merely an importer of overseas products and ideas, as it has in other technology areas.

Use of the Internet for distributing information to the public from Government is now an accepted practice. The pilot programs established a year ago are now being expanded and issues of security, reliability of service and information finding facilities are being addressed. In this work the Government has lead industry, taking ideas from academia and demonstrating their practicality. Business is now using that model to provide commercial Internet services to the Australian community and new opportunities for the Australian economy.

With public information services established, the next opportunity for Government is to reform its internal administrative and decision making systems, to take advantage of the new opportunities for new ways of working. It is now possible to imagine public administration conducted on-line, using a secure, reliable, standardised computer network, based on Internet technology. Along with the technical standards, the Internet, as develop in the academic community, provides new models for how work is organised and carried out.

On-line all the time

Simply purchasing e-mail, web software and "groupware" products and installing them in the Department of Defence will not greatly improve productive, cut costs or improve the ability to defend Australia. New ways of working using the technology need to be tried, staff trained and some new technology researched and developed. A new support industry to provide both technical skills and training in the new work paradigm will be required.

All of the technology and expertise for this task does not exist in Australia, but nor does it exist anywhere else. However, Australian academia and industry has the necessary ability to develop the technology and be a world class player in the new industry. The Department of Defence could invest in a pilot project to develop the needed technology and skills, in partnership with industry.

Much has already been done

In March 1995 the Australian Department of Defence announced a pilot world wide web Defence Home Page on the Internet. That service now receives more than 200,000 "hits" per month and provides information to the general public and industry on all Defence programs, the Army, Navy and RAAF. Statements by the Minister, including the one on the Defence Review, are now routinely provided on-line. Such a radical change in information distribution happened in one year. A more radical change can happen in the next.

Notes

0. This document will form part of my opening address to the Australian Computer Society conference " Information Systems Driving Radical Change", 9am, 3 December 1996 in Sydney. Comments are welcome. <URL: http://www.acs.org.au/president/1996/epubs/acsnsw96.htm>.

1. Minister for Defence, Mr Ian McLachlan MEDIA RELEASE, "Submissions Encouraged For Defence Efficiency Review", Tuesday, 5 November 1996 <URL: http://www.adfa.oz.au/DOD/minister/m961105.htm>.

2. The Hon Ian McLachlan AO MP, Minister for Defence, "MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Defence Policy", House of Representatives, 15 October 1996 <URL: http://www.adfa.oz.au/DOD/minister/m961015b.htm>.