Defence Business: Combat clothing plan updated

1 October 2007

By Gregor Ferguson

Defence’s new combat clothing procurement system is bedding down, with about $300-350 million of new spending foreshadowed in the new edition of the ADF Clothing & personal Equipment Procurement Plan.

Last year’s ADF Clothing Review has started delivering results in terms of both uniforms and personnel equipment delivered to defence force users, and better governance of an acquisition area which attracted severe scrutiny two years ago.

The second edition of the ADF Clothing & Personnel Equipment Procurement Plan, covering the years 2008-12, was released at the D+I Conference in August, following the release of an exposure draft at the Clothing Industry Forum at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne in July.

The forum was attended by 64 clothing and textile industry representatives. It included three workshops covering demand management, procurement reforms and contracting issues providing an opportunity for information exchange and networking.

Industry representatives also got the chance to meet the new Clothing SPO Director, Colonel Simon Welsh, a former Deputy Director of General Support SPO who has also been Project Director for a number of Land System projects.

As the DG Land Combat Systems, BRIG William Horrocks, noted in the foreword to the ADF CPEPP 2008-12, the scope of this document has been extended to include acquisitions by the General Support and, crucially, the Soldier Modernisation Systems Project Offices (SPO).

The ADFCPEPP includes details of clothing protective equipment and associated product acquisitions with a planned contract value above $50,000.

These range from boots and uniforms to combat helmets, load carrying vests designed to integrate with body armour, and Non Lethal Force Protective Equipment which includes shields, batons, wrist restraints, leg and non-ballistic body protection.

Core spending projects
“Current indications are that core expenditure for clothing and personal equipment sustainment going forward for the next five years will be between $60 million to $70 million per annum. This excludes operational support activities and unique Service initiatives,” the plan states.

“In Financial Year (FY) 2007-08, $101m has been allocated to Clothing Systems Program Office for the provision of combat and non-combat clothing and personal equipment to support operations and training.

This is a significant increase on the previous year’s budget and is likely to be increased to support initiatives such as the Enhanced Land Force (ELF), Hardened and Networked Army (HNA), and the Australian Defence Force Gap Year Program.”

“A review of the CPEPP 2008-12 highlights that planned tender activities will be in the order of $166.40 million for FY 2007-08 and $48.75 million for FY2008-09. These amounts are based on contracts or standing offer arrangements planned to be established over the first two years of the ADF CPEPP 2008-12,” the plan says.

Both the Minister for Defence, Dr Brendan Nelson and the Chief of Army, LTGEN Peter Leahy, have reacted strongly to recent media criticism of the quality of equipment and weapons issued to Australian troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel continue to receive clothing and equipment of the highest standard thanks to the successful implementation of the 2006 ADF Clothing Review,” said Nelson after attending the Clothing Industry Forum in July.

The ADF Clothing Review Team made 29 recommendations along five themes; organisational reform, governance and probity, business process, industry and commerce and involvement of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO).

Follow up
“These recommendations and the reform already put in place by the DMO has ensured the men and women of the ADF are receiving clothing and equipment of the highest standard,” Nelson added.

24 recommendations are complete with the remaining either well advanced or ongoing in nature. Major new initiatives from the Clothing Program Review include:
• the establishment of a separate, better resourced Clothing System Program Office (SPO)
• the establishment of a Clothing Governance Executive (CGE)
• the improved engagement with the clothing industry, through industry associations and with individual companies
• the release of major procurement forecasts in the five year Clothing and Personal Equipment Procurement Plan (CPEPP)
• increased access to technical and scientific expertise, including recruitment of textile engineers and collocation of DSTO staff with the Clothing Office.

During 2006/07, Clothing SPO continued to support operations and maintained a demand satisfaction rate of 95 per cent across most items. Some shortages of non-combat clothing items were experienced across the three services.

This was because of increased workload in support of operations and the implementation of the Clothing review recommendations. Significant acquisitions in the first half of 2007/08 will see most of these shortages being addressed. All clothing requirements for operations are being met.

Dr Nelson also met with Clothing SPO staff to commend their efforts and noted the significant improvements that had been implemented since the Clothing review in 2006.

In addition to the Clothing Review recommendations, reform of clothing procurement has included greater procurement planning, inventory management and staff training to broaden and deepen staff technical and core skills.

Weapons under fire
However, as one contentious area of DMO business settled down, another erupted in August; this time it was weapons rather than uniforms which caught the public eye.

Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston and Chief of Army, LTGEN Peter Leahy, reacted sharply to a media report criticising the weapons issued to ADF personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Defence rejects the sensationalist claims made by Channel 7 that ADF personnel lack high-quality weapons and equipment,” Lt-Gen Leahy said.

A small number of Reports on Unsatisfactory or Defective Material - or RODUMs - were filed during 2006/07 covering a wide range of weapons and ammunition types, Leahy said. The vast majority related to use on firing ranges and during routine technical and maintenance inspections.

“Given the number of people deployed, around about 2000, the harsh operational and climatic conditions, the extent and range of weapons and equipment in use, and the level of activity, these figures are considered to be within normal operational ranges,” Leahy told reporters at a press conference in Canberra.

The high quality of ADF weapons and equipment is supported comprehensively by results of reviews and aggregated reports from the field, he added.

“The Minister for Defence directed extensive reviews of combat equipment and procurement to be undertaken in 2006,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said. “The results of those reviews and ongoing Defence assessment of reports from the field show ADF weapons and equipment in general to be among the best available.”

Systems in place
Air Chief Marshal Houston said that Defence maintains constant attention to the effectiveness of weapons and equipment during the continuing ADF deployments on operations in many parts of the world.

In-service management processes, such as the Army’s RODUM system, enable weapons and equipment malfunctions to be reported by soldiers and dealt with effectively by specialists in Australia, including enhancements and modifications to be made based on user feedback, Houston said.

“RODUMs show that we have a robust and rapid method of identifying and fixing equipment problems. Although some commentators use the RODUM system as a means of highlighting negative aspects of equipment quality, the fact is that the relatively small number of RODUMs compared to Defence’s extensive inventory, reinforces the very high standard of our weapons and equipment.”