"The Defence ICT Strategy will strengthen the relationship between Defence's strategic objectives and enabling ICT capabilities," Senator Faulkner said.
"Through enhanced strategic planning processes and transparent portfolio-based resource allocation, the ICT Strategy will improve Defence's ability to conduct forward ICT capability planning.
"The Strategy is also consistent with the recommendations of the Gershon Review and elements of the Strategy were included in the 2009 Defence White paper."
Senator Faulkner said the government was seeking to improve the content, quality, presentation and utility of information made available publicly relating to the future direction of Defence ICT.
Defence will also conduct annual reviews of its ICT Strategy to maintain the relationship between strategic objectives and the provision of enabling ICT capabilities.
Defence's Chief Information Officer, Greg Farr, officially launched the ICT Strategy at the 2009 MilCIS Conference in Canberra.
He also took the opportunity to recognise Unisys as having taken over management of regional ICT for Defence after an 18-month transition period.
Under the contract, Unisys provides network security and infrastructure support, as well as server and desktop support to all areas within Defence utilising the Restricted and Secret networks, and some 350 stand-alone IT systems.
Mr Farr said the decision to outsource regional ICT support had improved service delivery and resulted in a 45 per cent reduction in the number of outstanding jobs.
Also at MilCIS
The annual military communications conference was well attended, hosting a wide range of speakers and exhibitors.
Delegates were disappointed to learn from Col Martin Faulkner, Army's Director of Networked Enabled Warfare at Army Headquarters, that parts of Army will still be using Parakeet and Raven radios well into the 2015-2016 timeframe.
The word travesty was used by more than one delegate when speaking of Army comms, with JP2072 Project Director Shane Kingston explaining that bringing together the troubled project that has well over 50 related projects ‘is a challenge' (to say the least).
The fight for bandwidth, both now and into the future, was a common thread at many presentations as more platforms like UAVs, other ISR assets and MILIS chew more data space.
