Defence Department Secretary, Dr Ian Watt, will replace retiring Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary, Terry Moran, when the latter stands down from his position next month.
Replacing Dr Watt as the new civilian head of the Defence Department will be Duncan Lewis, a former commander of the Army Special Forces and current National Security Adviser in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that Dr Watt was the right man for the job as his career as a federal bureaucrat has seen him find savings in his departments aimed at protecting the Budget’s bottom line.
"[Dr Watt] brings to the position a wealth of experience in both policy development and implementation and administrative reform," said Ms Gillard.
One of Dr Watt’s parting gestures to the Defence Department was the commissioning of a review on Defence accountability.
It was this review that many believe prompted former DMO CEO, Dr Stephen Gumley, to quit his post after recommendations were made for the nation’s defence procurement agency to be brought closer once more to the public service.