The Federal Government has announced its approval of two major Australian Defence Force (ADF) capacility projects.

 

The first Joint Project Battlespace Communications System is aimed at providing the ADF with a ‘next generation telecommunications network’  to help provide a modern, deployable communications system that assists in the transmission of key information over both wired and wireless networking systems, including radio, satellite and computer servers.  The project will be capped at between $100 million and $500 million, pending a final Government decision on the funding of the project period 2012-13 to 2014-15.

 

In a press release by the Minister for Defence Stephen Smith’s office,  the project is identified as a top priority, saying “The ability to access and exchange large amounts of multimedia data is becoming increasingly important for the effective conduct of modern combat operations.“

 

The Government has also announced Joint Project 2080 Phase 2B.1, which fund pre-first pass analysis to investigate the costs and risks associated with streamlining and improving its human resources and payroll systems for military and civilian personnel.

 

The Defence Personnel Systems Modernisation (DPSM) project is a major Defence project and critical part of the Strategic Reform Program which will aim to reform the decades old paper-based systems currently in place.

 

It is also expected to improve the administration of human resources and payroll within Defence and enable major reforms in key business support areas such personnel administration, career management, education and training, workforce planning and enterprise reporting.  Some key benefits anticipated from the project include enhanced self-service capability and reporting and increased automation.

 

Joint Project 2080 Phase 2B.1 is also cost capped between $100 million and $500 million.

 

Defence will now report to Government in Financial Year 2011-12 on its requirements and implementation options with a vital requirement being the integration of the military payroll capability into Defence’s core personnel management system, which is currently used to pay over 20 000 Defence civilian employees.