Page 156 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

156 FROM THE SOURCE LTGEN SIMON STUART
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
Concurrently we continue with a very ambitious and very broad modernisation program which includes investing in our people and especially how we modernise the way in which we train and educate and build their experience and through the other aspects of capability. Certainly, Army’s value proposition at the strategic and operational level is through capabilities like long range fires, littoral manoeu- vre, modernised special operations and our
focused on a holistic view of both recruiting and retention. I would describe our efforts under a number of key areas: the first is making sure that the lived experience of our people is a positive one; a positive one for the soldier and a positive one for their families and underpinning all that is making sure that that experience is reflective of our values. We need to really highlight two aspects of the value proposition of serving in our Army: pur- pose and people. If you want to do some- thing with your life that has meaning, that serves a greater purpose, that places others before yourself, something that your family and your friends and you can ultimately be
proud of, then Army is for you.
And the other is the people that you get
to work with; you just won’t find people of the same commitment and quality anywhere else in my experience. People you can ulti- mately trust with your life.
contributions to information, cyber and
space capabilities. To be a more connected
and integrated part of the Joint Force and
with our allies and partners. The broader and
deeper utility of our logistics, our engineer-
ing and aviation capabilities. And also the
more protected and lethal part of the Army
that can operate and prevail in the most le-
thal, dangerous and difficult circumstances.
That sort of encapsulates the breadth of our
thinking in terms of the continued adapta-
tion and modernisation of the Army so that it can make its contribution to the Joint Force.
ADM: Are Army’s retention and separation rates a cause for concern for you and, if so, how do you plan to address that issue?
LTGEN STUART: I think workforce pressures are being felt across almost all sectors and we’re certainly not immune from those pressures. The short answer is we’re doing a lot as an ADF and a Department of Defence and we’re certainly
“PEOPLE REMAIN AT THE CENTRE OF EVERYTHING THAT OUR ARMY DOES AND, INDEED, THAT THE ADF DOES”
So, I think
part of our value proposition that all of us in uniform cer- tainly know intuitively. I’d like to be able to communicate that better because I think it’s a really powerful motivator for people, both in a recruiting and a retention sense.
BELOW: A soldier from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment prepares to fire a M72A1 66mm Rocket
purpose and people are a really important
DEFENCE