Refining Our Structure
Project REFINE
The RNZAF’s recently released Strategic Plan (see centre pages of this issue for your copy) is critical to its future success in achieving its goals.
So that our organisation is able to effectively achieve those goals it must adjust the way we do some things. In October last year CAF announced the establishment of REFINE, a three-phase project aimed at improving the RNZAF’s performance and eliminating waste.
Good progress has been made with the completion of the first phase with effect from 15 January 2007. Essentially this phase saw the optimisation of command and control arrangements and the establishment and adoption of some new senior appointment roles and titles. Accordingly, on 15 January, Mr Ian Brunton was appointed Assistant Chief of Air Force Plans (ACAFPLANS), GPCAPT Peter Randerson was appointed Project Takitini Implementation Manager (PTIM), and GPCAPT Shaun Clarke was appointed to the new Ohakea-based position of Commander Operational Support Group. This last appointment is arguably the most critical.
GPCAPT Clarke’s role will be to exercise primary command and control over all three Air Base Wings with the ultimate aim of bringing together the wide range of specialisations and trades to support military air operations.
His secondary role is to oversee affairs at Ohakea by chairing the Ohakea Base Co-ordination Committee and providing strategic oversight and guidance to functional commanders at Ohakea.
Other changes in phase one include integrating the Air Power Development Centre into the Capability Branch in Air Staff, and retitling the Operational Support Squadron as the Expeditionary Support Squadron (ESS).
The next two phases of Project REFINE are targeted for completion by 1 April and 1 July respectively. Phase two will see amendments to establishment tables to reflect a refined organisational structure including retitling Air Base Wings to Operational Support Wings to reflect their new focus. Phase three will see a reform of RNZAF Branch, Specialisation and Trade structures, again to better reflect the operational focus.
SUPPORT FOR OPERATIONS
New COSG(F) GPCAPT Shaun Clarke says ‘the critical role of OPSG HQ is to champion the Air Force’s recognition of the paramount nature of good service and support to operations.’
New Commander Operational Support Group (COSG) GPCAPT Shaun Clarke has been located on the top floor of Base Ohakea’s old Airways building since 31 December 2006. This is now officially the Operational Support Group’s HQ and, to date, six of the nine established positions have been filled.
GPCAPT Clarke says he would like to ‘personalise’ the approach to building the new structure, working closely with senior personnel on Bases. ‘We have some excellent people leading our Bases, ‘ he said.
‘Project REFOCUS did away with the Base being paramount. Before that we had duplicate organisations, cloned systems and individual GPCAPTs in charge of each Base. This provided unity of command on each Base, but also had potential disadvantages such as communication bottlenecks. After REFOCUS, Bases each comprised of a series of WGCDRs who co-existed, and reported to specialist GPCAPTs in Air Staff. The result was a tremendous improvement in standardisation, information flow and general efficiency but it did leave Bases without a single senior commander.
‘Project Refine restores that unity without putting everyone under the direct command of a GPCAPT “Base Commander”. Refine provides a single identifiable leader on Base who can help sort out conflicting interests and prioritise according to the needs and resources of the whole Air Force.
‘We had to get away from the parks and gardens approach. The Chief wants the OSG HQ to have a primary operational focus,’ he says. He estimates that 90% of his work as COSG is pulling together the disparate operational services. The other 10% is acting as a figurehead senior officer on Ohakea. ‘For example at Base Ohakea I’ll be relying heavily on CO Air Base Wing, WGCDR Russell Mardon who is everyone’s first port of call for co-ordination of all Base activities.
’He is confident that having all support services operationally focussed will result in efficiencies. He’s also keen to talk with W/Os to find ways of ensuring that focus. ‘At present we have some involvement in 19 overseas operations. I want to see if W/Os can help answer the question of how we can improve the situations of operational Squadrons.’
SENIOR TITLES
The following are Air’s senior titles, which incorporate Project REFINE Phase 1:
|
Long Name |
Short Name |
Before |
|
Chief of Air Force |
CAF |
|
|
Deputy Chief of Air Force |
DCAF |
|
|
Air Component Commander |
ACC |
|
|
Commander of Logistics Group
|
CLG(F) |
DLog(F) |
|
Commander Training Group |
CTRGG(F) |
DTrg(F) |
|
Commander Operational Support Group |
COSG(F) |
|
|
Assistant Chief of Air Force Personnel |
ACAFPERS |
DPers(F) |
|
Assistant Chief of Air Force Plans |
ACAFPLANS |
ACAS Plans |
|
Assistant Chief of Air Force Capability |
ACAFCAP |
ACAS Dev |
|
Chief Financial Officer (Air) |
CFO(F) |
|
|
Officer Commanding 485 Wing |
OC485WG |
|
|
Project TAKITINI Implementation Manager |
PTIM |
|