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Defence Ministry needs dire changes
I URGE the Defence Ministry to do the following on
behalf of our Government in the next five years:
* Formulate a new defence white paper;
* Promulgate a revised defence reform programme mandated by the Defence
Department under the auspices of the secretary; and
* Ensure all planned programmes and activities are properly budgeted for
and judiciously executed in a cost-effective way, and not done in a
somewhat ad hoc approach as has been the norm in recent times within the
organisation.
The Defence organisation, if restructured well, will become more
relevant to the needs of our people this millennium. I am confident this
will result in the PNGDF being more appropriately resourced.
We must also increase our military manpower ceiling to a credible
minimum force to meet these needs:
* National security and development needs; and
* Protection of our territorial sovereignty and valuable resources.
An annual Defence audit be done under the mandate of the secretary and
supported by the commander. This must be a continuous improvement
strategy as part of Defence’s total quality management corporate policy.
I am confident Minister Bob Dadae will be unlike his last four
predecessors. I believe he is a committed parliamentarian with both the
determination, and drive to fulfil this as part of a new defence policy
of our Government for the next 10 to 15 years.
It is important that this is done now before another reshuffle (like
many times in the past), perhaps within 16 months where we may again see
a set of new and inexperienced players within the Defence council – and
the ever vicious cycle of bureaucratic inertia continues unabated.
I urge the Defence secretary and commander to get their respective
command and management teams together and collectively address the
Defence’s shortcomings within its core – competence areas.
The Defence Ministry must now come up with several options for
Government to approve the best way forward for the efficient management
of Defence in this millennium.
Reginald Renagi
Port Moresby
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