by Stephen Kendal

Created on: December 12, 2010

I have now extensive experience in the Australian public sector including the military. My first experience with the military was as a private soldier conscripted to the Australian Infantry during the Vietnam War period, 1971-1972.

I found that the hierarchy of the military, officers of all ranks were part of a very extensive team which included, sergeant majors, other non-commissioned officers (sergeants and corporals). The leadership skills of the military varied. The senior officer ranks specialised in strategic planning for large aspects of military organisations such as task forces for a particular war like purpose or when on military exercises. Other ranks worked tactics and protective strategies for military units at smaller levels such as the company, the platoon and individual sections of half a dozen soldiers when training or involved in fire fights.

When I was a private soldier of the 5th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, then based in Sydney in 1971 and 1972 I met a senior office who was a major who I began to admire for his courage, fairness and organisational ability. He was a lovely man and his wife was also an excellent person. When Prime Minister Whitlam was elected to office, I filled him in on the great personal qualities of this man and the PM approved him as the Chief of the Defence Force while he held office.

The courage and fearlessness of all the ranks of the military I encountered was a great eye opener, so working with Mr Whitlam I came up with a plan to integrate the forces, so  army, navy and air force would be integrated on a planning and service member equality basis with rank to distinguish specialities and levels of achievement. When this was done this was a revolution for the traditional and formal organisation of the military and it was very much well received. Other nations followed this basis of organisation but not immediately.

An eye opening issue of the seventies was to remedy the sometimes misguided methods of military discipline relied on by the senior commanders because of political tensions so evident in the seventies about the Vietnam War. Prime Minister Whitlam agreed with me that the Australian government would need to be very forgiving given the terrible turmoil of the period. Our military did not lack courage but they were terrified of not being understood or supported sufficiently especially if they had served in Vietnam.

Since then I have had brief roles training future officers at the Australian Defence

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