Defence is making over 500 new ICT hires

The Defence Digital Group’s move to rebuild its workforce from 20 percent government employees to 60 percent will result in over 500 new hires in real terms.

(L-R) iTnews' VB Templeman and Defence CIO Chris Crozier on the sidelines of Tech in Gov 2024. (Image credit: Darren McNally).

Speaking at the Tech in Gov 2024 conference in Canberra yesterday, Defence CIO Chris Crozier provided extra detail on the implementation of three core priorities underpinning the transformation of Defence ICT that he first outlined in May.

Back then, he said that the Defence ICT workforce would move from a 20:80 ratio of Commonwealth employees to contractors, to a 60:40 split.

“Effectively, our APS [Australian Public Service] and ADF [Australian Defence Force] were contract management employees only. We had decisions made elsewhere,” Crozier said of the environment he inherited upon joining Defence a year ago.

“We are looking to ensure that we have the talent and expertise in-house to manage future technologies. 

“We’ve already added … 150 staff since I've arrived, and we're adding another 300 Commonwealth staff in that uplift. 

“Moving forward, all key technology, strategy, architectural and commercial decisions are being made by Commonwealth staff, not by contractors, not by consultants, and not by systems integrators - again, a substantive shift in where we've come from.”

In addition to 450 new Commonwealth staff, Defence is “tripling the intake of cadets and graduates in 2025” to 75 people.

“I'm really enthused by that,” Crozier said.

“I was in the graduate program at Rio Tinto, they're wonderful programs. We're blessed by having tremendous capabilities with our cadets and graduates, and I want to see that nurturing through Defence Digital Group moving forward”.

Supporting the large-scale ICT recruitment drive is a focus on retention, by building career paths for technology specialists.

“We'll have well-defined career paths for those wanting to remain deeply engaged in the technology landscape, something missing previously,” Crozier said.

“When we've had good technologists, they've had to leave Defence to maintain that passion in technology. 

“I don't want to see that. I want career paths for people who are passionate about technology. I want to invest in that, and I want to make sure that they get education and training and so on, that they're working with the latest platforms and have that career arc.”

One of the first broad skill sets being embedded in DDG is Agile, with “over 60 percent of DDG’s Commonwealth staff [now] trained in Agile methodologies, with the intent for all staff to be trained in the coming months.”

“We're pivoting from a waterfall to an Agile mindset, as well as methodology, increasing our responsiveness, efficiency and alignment with government policies and priorities,” Crozier said.

“The transition not only accelerates our technology delivery but it's critical in meeting evolving threats.”

Crozier added that the intent is to prepare Defence ICT “to tackle challenges head on, bolstering our resilience at a time when digital technologies underpin every military capability.”

iTnews' Velvet-Belle (VB) Templeman contributed to this report.