Chapter 13
I Colonial Origins
II First World War
III Between The World Wars
IV The Second World War
V Post-second World War
VI After The Joint Project
i Change at Salsbury and Woomera
ii An Australian Empire
iii Multi-National Collaboration
iv Re-Organisation
v Applied Research in the 70s and 80s
vi Armour
vii Organic Materials
viii Aeronautics
ix Surveillance, Detection and Information
VII Science And Decisions At The Top
VIII Armed Services Technology
IX New Tasks And Projects
X Transfer Of Research And Development
XI Acknowledgement
References
Index
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Re-Organisation
It was fortunate therefore, that after the election of the Whitlam government, a re-appraisal of the total defence organisation was undertaken. Many changes were made to the higher defence administration, but the most important in this context was the integration of the policy making with the laboratory activities. The then Chief Defence Scientist (Dr J. L. Farrands) thus became the head of the integrated Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) while continuing to participate in the higher defence machinery.By this change, it became easier for policy to be communicated to the research workers and engineers, for them to respond, and in a converse way for their advice to be conducted to the highest levels in Defence and Government. Some servicemen were included in the new Defence Science and Technology Organisation. This closer connection with the policy makers and the servicemen was to affect both the servicemen and the technologists.
The Armed Services had a predeliction for the acquisition of imported equipment, preferably American, and techniques (see p. 918). The scientists and engineers in the new Defence Science and Technology Organisation had been conditioned to see their highest function as the conduct of, in the jargon of the day, strategic-mission-orientated-research. The closer relationship, and budgetary pressures led to a re-think of these positions. For the military it led to perceptions of new opportunities. For the scientists, it meant closer attention to 'tactical' research; for the engineers, closer attention to the realities of in-the-field use. Government policy on defence was re-directed from forward defence to continental security. This had a fundamental effect on the thinking of the scientists and on the projects that they would now espouse. Both they and the government perceived that research on long range weapons was not sustainable and that the facilities for this sort of work, as the British and Europeans withdrew, could only at best be put on a care and maintenance basis.
(The United Kingdom-Australia Joint Project Agreement closed in June 1980, and care and maintenance ceased effectively in 1984.)
Organisations in Australian Science at Work - Australia. Department of Defence; Defence Science and Technology Organisation (D.S.T.O.)
People in Bright Sparcs - Farrands, Dr J. L.
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Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering |  |
© 1988 Print Edition page 956, Online Edition 2000
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/937.html