This article was published in The Mandarin 24 July 2026. I have added some commentary for subscribers. In hindsight, I am not sure I really homed in on the message I was trying to get across. This isn’t an article about procurement, it’s about trust. Governments lose confidence when the options presented appear incomplete or shaped to favour a…
No one has cracked defence procurement. How will Marles’ plan make a difference?
It’s the scout’s creed “Do Your Best”, but sometimes doing your best just isn’t good enough. As published in The Mandarin 4 December 2024.https://www.themandarin.com.au/282939-veteran-suicide-when-doing-your-best-isnt-good-enough/ Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) When I was asked if I would like to write…
A large IT project off the rails, who would have thought? It’s not actually news and picking on the Defence ERP program is like shooting fish in a barrel. It’s not that people aren’t trying to do a good job, it’s just that sometimes they just dig a hole they can’t get out of by…
You don’t have to be at the top to demand that your organisation delivers. Hold yourself, your colleagues and your leaders accountable. As published in The Mandarin September 17, 2024 by John Glenn Last week was a tough one for the Defence sector. But there are lessons for everyone in public service. I get told…
s published in The Mandarin, 21 March 2024 by Kiah MD John Glenn I have reproduced below a Facebook post by a good friend of mine, Kat Rae. The post was private, so sharing it was difficult. Kat is a private person, and she doesn’t seek to be the “face of a movement”. But her message…
As published in The Mandarin, 26 February 2024 by Kiah MD John Glenn The public and private sectors are different, and not everything translates well, but some things do if adapted. We know – we do a lot of work at the intersection of the two and many of us have worked inside both public…
As published in The Mandarin September 5, 2023 by Kiah MD John Glenn Enough with the noise about the ‘Big’ 4, and the parallel Defence MSPs. Few would disagree that ‘Big’ has a stranglehold on the professional services government spend. Even with a greater in-house capability in our public service they can’t and shouldn’t replace…
As published in The Mandarin on February 20, 2023 by Kiah MD John Glenn I fear the Defence Strategic Review, now in the hands of the prime minister and defence minister, will be a fizzle — not a flash and a bang. There is no strategy without execution, and I am afraid the department does…
As published in The Australian February 13, 2023 by Kiah MD John Glenn The old saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but hoping for a different result is pretty apt when it comes to Australia’s defence. The latest Defence Strategic Review is due shortly, one of…
