New ADF storm.

There's something inadequately systemic about the management of Australia's armed forces. The current furore over unacceptable behaviour among male members of the forces is just another of many over the past few years. In the aftermath of each event we hear the military and political nabobs vowing to stamp out the low-life activities perpetrated by mainly blokes in uniform ... but, it just keeps happening.

Back in the 1950s, I was obliged by the then government to spend a considerable amount of my time over 3 or 4 years training to do soldierly things should it ever become necessary to help defend the country in a state of war during my life-time. At the time, I considered the experience very worth-while and, I remember practically everything I was taught during the full-time and part-time stints under the control of the military. The discipline inherent in the training was of particular value in later life and high-lighted what a slob I had been before being drafted. The salient down-side of the experience was to learn how excrutiatingly boring regimented lifestyle can be when there's nothing happening to utilize the skills and attitudes inculcated by stern teaching. After my initial 98 days of full-time induction training, I was approached by senior army staff offering me the opportunity to undertake officer training at one of the well-known military colleges. I refused, because I had already formed an opinion that the management style of armed services officials was too firmly based on the narrow arbitrary dictum "yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir!" for me to ever fit in to the 'permanent' military culture.

I reckon that probably remains the case in today's military force structures and, the current disciplinary problems stem from miltary minds which cannot think 'out-side of the box' to engineer a lasting solution to their current woes.