Supply Warrant Officer Seminar
- Supply Warrant Officer Seminar 2009
Sharing ideas and common interests is the prime aim of tri-Service seminars. It was with that firmly in mind that the inaugural NZDF Supply Warrant Officers Seminar 2009 (SWOS 2009) was held at Trentham Camp from 10 to 12 March 2009.
Hosted by Chief Logistics Officer Army (CLO(A), COL Lott, the seminar’s RNZAF attendees were W/Os Baigent, Millar, Milne, Gell and F/S Pokia. W/O Sheryl Millar outlines the seminar’s aims and achievements.
With an increasing trend towards joint logistics and opportunities for combined logistic training being considered within the Defence Transformation Project, Logistics Stream, it was deemed timely to bring the Warrant Officers from Supply trades together in a focused forum. The aim was to encourage collaboration, cooperation and networking between the individual supply trades. The seminar was an opportunity to determine the level of disparity between the supply trades and develop a strategy for greater engagement.
The theme for the SWOS 09 was ‘Bridging the isolation between the individual Supply trades by harnessing the power of collaboration, cooperation and networking’.
Fourteen Tri-Service W/Os and SNCOs, representing the NZDF single Service supply trades, participated in the seminar with several observers throughout the two days of briefings. The third day consisted of working groups.
The objective of the SWOS 09 was to:
- Establish consensus through presentations, discussion and syndicated exercises.
- Provide the opportunity for Supply Trade Senior W/Os to discuss trade related issues at a pan-NZDF level.
- Provide an opportunity to strengthen tri-Service networks at the W/O level.
CLO(A), Chief of Army and Warrant Officer NZDF opened the seminar with individual presentations. These emphasised a single organisational approach, enabling simpler and better support functions between the three Services while maintaining the strengths, specialist knowledge and professionalism each Service requires for their core business.
Briefings were given by WGCDR Colin Marshall (Director of Aeronautical Supply (F)), CDR Philip Wiig (Commander Personal Training (Supply)), CAPTs Sheree Holmes and Craig Simpson (representing CLO(A)). The supply trade sponsors for each Service, highlighted the difference between the individual supply trades and some of the challenges currently faced. They also outlined some of the initiatives already taken to improve processes, procedures and the management of the trades. A desire for closer integration was apparent, but it was highlighted that any future cooperation must be developed collaboratively, and account for the unique requirements of the respective single Services and the NZDF as a whole.
Participants noted that where a Service demonstrated clear advances within a certain area of supply management then these methods could provide a platform off which to leverage best practice for the entire NZDF. Presentations, syndicate activities and social networking sessions confirmed concerns about a lack of supply interoperability, but also identified a willingness to breach past barriers and misconceptions and to open lines of communication and cooperation.
Within individual Services, views differed on the level of cooperation required between the supply trades. But all participants agree that work should continue in pursuing best practices and opportunities for training.
All participants now have personal contacts throughout the NZDF to share trade related challenges and discuss new innovations, procedures and technology while keeping current with the progress of the other Services.
Acknowledgement for the success of this seminar goes to W/O Rob McKie (Army).