BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

Lest it come true!

Recent posts and comments on social media about the embarkation of a 'Fleet Band' in HMAS Canberra III for RIMPAC 2022 have caused me to recall a conversation and a formal proposal regarding establishing a band permanently on both of the Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships HMAS Canberra III and HMAS Adelaide III.

To-date, the last permanent band posted to sea was in HMAS Jervis Bay. When Jervis Bay deployed to Somalia in Christmas 1992 the Fleet Band was disembarked and move to HMAS Kuttabul's Endeavour House. When Jervis Bay decommissioned in March 1994 there was no longer any ship in the fleet that was large enough to embark a permanent band; so the musicians in the Fleet Band were reassigned to the Naval Support Command Band at HMAS Kuttabul and the Victoria Naval Band at HMAS Cerberus.

When I became the Director of Music Navy in 2002, as an absolute priority, I reestablished the band's commitment to sea by standing up a Sea Deployment Group within our current workforce. This was not universally welcomed by the musician cohort; but I had formed the view, based on my experience over the previous decade, that it was absolutely imperative for the band to regain the support of Navy's senior leaders. There had been a number of serious incidents that had damaged the band's reputation and threats of Government cost-saving initiatives on Australian Defence Force Bands made the environment even more difficult. Interestingly, the both the Australian Army Band and Royal Australian Airforce Band sustained a 50% reduction in musician numbers during the first decade of this century whilst the number of musicians in the Royal Australian Navy Band remained unchanged.

To manage this return to sea, musicians would be nominated for sea deployments each year from within the two permanent detachments. Nomination meant that the musicians were to be released from normal band duties to be force prepared and if the need arose they would then be embarked as a musical element in a Major Fleet Unit (MFU). On average, from 2002 to 2011, two small elements from the Sea Deployment Group were embarked in MFUs each year; including eight to 12 musicians for RIMPAC every year. These were temporary short posting and after each posting the musicians would return to their permanent detachments in Melbourne and Sydney.

With the new LHDs planned for commissioning in 2014 and 2015 respectively, I saw an opportunity for reestablishing a permanent band at sea; so I made an informal approach to the LHD workforce capability planner about the possibility of including a permanent band within one of these ships. However, my brief discussion quickly led me to rethink the wisdom of changing the status quo (that is; short, targeted and temporary postings) and I dropped my wish to reestablish a permanent Fleet Band.

A few months later, to my surprise and trepidation, I received a formal proposal staffed through Navy Headquarters and Fleet Headquarters. It seems that my informal approach to the capability planner had whet his appetite (as he was searching for ways to crew these large ships) and now he wanted to establish within each of the two LHDs a compliment 12 to 20 musicians as a permanent part of the each ships company. The musicians would undertake additional duties as first aide parties and as ship guides for the embarked forces.

Navy Headquarters supported the plan but stipulated that there would be no increase to the current approved workforce numbers for the band category. In particular, Navy Headquarters supported posting up to 20 musicians permanently to sea in each of the new ships. That is, 40 musicians posted permanently at sea each year for a two year posting cycle, and this would have to be managed from within the current approved workforce of 110 full-time musicians.

Under the 'one band' structure that I had developed shortly after becoming Director of Music, the band was able to enhance its support to fleet activities by embarking, on numerous occasions, small musical elements for major deployments. Additionally, whilst supporting the fleet the band was also able to deploy larger ensembles to support the Australian forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and in other operational theatres. At the same time whilst supporting the Fleet and the Australia Defence Force, the band was still able to conduct benchmark activities; including many significant recordings, large international deployments and very impressive ceremonial activities throughout Australia and overseas.

Furthermore, my predecessor Commander Ashley Greedy AM RAN had commenced a recruitment program in the mid 1990s to attract university graduates into the band. As a result of his initiative the skill level amongst the musicians had increased very significantly since the last time the band category had two bands at sea in the 60s and 70 aboard HMAS Sydney and HMAS Melbourne. I was in no doubt that the band's ability to retain and attract highly skilled musicians would be at serious risk if one of the job requirements was to spend 40+% of their initial enlistment period posted to a ship at sea.

Fortunately, I was able to convince the Fleet Commander that the band's ability to continue its impressive activities at home, at sea and abroad, would be in jeopardy if 40 of its 110 musicians were to be permanently posted to HMAS Canberra III and HMAS Adelaide III.

Thankfully, the proposal was defeated and we were able to continue to send musicians to sea for targeted high profile deployments. We were also able to continue to deliver our very impressive range of capabilities at home and abroad.

We can continue to celebrate the band's ongoing support to the Fleet and it's history of service at sea; but as experienced by my desire to get musicians back at sea on a permanent basis, be careful what you wish for, lest it come true!