Latest on the war on red tape

The Reducing Unnecessary Tasks to Help Lethality, Efficiency & Strategic Success (RUTHLESS) program is now working on 100 ideas submitted from across Defence.

They are being triaged to focus on initiatives that will save the most time for the largest number of soldiers.

As works progress, updates on the latest initiatives will be shared via the intranet site and Army News.

Non-fair wear inspection

Current Army policy requires a non-fair wear (NFW) inspection for unexpected damage to land material, resulting in RAEME specialists spending 5964 hours annually on NFW tasks. Preparing full cost breakdowns is time-consuming and often difficult, while recovery of costs from negligent individuals is rare. Proposed changes submitted to DG Landworthiness would reduce NFW requirements by 75 per cent, saving Army 4473 hours each year of specialist RAEME time.

AE230 clothing issue and exchange approval

The AE230 form is a continual barrier to the routine issue and exchange of ADF clothing, including damaged or unserviceable items, consuming an estimated 30,000 hours of Army personnel time. A phased implementation for reducing use of the form is planned, with phase one removing the form as a requirement for one-for-one exchanges and phase two removing the form for initial issued items for all Army personnel.

A-RES long service award automation

Reservists are not automatically awarded long service medals and must apply individually, creating unnecessary administration and detracting from the recognition. An automated solution is being developed to remove the need for manual applications.

From July 26, reservists newly qualifying for the Defence Long Service Medal will no longer need to submit an application to Honours and Awards. Automating the issuing of clasps for existing awards will be explored in the second half of 2026.

Land range safety system evaluation working group

FORCOMD has commenced a comprehensive review of the land range safety system to remove unnecessary requirements and duplication, confirm or reduce approval delegations, and identify live-fire range friction points. Requirements for weapons qualifications and land range conduct will also be reviewed. A proposal is being finalised, recommending amendments to range regulations to allow a section to conduct a static 25m range without needing additional external staff for range safety appointments.

Next-of-kin form requirements

Personnel are required to complete multiple forms each year to record next-of-kin details. Despite this, several incidents have revealed inaccurate data following serious events. The volume of documentation is reducing training time without reliably achieving accurate next-of-kin records. A project is under way to reduce documentation requirements and identify alternative methods to improve data accuracy.

Mandatory training

A detailed brief has been provided to DCA to challenge existing mandatory training requirements and propose alternative courses of action.

All Ruthless-related ideas and projects are now accessible on the intranet via //defencegovau.sharepoint.com/teams/AG-A/SitePages/RUTHLESS.aspx deas and suggestions can be sent to ruthless@resources.defence.gov.au