Headquarters Canberra | Employees 168,037 | |
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Jurisdiction Commonwealth of Australia Minister responsible Senator The Hon. Marise Payne MP,
Minister for Defence Agency executives Dennis Richardson, SECDEF
Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, CDF Child agencies Australian Defence Force
Department of Defence | ||
The Australian Defence Organisation (abbreviated as ADO) is an Australian Government organisation that consists of both the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the civilian Department of Defence personnel supporting the ADF.
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ADO Diarchy
The Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) and the Secretary of the Department of Defence (SECDEF) jointly manage the ADO under a diarchy and report directly to the Minister for Defence. The ADO diarchy is a governance structure unique in the Australian Commonwealth public service.
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the armed forces of the Commonwealth of Australia led by Chief of the Defence Force and comprising the three uniformed services of the Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, and Royal Australian Navy.
The Vice Chief of the Defence Force oversees joint capabilities including the Australian Defence College, Joint Logistics Command, the Joint Health Command, and the Australian Defence Force Cadets.
The Joint Operations Command oversees all joint deployments of the Australian Defence Force.
Department of Defence
The Australian Government Department of Defence is one of the three original Australian government departments created at Federation. It is the Australian Public Service entity that provides advice, coordination, and program delivery for defence and military policy.
The Department of Defence also manages and oversees a range of public service and defence force agencies and organisations that deliver and develop the capabilities and services that support the Australian Defence Force. Such agencies include the Army and Air Force Canteen Service, the Defence Community Organisation, and Defence Housing Australia.
The Department also includes key groups including the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, the Defence Science and Technology Group, and the Defence Strategic Policy and Intelligence Group (which oversees the Australian Signals Directorate, Defence Intelligence Organisation, and Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation).