FED:Gen Gillespie says some don't get it

AAP General News (Australia)
04-14-2011
FED:Gen Gillespie says some don't get it

CANBERRA, April 14 AAP - Army chief Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie says Defence includes
a small number of people who just "don't get it" and he will strive to beat their abhorrent
conduct out of the organisation.

General Gillespie said 99.9 per cent of personnel were out doing fabulous work and

didn't deserve to be thrown in with the few people who caused the recent grief in the
organisation.

"There are a few in our organisation who don't get it," he told reporters.

"But we are a people organisation and that is likely to be the case for the next 100
years of our history where from time to time people won't get it and they will cause us
some grief and embarrassment.

General Gillespie said what had been forgotten in recent days was the undoubted quality
of the defence force demonstrated by their outstanding performance in disaster relief
in Australia and operations in Afghanistan and East Timor.

He said he agreed wholeheartedly with Defence Minister Stephen Smith.

"The sort of activity that occurred which put us in the position that we are in is
abhorrent and is the sort of thing that I have been and will continue to strive to beat
out of our organisation," he said.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has now commissioned six inquiries into the culture
at defence following the scandal at the Australian Defence Force Academy in which one
cadet filmed himself having sex with a female cadet and webcast it to his mates in another
room.

General Gillespie said the defence force drew its people from the community so it could
be expected that from time to time some of its worst traits would be seen in the force.

He said Defence still deserved to be held accountable and reminded of shortcomings.

But he said the army of today is not the army of 10 years ago.

"We have moved dramatically in a cultural sense," he said.

"What these reviews will do is tell us how far we have moved ... what we haven't done
as effectively as we think we should and they will tell us how far we have got to go and
I am pretty comfortable with that."

AAP mb/dep

KEYWORD: CADET GILLESPIE (PIX/VIDEO AVAILABLE)

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