- The Industrial Mobilisation Courses.
Even before the First World War, the USA was setting up formal links between the Army and Industry to gain better understanding of the capability of industry to produce war goods. This had some moderate success, and the plan was copied by several other nations.
In the 1930s, the need was again foreseen and this co-ordination activity was brought to the fore. By 1938, many other of the eventual participants in the subsequent war were also making similar efforts, including United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Japan. In every case, they reported increased rates of production of war goods.
In 1940, US President Franklin D Roosevelt took the unprecedented step of co-opting two extraordinary American businessmen—General Motors automobile magnate William “Big Bill” Knudsen and shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser— who helped corral, cajole, and inspire business leaders across the country to mobilize the “arsenal of democracy” that propelled the Allies to victory in World War II.
Knudsen was appointed as Chairman of the Office of Production Management and member of the National Defense Advisory Commission for which he received a salary of $1 per year. In January 1942, Knudsen received a commission as a lieutenant general in the US Army, the only civilian ever to join the army at such a high initial rank, and appointed as Director of Production, Office of the Under Secretary of War. In that capacity, he worked as a consultant and a troubleshooter for the War Department.
Drafting top talent from companies like Chrysler, Republic Steel, Boeing, Lockheed, GE, and Frigidaire, Knudsen and Kaiser turned auto plants into aircraft factories and civilian assembly lines into fountains of munitions. In four short years they transformed America’s army from a hollow shell into a truly global force, laying the foundations for the country’s rise as an economic as well as military superpower.
At War’s end, the then President of the USA, Harry S Truman, declared that so successful was the mobilisation of industry that it should be continued into peacetime, not just when an emergency threatens. This resulted in the setting up of the Industrial Mobilization Courses, run by the military and involving participants from industry. So effective was this initiative, that Professor Albert Einstein and 19 other prominent people issued a pamphlet warning the people against the "dangerous degree of influence" that military men had acquired in American policy. America could not remain democratic if the present trend continued, the pamphlet said. It declared that military men had acquired a dangerous degree of influence over foreign policy, public opinion, higher education, scientific research, and even the Boy Scouts. Military men had a great influence on President Truman, and some Service leaders "without rebuke, suggest that we abandon our historic policy to become an aggressor nation by striking the first blow in a preventive war."
However, the Courses continued unabated.
In Australia, in 1950 Prime Minister Menzies formed the National Security Resources Board, because, he said, “there was a widespread opinion that Australia had bitten off more than she could chew and that this was largely responsible for Inflation and the difficulties encountered in completing public and private investment programs”.
Problems posed by Mr. Menzies to the new board included: What is needed to build up a national stock pile and how can industrial bottlenecks be broken?
In 1951, UK Prime Minister Mr Attlee announced a plan based on the premise that Defence Plans hinge on Production. He said “The over-riding feature of these is that this is no time for plans of panic. Britain's is not a plan to prepare for war this year or next. It is a plan for 1954 onwards.”
“The plan to call up extra men is to test the machinery of mobilisation and then to discharge them after a fortnight's refresher this summer - not to draft the men into the forces now. Extra men in the Army would mean extra equipment needed and more wages to be paid, while leaving less men in industry to produce the goods.”
A Commonwealth Joint War Production Committee (including Australia) had been formed in 1949, so this move by the UK Government did not go unnoticed. However, it was not until 28 May 1955 that the Australian Government announced the inauguration of Industrial Mobilisation training courses in Melbourne and Sydney, based on thee American model.
Sir John Storey, Joint War Production Committee chairman, said that should complete mobilisation of the country become necessary, it was imperative that military leaders be equipped by training and experience to take the initiative in formulating speedy and effective plans. This could be achieved only if senior officers of the three services and allied departments possessed a comprehensive knowledge of the problems of industry.
Sir John said that it was equally important that leaders of industry should have an understanding of – the problems associated with the material requirements of the services on mobilisation. The Industrial Mobilisation Course had been established to further these aims, he said.
The first few courses were conducted in Melbourne and Sydney in 1955 and were composed principally of Service officers, with only a few members from Industry. The Victorian Industrial Mobilisation Course (IMC) extended from February to October 1955, and the NSW IMC from March to November.
These Courses consisted of two symposia, evening lectures and visits to industrial organisations. The first and second symposia, of two and four day’s duration respectively, were held at Melbourne University and were attended by both Courses. The Courses comprised some 24 lectures, including 9 lectures which were delivered at the initial symposia, and visits to industrial organisations such as BHP, Cockatoo Dockyard, Shell, Olympic Tyre and Rubber Co, Long Range Weapons Establishment, Snowy Mountain Authority, Heinz, Government Aircraft Factories, Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, etc.
The Farmer and Settler newspaper from 14 October 1955 reported:
"Senior officers of the armed services recently made special visits to the Geelong and Homebush Ford Motor Company plants. At Geelong, members of the 1955 Industrial Mobilisation Course inspected the Ford plant to study its war potential in event-of an emergency. The course was led by Major-General S. F. Legge and Group-Captain C. G. Cleary, Director of Studies. More than 60 high-ranking service officers, leading industrialists and Federal Government officials took the course.
Industrial mobilisation courses were introduced by the Federal Government to acquaint service leaders and industrialists with Australia’s wartime potential. Visitors to the Sydney plant were senior army officers attached to the Army Ordnance Depot.
The courses were typically of about two week’s duration live-in plus regular monthly meetings; although in 1963, a two day short Refresher course was introduced. Generally, between 30 and 40 people attended each Course, although up to 60 attended the refresher courses."
A typical itinerary was that of the 1966 Course, which was announced by the then Minister for Defence, Mr Fairhall and reported in the Argus of 11 February, 1966:
"Industrialists will study defence
Thirty-six senior representatives of Victorian industry, the armed forces and Government agencies will begin a nine-month course on Monday to study problems connected with industrial support of Australia's defence effort.
Next week, the representatives will live in at the Army Signals Regiment at Watsonia, Victoria. Later in the year they will spend a week at HMAS Cerberus, Westernport, and another week at the Armoured Centre at Puckapunyal.
The Minister for Defence, Mr Fairhall, said in a statement issued in Canberra yesterday that an industrial mobilisation course for 36 NSW representatives of industry would begin at the I.AAF station, Richmond, NSW, on March 7. In August a special course lasting a week would be held for representatives of Western Australian industries. Similar courses had been held in the past for industrial representatives from South Australia and Queensland.
During the courses the industrialists would get an appreciation of their role in the event of an emergency. At the same time, defence authorities would obtain further knowledge of the contribution industry could make to the needs of the armed forces."
General Motors Holden’s actively supported these courses, firstly by throwing open their factories and processes to wide scrutiny, and secondly by giving employee participants time off to attend the Plant visits, although not many were as far away as the 1985 Course visit to Darwin!
"IMC leaders visit 4 top end
A RAAF Hercules transport aircraft flew into Darwin recently carrying a large, diverse group of people on an unusual fact-finding mission. For some it had been their longest (six and a half hours) non-stop flight in a military aircraft. For many it was their first Service flight. No one even considered complaining about the noise, vibration and Spartan seating during the long journey north from RAAF Laverton.
After all, they were a privileged group to be selected for the 1985 Industrial Mobilisation Course, sponsored by the Department of Defence. The touring party included prominent businessmen, academics, public servants and Defence Force people — all specialists in their field.
The courses were launched in the 1950s following the lessons learned during and after World War II which underlined the serious lack of understanding on the part of Service officers of the complications, limitations and difficulties of manufacture and production in times of national emergency. To date some 3,000 members have graduated from the courses, with the result that a large pool of people in positions of authority, trust and responsibility is now aware of the problems of industry and defence.
The visit to the Top End', the highlight of the 10-month part-time IMC courses run concurrently in Sydney and Melbourne, included visits to tri-service defence installations in Darwin and the strategically important mining operations at Jabiru (Ranger Uranium Mine), Mt Isa (copper, lead, silver and zinc), and Weipa (bauxite). The experience gained during the Northern Australian visit was an important segment of the IMC program, supplementing other visits to secondary manufacturing industries in the southern states.
(RAAF News, 01 Oct 1985)
The Industrial Mobilisation Courses continued in to the 1990s, when they were replaced by The Defence Industry Study Course (DISC).
In 1992 the then Minister for Defence, Senator Ray, commissioned an independent consultant to review all aspects of the IMC and consider the relative merits and benefits of the Course. As a result of this review and many messages of support from industry, a refocused course was trailed in New South Wales in 1993. The format of the Course was changed to focus more on the broader strategic issues rather than a visit-based syllabus.
This new Course was named the Defence Industry Study Course (DISC) and its aim was: “To enhance the business relationships between Defence and industry by facilitating a mutual understanding of the cultures, policies, capabilities, limitations, strengths and weaknesses of Defence, industry and the Public Service (Commonwealth and State).”
From 1994, Defence Industry Study Courses were run annually in Victoria and New South Wales and in South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland whenever numbers permitted. The format of the DISC was similar to that of the IMC in that the course is comprised of lectures, seminars and visits to different Industries and military installations.
In 1996 the Course name had a major yet significant change. The new name became “The Defence and Industry Study Course” to reflect the emphasis of a course that involved representatives from industry and Defence studying together rather than the emphasis being on a "Defence Industry" course.
Every year into the nineties, Holdens continued to contribute senior executives to these Courses, while covering their expenses and maintaining their unbroken service records and benefits.