Directorate of Ordnance Safety, Department of Defence

The Directorate of Ordnance Safety (DOS) is recognised by Defence as the Centre of Excellence for Explosive Ordnance (EO) safety. DOS provides assurance that EO is Safe and Suitable for Service (S3) by either auditing the Project Office's EO safety case or endorsing it through the Ordnance Safety Review Board.

DOS is also the Technical Regulatory Authority for storage and transport of EO throughout its service life just as the Director-General Navy systems, the Director Technical Regulation - Army and the Director- General Technical airworthiness are the technica regulatory authorities for Sea, Land and Air materiel respectively.

DOS ensures that the ADF's EO policy reflects world's best practice by maintaining our international links with UK, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, the USA and NATO. It also ensures the ADF complies with EO safety policy by conducting S3 and system level safety audits.

The DOS is an independent safety authority, who, on the matter of EO safety, reports to the Commander joint Logistics.

Australia, through the DOS is a member of MSIAC and the Director, DOS, Captain Jacqui King, is also Chair of the MSIAC Steering Committee.

Thales

Thales is a premier provider of systems, products and services in the defence, security and civil markets in Australia and throughout the world.

Part of a leading international electronics and systems group serving defence, aerospace and security markets, here in Australia we number 3,700 personnel and generate annual revenues of A$1 billion.

With over 35 sites around the country, we trace our origins in Australia back to the 1890s. Our organisational structure is aligned with an increasingly dynamic market environment.

Thales is one of Australia's leaders in research and development with strong affiliations with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and leading tertiary institutions.

Thales Australia's proven land capabilities include the design, installation and support of electronic systems, the design and manufacture of military vehicles, munitions and rifle manufacture, logistics engineering and support, and test and calibration services.

The Ordnance capability within the Land & Joint Systems division is responsible for the design, development and manufacture of explosives, propellants, ammunition products, small arms weapons and light engineering, as well as the storage, maintenance and distribution of Explosive Ordnance.

Manufacturing covers some forty product lines including small arms ammunition (SAA) for rifles, machine guns and cannons, large calibre ammunition for naval and field artillery used together with grenades, aircraft bombs, propellants, chemicals, high explosives and other numerous miscellaneous items.

The strategic, operational and training munitions requirements of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is being met from our world-class A$160m manufacturing facility in Benalla, Victoria. This modern facility officially opened in August 1996 and is capable of meeting our long-term strategic agreement for munitions (SAMS) with the ADF on a single shift basis. We warehouse, maintain and distribute the explosive ordnance requirements of the ADF.

Thales Australia maintains a capable design house for munition products, small arms weapons and light engineering. Its activities are aimed at developing innovative products of the highest quality for use in military application.

Website: http://www.thalesgroup.com.au