Stephen Gumley

Stephen John Gumley, AO (born 26 October 1956) was the first Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation, serving in the role from February 2004 to July 2011.

Key outcomes of the independent 2007 review included ensuring that deployed Australian troops receive high quality clothing and personal equipment, and the release of a five-year forecast of procurement opportunities in the sector Clothing and Personal Equipment Procurement Plan to provide industry with sufficient guidance to enable broad business planning.

In an extraordinarily candid briefing, the official stated that troops serving overseas had "missed out" on gear they should have received, and that the body responsible for equipping them, the Defence Materiel Organisation, had engaged in "inappropriate behaviours".

The Age has obtained a secret recording of Gumley's briefing, during which he also told industry suppliers: "Frankly, I did not do a good enough job in this area (soldier's clothing and equipment) so we failed in that and I am going to fix it … what has happened has been a big wake-up call for me.

In December 2010, a leaked diplomatic cable under the heading "fuzzy math on costs" described a discussion Gumley and a US naval officer after the release of Australia's May 2009 Defence white paper.

The cable expressed doubts about Australia to adequately fund its proposed military expenditure and said that "Gumley was unable to explain how the costing for the equipment of the white paper came about.

[15] In 2010, Gumley was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for "service to public sector management, particularly through leadership of the Defence Materiel Organisation, and the development and implementation of significant reforms in procurement and sustainment of military equipment.