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Occasional Paper 30: Finding Asymmetry During Mobilisation in the Australian Army

McLeod Wood shows how Army’s capacity to weather previous national mobilisation events has been supported by trained personnel delivering ‘just in time’ effects. As Army prepares for future scenarios, it must acknowledge the depth and latent skill held within its ranks and within society that will support mobilisation efforts.

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Australian Army Journal Volume 21 Number1

The Australian Army Journal latest edition is now available! It includes the continued theme of the littoral environment and AI, and provides new articles on climate change, admin sanctions, and small nations’ influence in strategic alliances. An excellent insightful read.

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2025 CA Reading List

The Australian Army Research Centre (AARC) has been directed to publish the 2025 CA Reading List in accordance with the Army PME Plan.
The AARC is rapidly preparing the List for approval and publication.
Communication around the release of the List will be promulgated by Army in due course.

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Urban Warfare: A Practitioner’s Annotated Bibliography

'Urban Warfare – A Practitioners Annotated Bibliography’ provides access to a wealth of resources about urban warfare to military practitioners. In it, the AARC has collated over 500 papers, articles and reports on the topic of urban warfare. Each resource listed in the bibliography is directly or indirectly, accessible online, including many examples that would not otherwise be readily located using online search engines.

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McLeod Wood shows how Army’s capacity to weather previous national mobilisation events has been supported by trained personnel delivering ‘just in time’ effects. As Army prepares for future scenarios, it must acknowledge the depth and latent skill held within its ranks and within society that will support mobilisation efforts.
The Defence Strategic Review recognises the Reserves as key to ADF capability. In this Occasional Paper, Associate Professor Brad West and Dr Josh Healy examine the level of support civilian employers provide their employees in undertaking Reserve service and what workplace difficulties Reservists encounter in managing dual careers.
The role of the military in domestic operations is one of the most vexing issues in a democracy, made complex by a lack of historical work. This occasional paper offers the first definitive history of all instances of call outs in Australia since 1901, in order to provide a left and right of arc for contemporary policy and operational thresholds.
This edition represents a milestone in Army’s long campaign to master the profession. For the first time in many years this journal predominantly features contributions by Army members, with further pieces from academia and experts within the Australian Public Service. It is encouraging, both for the Army profession and for the future, to see military members reading and writing for the journal, presenting their expertise and well-reasoned arguments on topics that matter to Army and the Australian Defence Force more broadly. The articles cover a wide range of topics, from how to transform the Australian Army’s full-time cavalry for the next major conflict to exploring the Indo-Pacific grey zones and examining the potential benefits of using artificial intelligence on military operations.
Mobilisation requires a multi-disciplinary debate from civil and military security practitioners. The latest edition of the Australian Army Journal, with an introduction by Hannah Woodford-Smith, features perspectives drawn from Australia’s historical and contemporary operational experience.
This edition of the Australian Army Journal signposts some of the new professional knowledge that may be required in respect of technological development, ways of fighting and geography. It covers a diverse range of interests, including; the relationship of the social identity approach to military leadership, the fourth industrial revolution and its likely impacts on indirect firepower and targeting, a historical case study of Army’s capacity for rapid adaptation with regard to amphibious operations, and an analysis of Army train, advise and assist missions.

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