It is unsurprising that successive Chiefs of Army have devoted considerable effort to articulating, refining and championing the value of land power and the Army profession to the nation’s defence. Throughout his tenure, the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, has been particularly consistent in this regard. He has framed land power through five enduring and distinctive value propositions—presence, persistence, asymmetry, versatility and value.[1] As Lieutenant General Stuart noted in his opening address at the Chief of Army Symposium in 2023, these propositions extend Dr Jack Watling’s analysis of the UK’s post–Integrated Review conception of land power.[2] Importantly, Stuart’s articulation remains both relevant and resonant in the context of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review and the 2024 National Defence Strategy, and in anticipation of the forthcoming 2026 National Defence Strategy.
The Australian Army sustains these value propositions through continual adaptation: adopting emerging technologies, critically reviewing training needs, managing the tensions between sustaining current capabilities and introducing new ones, understanding changes to the strategic environment and faithfully implementing government direction. Underpinning all of this is a commitment to evidenceinformed decisionmaking at every level: strategic, operational and tactical. For over seven decades, the Australian Army Journal (AAJ) has been the Army’s flagship platform for disseminating such evidencebased research to military professionals. Since its first issue in July 1948, the journal’s mission has remained constant: to convey the latest trends in military thought and development, both domestically and internationally; to support professional military education; to stimulate intellectual engagement with the military art; and to build an Australian body of military literature equal in diversity and dignity to that of other nations.[3]
After 329 issues, through to 1976, the AAJ had achieved what it set out to do. From October of that year, seeking closer alignment with the other services,[4] the journal was merged into the Australian Defence Force Journal (1975–2018)[5] and subsequently the Australian Defence Journal of Strategic Studies (2019–2023). Across these iterations, scholarship continued, ensuring sustained debate, analysis, and advocacy for the land domain. When the AAJ was reinstated in 2003, it returned to its original mission—an undertaking its contributors continue to uphold today.[6]
This edition of the AAJ offers a rich collection of evidencebased research across technical, historical, conceptual and social domains. A suite of technical papers advances the AAJ’s longstanding commitment to leadingedge research. Contributions examine the future of quantum squeezing technologies and their potential applications for Army; emerging sensor systems capable of detecting underground structures; and a framework for scaling robotics and autonomous systems capabilities. These articles collectively expand the reader’s understanding of how rapidly evolving technologies can shape future land force design and practice.
Furthering the theme of adaptation, this edition also presents research on supply chain resilience and the gamification of human–machine teaming. Each offers insights for practitioners to assess risk in an increasingly disrupted global environment.
Several contributions extend the discussion initiated in last year’s themed AAJ edition (vol. 21, no. 3) on the state of the Army profession, which was published following Lieutenant General Stuart’s request for a review across the pillars of jurisdiction, selfregulation and expertise. The profession’s introspection must remain an enduring effort, and this edition continues that conversation.
Other contributors variously provide thoughtful pieces exploring how Army can harness the advantages of artificial intelligence without compromising the virtues that define the soldier; case studies on how Defence personnel have intersected with politics; the role of reservists within the Army profession; and how rigorous scholarship can shape institutional advocacy to set conditions for robust, respectful debate.
I also commend to readers the collection of book reviews examining works of contemporary relevance to the Australian Army. Assessment of these titles through the lens of a military professional highlights important lessons and insights for practitioners, which is one of the strengths of the Australian Army Research Centre’s book reviews.
The Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) supports the AAJ through advocacy and engagement with domestic and international partners, while providing expert advice for the ongoing development of the journal and professional gravitas. There have been some recent changes in membership of the EAB, and it is my pleasure to welcome the new members: Brigadier (Dr) Jodie Lording, Colonel (Dr) Lauren Sanders, Professor Joanne Wallis, Associate Professor Shannon Ryan and Dr Troy Lee-Brown. They join Professor Peter Dean, Dr Rhys Crawley, Ms Katherine Mansted and Professor Andrew Phillips to advise Army on journal content and direction.
One of the longstanding members of the board, Professor John Blaxland, concluded his term at the end of 2025. John has been a valued board member since 2012, having overseen 30 issues and more than 200 articles of the AAJ. I wish him the very best in his future endeavours and know that he remains an avid supporter and advocate for land power, the Army and the AAJ.
I extend my sincere thanks to all contributors to this edition. As the editor of the first AAJ, Colonel Eustace Keogh, wrote in 1948, ‘the aims of the journal will not be fulfilled if all the articles are written by the editorial staff. The journal, therefore, invites contributions from all ranks’.[7] That invitation remains open. I encourage you to engage with the material before you. Learn, experiment, research, debate, and contribute to the growing body of evidence-based knowledge that will inform and guide the Army now and into the future.
‘If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.’
Isaac Newton (1642–1727)
Luisa Powell
Director
Australian Army Research Centre
Endnotes
[1] Chief of Army, ‘Opening Address’, speech, Chief of Army Symposium, 29 August 2023, transcript at: https://www.army.gov.au/news-and-events/speeches-and-transcripts/2023-08-29/opening-address-chief-army-symposium-2023; Chief of Army, ‘The Role of Allied Land Power in Deterring Conflict’, speech, 15 May 2025, transcript at: https://www.army.gov.au/news-and-events/speeches-and-transcripts/2025-05-15/role-allied-land-power-deterring-conflict; Chief of Army, ‘The Littoral Pivot: the Army’s Role in the Maritime Fight’, speech, Goldrick Seminar, Australian Naval Institute, 2 October 2025, transcript at: https://www.army.gov.au/news-and-events/speeches-and-transcripts/2025-10-02/littoral-pivot-armys-role-maritime-fight; Chief of Army, ‘Land Forces Japan—Chief of Army Address’, speech, 17 December 2025, transcript at: https://www.army.gov.au/news-and-events/speeches-and-transcripts/2025-12-17/land-forces-japan-chief-army-address.
[2] Jack Watling, The Utility of Land Power to the British State, Whitehall Report 2-22 (Royal United Services Institute, 2022).
[3] ‘Editorial’, Australian Army Journal 1 (July 1948).
[4] AL MacDonald, ‘Foreword to the Final Issue’, Australian Army Journal 329 (October 1976).
[5] The Australian Defence Force Journal spanned from 1976 to 2018 with 204 issues over its 42-year period. Issues from 2013 to 2018 can be found at: https://www.defence.gov.au/defence-activities/research-innovation/research-publications/search?keywords=&parent_publication=1068.
[6] ‘Editorial: In Cold Print’, Australian Army Journal 1, no. 1 (2003).
[7] Ibid.
