Foreword
Major General Rick Burr, AO, DSC, MVO
Chief of Army
Australia’s Army is an Army in Motion. Army is a multi-purpose and decisive force, offering broad utility to Government to operate in multiple theatres and domains at the same time. Our Army in Motion is focussed on preparedness, our people, and our profession in order to meet our full potential. We do this in partnership with the other Services, Government, academia, industry, and international partners. These tenets form the basis of how we build the capability and capacity of Army.
As an Army, we will be required to operate in an environment of simultaneous cooperation, competition and conflict which now supersedes the traditional linear view of the Peace-War spectrum. The rapid rate of technological change will change how we fight, and the methods employed by both state and non-state actors. Military forces are no longer the sole leaders of technology innovation. Domain integration provides Army opportunities to increase our support to the joint force, but also presents new challenges to our systems and networks that must be considered through an integrated-by-design approach.
The changing character of war will require close attention and consideration by Army as we rapidly adjust to new systems, new threats and newmethods in our operations. It is imperative for Army to think boldly about these challenges, for our response to be versatile, and to consider how to scale rapidly to meet future requirements. The accelerating changes demand anticipation and innovation from Army. To achieve this, Army must balance the competing priorities of being Ready Now, and Future Ready. That is, the dynamic task of delivering capability for joint force operations now, and adapting our preparedness to meet future challenges, is the essence of being an Army in Motion.
Success in this environment requires a contest of ideas across the entire Defence enterprise, including our international partners, academia, think-tanks, small-to-medium enterprises, and Government.
An important part of this contest of ideas was the conduct of the Chief of Army Land Forces Seminar 2018, held at the Adelaide Convention Centre in South Australia during September 2018. The theme of the seminar was ‘The Application of Land Power in the Indo-Pacific’.
The Land Forces Seminar provided a forum for bold thinking and an opportunity to consider our Army’s response to an environment characterised by Accelerated Warfare. It was a world-class event which connected national, regional and global partners in discussions on the opportunities and challenges of today. The event provided a forum for senior leaders from the Department of Defence, international senior military chiefs and commanders, industry and academics to contribute to discussions about our shared national security challenges, with a specific focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
This special edition of the Australian Army Journal captures the proceedings of the seminar. It provides an enduring record of the three days of insight, collaboration and shared understanding developed as we examined the theme of ‘The Application of Land Power in the Indo-Pacific’. But this is much more than a simple record of proceedings; this is an entry point into the discussion and contest of ideas for the members of our profession.
I encourage you to challenge the ideas presented at the Chief of Army Land Forces Seminar 2018, and contribute to the ongoing discussion.
I look forward to your professional engagement and your contribution to developing Army’s future.
Good soldiering.
