A year of global challenge and adaptability has resulted in a corresponding surge in new ideas. Ways of operating in response to domestic and international threats has provoked discussions in Army of force posture and composition, strategy and technology. The Australian Army Research Centre has been honoured to host many of these discussions, facilitate research and effect collaboration between military, academic and industry partners to find answers to the new problems which now face us. This edition of the Australian Army Journal grasps these challenges and celebrates the variety of ideas present in the Army community and represented here by its members.
We lead with two articles by current Chief of Army Scholars. Lieutenant Colonel Nick Brown explores a new role for Army in deterrence, one that had traditionally belonged to Airforce and Navy; and Lieutenant Colonel Nick Bosio combines the art and science of war in a discussion about the dynamic world of unrestricted wargames as a way of exploring alternate approaches and broadening the minds of military officers.
Major Jack Cross takes us into the grey zone in a discussion of cyberspace and contends that the Army’s current approach to protection of networks is unsuitable. By likening this defensive approach to loss of agility when wearing body armour, the author argues for a more proactive and aggressive approach in a move from cyber security to cyber manoeuvre. Captain Richard Williamson then critiques the centralisation of Defence innovation functions as a move which has separated new ideas from the needs of the warfighter. He instead proposes an online portal accessible by all ranks which would align industry innovations with Defence project gaps more effectively. Finally, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Australian infantry deployments to Rifle Company Butterworth, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Niessl examines at the history of the relationship between the Australian and Malaysian Armies and suggests an innovative and expanded role for future deployments.
Two engaging opinion pieces follow from Corporal Gabrielle Hammond on the success of the new Recruit Development Wing at The Army Recruit Training Centre, Kapooka; and Lieutenant Colonel Mick Cook writes on the need to embrace creative practices in professional military education.
We then bring you a whole summer’s reading with reviews of six exciting new releases including Russell Glenn’s volume of essays on the Australian Army’s approach to mission command; a fascinating biographical and investigative journalism adventure into information warfare by Peter Pomerantsev; and a study on military obedience by ethicist, Pauline Shanks Kaurin. Rachel Louise Snyder writes a timely account of family and domestic violence, presenting confronting stories from the perspectives of victims and perpetrators; we introduce a new critical military studies collection from renowned military geographer, Rachel Woodward; and look at Ron Boxall and Robert O’Neil’s edited collection of the counterinsurgency experiences of members of 5RAR in Vietnam.
The Australian Army Research Centre is pleased to facilitate this growing body of military scholarship and to see that discussions of future land capability are occurring at every level of command. I invite you all to participate in the debate and I commend this edition of the Australian Army Journal to you.
