As this edition of the Australian Army Journal goes to print the Australian Army continues to be engaged in intense combat against the Taliban and other anti-coalition militia in Afghanistan. The operational tempo has increased during the warmer Northern Hemisphere months as NATO forces seek to wrest the initiative from the enemy. Inevitably more intense combat operations have resulted in heavier casualties.
Losses among US and British forces have been significant. Nor has the Australian Army been exempt from this trend. In the past few weeks Australia has lost five soldiers in the Afghanistan theatre. Their deaths remind all of us of the contract of unlimited liability between the soldier and the nation, which distinguishes this profession from all others.
As a small army we are acutely aware of losses. Ever since its bloody baptism at Gallipoli and on the Western Front during the Great War, the Australian Army has placed great emphasis on force preservation and economy of effort. Our leaders at all levels strive to adapt rapidly to tactical trends to minimise our losses while not compromising the mission. As a small army we must substitute agility and adaptability for mass and firepower. The history of the Australian Army since the Second World War—which is a history of almost uninterrupted ‘small wars’—exemplifies this approach.
Imbuing the Army with such institutional agility is one of the main aims of the Adaptive Army initiative led by the Chief of the Army. Recent events in Afghanistan reinforce the urgency of continual adaptation and the relentless self-examination required to match our adaptive enemy. Moreover, we need to conduct such rigorous analysis while implementing the Strategic Reform Program (SRP), which aims to reinvest efficiency savings in the future force.
Two points need to be made about the SRP. Firstly, it is here to stay; it is not an aberration or a slogan that will fade away before we return to business as usual. The pressure on public finances right across the developed world means that the days of ad hoc topping up of budgets are over forever.
Secondly, the SRP can be a real transformation tool rather than a cost cutting measure if we embrace it. Defence and Army are indeed fortunate that savings recovered from eliminating ineffective practices will fund new capabilities. In many other Western military forces brutal cuts in manpower and capability are already being implemented. We are growing and introducing new capabilities, but we need to be agile to remain in charge of our destiny. The Chief of the Army has been leading a process of rigorous self-examination by the Army since he assumed his post in 2008. The Australian Army Journal aspires to support this process.
Indeed, we are examining how we do business, as is the entire Army. We have recently surveyed a sample of the Army to canvass your views of how well we serve you. The Editorial Board is determined to raise the standard of writing in the Journal and to encourage a climate of vigorous debate. Moreover, we want to exploit the advantages of technological change. Although the Australian Army Journal has been online for some time, our survey revealed that many soldiers were unaware of this. Please note the address for the Journal at the bottom of this editorial and on its cover.
We intend to aggressively market our online version of the Australian Army Journal to the Army. In the near future we intend to provide advance warning of the release of the Journal to all ranks though messages into your DRN accounts. Likewise we welcome requests for hard copies of the AAJ to your units and work areas if you are not gaining access to it routinely. We have established a mechanism for online feedback and we are serious in asking you to tell us how we can improve the Australian Army Journal to serve you.
In that spirit we have great pleasure in bringing to you an article by Ross Buckley who examines the pitfalls of poor writing. Buckley challenges us to clarify our thoughts before committing them to print. We do not write well as a profession—and in recent years this weakness has been exacerbated by the proliferation of doctrinal jargon and acronyms imported from the US Army without much discrimination. Too often authors appear to use such language as a substitute for thought. The Board is determined to improve the standard of the writing in the Australian Army Journal even if this means publishing fewer, better quality articles. We also intend to bring relevant articles from the journals of our allies to you to offer differing perspectives on current operations.
However, this is not intended to discourage officers and soldiers against writing. The academic staff of the Land Warfare Studies Centre and the senior members of the Board are committed to providing mentoring and support to authors who are willing to make the effort to submit articles for consideration.
The Board considers this improvement of the Australian Army Journal to be an essential element of supporting the Chief of Army in developing an adaptive learning culture within Army. We have some ideas, but we need yours.
This is a very challenging time for the Army. The deaths and wounding of so many of our mates in recent weeks makes that all too clear. To the families, friends and loved ones of Sapper Jacob Moerland, Sapper Darren Smith, Private Tim Aplin, Private Ben Chuck and Private Scott Palmer, we extend our sincere condolences.
The Australian Army Journal is online at
http://www.defence.gov.au/army/lwsc/Australian_Army_Journal.asp
