Inside the 2025 Chief of Army Essay Competition
What does it mean to be an Army professional in an era of strategic uncertainty, rapid technological change and evolving forms of warfare? The 2025 Chief of Army Essay Competition, which awards the prestigious Chauvel Prize, invited contributors to grapple with this question through the theme “The State of the Australian Army Profession: The Past, Present, and Future.”
A compendium of these 2025 essays is now available in the Australian Army Research Centre Library.
The annual competition encourages serving Australian Defence Force personnel and Defence public servants to contribute original thinking on land warfare, joint operations and the future of the profession of arms.
In 2025, the strategic challenges identified in the Defence Strategic Review (2023) and the National Defence Strategy (2024) shaped the competition. The resulting essays provide a rich and diverse examination of the professional, organisational and cultural changes required to prepare Army for the future.
The collection explores foundational questions of professional identity, legitimacy, expertise and Army’s mandate from Australian society, while also examining the practical demands of preparing for future conflict. Contributors sought to answer questions on how Army can optimise for littoral warfare through lessons drawn from historical campaigns, emerging warfighting concepts and the evolving character of the battlespace. Others focussed on the challenge of rapid mobilisation and expansion, examining how professional culture, leadership, trust, organisational design and capability development can enable Army to grow and respond effectively in times of crisis. Several papers address Army’s role within the ADF’s Integrated Force, highlighting the importance of collaboration across services, government agencies and partner organisations. The collection also explores innovative approaches to force generation, capability planning, professional education and adaptation, while reflecting on the risks associated with complexity, information overload and competing demands on the modern military professional.
Collectively, these essays demonstrate the strength and diversity of thought across the Army profession. From questions of legitimacy and leadership to mobilisation, integration and littoral warfare, the 2025 Chief of Army Essay compendium offers valuable insights into how Army can prepare for the challenges of the future. Most importantly, it reinforces the value of professional debate and the role that innovative, evidence-based ideas play in ensuring Army remains ready to serve Australia when called upon.
