Narratives are critical in that they give shape to strategy.[5] Military-strategic narratives in particular need to have resonance, coherence, authenticity and relevance across both space and time. This is vital to win public trust, gain legitimacy and secure cooperation at the nation-state level.[6] Military-strategic narratives strengthen the joint force by enabling and powering new thinking. This intellectual input is crucial now that the ADF is faced with responding concurrently to the variety of traditional and non-traditional security challenges that have emerged within the global system since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The idea of ‘a festival of dangerous ideas’ is apt. Channelling the actual festival (held in Sydney each year since 2009), this critical examination of MDO seeks to ‘bring to light important conversations that push the boundaries of conventional thought’. The ‘dangerous ideas’ which emerge illuminate risk and opportunity for the Australian joint force in the increasingly uncertain years ahead.

This essay defines what intangible assets are and examines how they have changed over time and why they are important to building a stronger joint force. The discussion is contextualised by providing examples of why intangibles matter to the future value and strength of the joint force. This is followed by an analysis and comparison of Defence practices with external industry practices, to highlight possible gaps and opportunities in what is measured.[4] Are current measures of success applicable and transferable to the joint force arena? The final section of this essay challenges traditional military views and assumptions by exploring established paradigms and visualising how they could be different in the future to set the conditions for a stronger joint force to emerge.

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) augmented unmanned aerial systems (UAS), airborne autonomous logistic supply systems (AALSS) and optionally manned aircraft will challenge the way we develop, acquire and employ these systems. These advancements require us to fundamentally shift the paradigm through which we employ battlefield aviation. Now is the time for us to start planning and testing our new approaches.

The content in this article is an extract of Spotlight Brief 4/21

The content in this article is an extract of Spotlight Brief 4/21

The content in this article is an extract of Spotlight Brief 4/21

The content in this article is an extract of Spotlight Brief 4/21

The content in this article is an extract of Spotlight Brief 4/21

The content in this article is an extract of Spotlight Brief 4/21.

The content in this article is an extract of 

Tactics, Training and Operations in North Africa 1940-1942

Kevin Yiwei Huang outlines how the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and Mission Command is the most important challenge facing those tasked with building the ADF’s future Command and Control system.

By Chris Roberts and Paul Stevens

As our nation’s land specialists, Army is acutely aware of why a diverse force matters. We fight where people live and 50% of the world’s population are women.

By Jim Storr