The authors of this post make the case for wheeled robots as a military capability. Using the example of a 6 wheeled robot, the authors explain the principles of terramechanics and its relevance to maximising traction, energy efficiency and manoeuvrability.

Khuong Nguyen explores the potential of emerging autonomous technologies at scale to help meet Army's domestic and international strategic challenges. Drawing on overseas case studies, he examines opportunities for accelerated adoption of emerging robotic technologies.

‘How do you achieve more with less, possibly when your forces are already committed?’
In this LPF Post, Hannah Woodford-Smith proposes a model to enable assessment of asymmetry between employment of conventional forces and autonomous solutions.

The Land Power Forum littoral manoeuvre series on securing points of entry (POE) closes out with this fifth and final post. In it, Charles Knight identifies and explores functional capability enhancements that offer the potential to increase the capacity of a smaller force to secure an urban POE more effectively.

As Army transforms to meet contemporary security challenges, it must optimise for littoral manoeuvre operations by the sea, land and air as part of the integrated force. Drawing on lessons from the ADF's operational history within the region and beyond, this volume of the Australian Army Journal applies focus to Australian operations in the littorals.

Alexander Lenart reflects on the benefits of participating in the Australian Army Staff Ride to Borneo. He finds that the lessons learned from the 1945 Oboe operations still resonate today.

This LPF Post considers the possibilities presented by autonomy and robotics. Author Jerimy Tucker considers how these technologies can reduce organisational burden by increasing the effectiveness and preparedness of land forces.

The fourth industrial revolution has heralded an era of artificial intelligence, automation and robotics with considerable potential benefits to the Australian Army. Jason Kirkham examines this proposition with a focus on Army's indirect fires and targeting responsibilities.

Adam Wawrzkowicz makes the case for an ADF equipped with high-impact, low cost capabilities able to achieve asymmetric strategies. He focusses on the benefits of deliberate deception support by robotics and autonomous systems.

This is the first entry to the AARC Short Thoughts Competition Spring Edition that focuses on the topic of mobilisation. In this submission, James Alexander considers the cumulative effect of seemingly innocuous events on national security. He challenges the ADF to generate a common operating picture to meet the threat of indirect attacks from adversaries.

In Part Four of the AARC series on littoral manoeuvre, Charles Knight discusses the personnel-intensive requirements of deploying a perimeter of detection when securing Air or Sea Points of Entry.

Gaining and retaining a secure Air or Sea Point of Entry (APOE/SPOE) is a critical Army enabling function for the Integrated Force to execute ‘anti-access/area denial’ (A2/AD) in the littoral as directed by the Defence Strategic Review. In Part 3 of the Land Power Forum's focus on littoral manoeuvre, Charles Knight sets out to explain why a conventional POE security operation needs significantly great numbers on urban terrain.

Australian policymakers have long recognised that the resilience of Southeast Asia, as a region bordering the nation’s northern approaches, is fundamental to Australia’s national security. This AARC Occasional Paper examines how the Australian defence community, with its extensive array of networks in Southeast Asia, can best engage the region in the years ahead.

Recent developments in the South China Sea show that atolls can be converted into military installations. Tracking militarisation on larger islands where structures can be concealed within headlands and underground poses a challenge.
One possible technology to assist in solving this challenge is advanced gravitational sensors. Gravity sensors measure the acceleration defect due to variations in the nearby mass density of the earth.

In this part one of a two part LPF Post, Mark Mankowski examines the littoral manoeuvre capability with reference to the Defence Strategic Review. He considers the importance to the integrated force and provides an alternative definition, similar to the concept of ‘archipelagic manoeuvre’, which he submits better reflects the capability envisaged by the DSR.

The Australian Army Research Centre (AARC) invites your contribution to the Spring Series of the AARC Short Thoughts Competition with the theme: ‘Army’s approach to Accelerated Preparedness’. This is your opportunity to help further Australian land power debate. Submissions will be published in the Land Power Forum (LPF).

In Occasional Paper 16, Resetting the Australian Army, Dr Albert Palazzo identifies the key aspects of the Defence Strategic Review and their importance to Army, highlighting that the overall message is positive for the land force. Using a number of historical reviews to illustrate how Army has responded to government directed defence policy re-assessments in the past, Palazzo points to a trajectory for contemporary capability renewal.

In June, the AARC launched the winter series 'Short Thoughts Competition' or Army's role in train, advise and assist missions. This Post announces the winners of that competition.

In part two of Mark Mankowski's consideration of 'What is Littoral Manoeuvre', he draws on historical examples to learn more about what the concept means in the context of direction provided by the recent Defence Strategic Review. He proposes changes to how the ADF conceives of littoral manoeuvre operations to better inform options for a possible future Army amphibious capability.

The Defence Strategic Review will have encouraged many in the profession of arms to review conflict in the southwest Pacific. Sam Baumgarten explains why 'The Conquering Tide' offers an accessible entry to Pacific War history from a United States perspective.