Book Review: Beyond Combat: Australian Military Activity Away from the Battlefield
Beyond Combat: Australian Military Activity Away from the Battlefield
Edited by Tristan Moss and Tom Richardson
New South Books, 2018,
ISBN 9781742235905, 256pp
Reviewed by: Major Lee Hayward
It is not unreasonable to expect that a casual observer of Australian military history might form the opinion that the identity of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been built almost exclusively on the wars it has fought. This book provides some fascinating insights into the lives and experiences of ADF members away from the battlefield and serves as a reminder that Australian military activity has occurred, and continues to occur, beyond combat.
The book contains a delightful array of easily digestible, standalone chapters written across four broad themes: ‘Managing Soldiers and Their Families’; ‘Military Education’; ‘Caring for the Soldiers’; and ‘Remembrance and the Dead’. Within these four themes, the authors present unique perspectives on a range of topics, from the experiences of families posted overseas to a chapter on letters from Australian Army nurses during World War I. Each contribution reminds the reader that ‘militaries are institutions, they are collections of people, they have an effect on society, and in turn reflect some of the society they serve’.
For many of us, Anzac Day evokes an image of heroic soldiers fighting at Gallipoli, committing acts of bravery and immense sacrifice. Many a military historian (and Hollywood director) has been guilty of exploiting this imagery to market their work. The authors of this book do not attempt to glorify their subjects or create an illusion of heroism. This provides a welcome level of realism and allows the reader to develop their own opinions as to the contributions made by the subjects contained within the book.
In the first section, ‘Managing Soldiers and their Families’, Christina Twomey educates the reader on the complexity of balancing political and social sensitivities for those families living in garrisons overseas—no doubt a relatable experience for any ex-patriot community. This is followed by Shirlene Robinson and Noah Riseman’s deeply moving and informative accounts of the struggles of the LGBTIQ community to gain acceptance within the ADF, reflecting the challenges experienced by the broader community in contemporary Australian society.
Topical themes continue in the ‘Military Education’ section, in which Tristan Moss’s chapter on teaching the military in Papua New Guinea highlights how training and education of neighbouring militaries strengthens regional security architectures and contributes to a stable Indo-Pacific region. The section entitled ‘Caring for the Soldiers’ provides some captivating insights into the world of those who provide support to soldiers in combat, such as nurses and cooks. In doing so, it highlights the contribution of all those involved in the war effort, not just combatants, to the evolving identity of the ADF. This section also provides some raw imagery of life ‘on the frontline’ that is focused on disease, lice and malnutrition as much as it is on weapons and ammunition.
Finally, the theme turns to the legacy of the military environment in the section on ‘Remembrance and the Dead’. The varied subjects in this section describe the difficulties for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in locating and repatriating missing Australian airmen, the importance of turning naval vessels into museum pieces for a more complete understanding of famous naval battles, and the significance of Singapore as a case study for a nation with a military history despite a non-war-fighting past.
While lessons from the battlefield are vital for any military, this is not a book that concerns itself only with lessons learned from combat. This is a book that informs the reader about other military experiences that have been just as fundamental to the evolution of the identity of the ADF since its inception. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in developing a deeper understanding of the spectrum of activities a military must be prepared for mentally, emotionally and physically. By taking the opportunities to learn from all the lessons of military activity, the ADF can be better prepare for activities away from the battlefield into the future.
This book raises some interesting questions about what ‘beyond combat’ will look like in the future. It is worth noting that, throughout Australia’s military history, wars have been identifiable and combat easily defined. Operations in what is commonly referred to as ‘the information environment’ are increasingly complex, and the line between war and peace is less clear. The idea of fighting in the information environment is a source of consternation among those whose conceptualisation of warfare does not extend beyond the idea of combat and acts of physical violence. We would well ask: how will fighting in the information environment, which is certainly beyond (traditional) combat, change the identity of the ADF in the future? Indeed, what will the next section of this book look like?
