The Lost Operational Art: Invigorating Campaigning into the Australian Defence Force

ADF Operational art is conceptually weak and has been characterised by an intellectually restrictive framework. Specifically, there is no widespread understanding of operational art relevant to Australia's contemporary geostrategic and geopolitical context. The consequence is that there is virtually no culture of campaigning in the ADF that is based on sound doctrine relevant to the demands on the use of military force in the contemporary operating environment. This is compounded by a less-than-comprehensive joint professional military education program which fails to adequately prepare its officers to operate in the lethal, complex and ambiguous contemporary operating environment.