Written by: Peter Beale, Big Sky Publishing, Newport, 2011, ISBN 9781921941023, 320 pp,    Reviewed by: Colonel Jason Thomas, Australian Army A young United States Marine Corps lieutenant serving in Vietnam was sitting in a battalion harbour reading the Small Wars Manual , the bible of the Corps. The battalion commander walked by and noticing this, commented, ‘Shouldn’t you read about something you don’t know?’ Both these men, Al Gray and Charles Krulak would go on to be distinguished and innovative …

    Written by: Peter Willetts, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon, 2011, ISBN 9780415381253, 224 pp,   Reviewed by: Sue Thompson, Asia-Pacific Civil Military Centre of Excellence Peter Willetts has written an informative textbook on the role non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play in the realm of global policy-making. He examines a variety of these organisations, their structures and activities and the history of their participation in the post-Second World War international system, claiming that they have …

    Written by: Alan H Smith,  Big Sky Publishing, Newport, 2011, 9780987057440, 448 pp,    Reviewed by: Major General Tim Ford (Retd) When launching the book Do Unto Others , Major General Paul Symon, Deputy Chief of Army and the senior Gunner serving in an Army appointment today, said that Alan Smith ‘not only discusses the history of Australian campaigns utilising the practice of counter battery fire—it also seeks to make the technical aspects of this complex science understandable’. Not an easy task, …

    Written by: Cameron Forbes, Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, 2011, ISBN 9781742610221, 544 pp,   Reviewed by: Allan R Millet, University of New Orleans, National World War II Museum Cameron Forbes’s The Korean War is an ‘in-between’ account of Australia’s experience in the Korean War. Holding the strategic-operational high ground, Robert O’Neill’s Australia in the Korean War, 1950–1953 in two volumes remains definitive and rivals General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley’s similar official history of British …

Abstract The Battle of Pinios Gorge was a key ‘rearguard’ action fought by Australian and New Zealand troops against a German enemy from 17–18 April 1941 during the ill-fated Greek campaign. The purpose of this investigation of events at Pinios is threefold. First, it provides a detailed forensic account of an important yet little known ‘Anzac’ battle. Second, it seeks to counter a number of mistaken interpretations, which have grown from the scant body of non-operationally oriented literature that has …

Abstract The purpose of this article is to articulate ten ideas for ADF support to disaster relief operations. These ideas originate from the development of the strategic, operational and tactical plans for Operation QUEENSLANDER in order to ensure that the ADF can continue to fulfil Defence White Paper 2009 requirements. These ideas are: intelligence preparation in disaster relief operations; the effectiveness of the Joint Military Appreciation Process; the utility of design in complex disasters; beyond …

Abstract The 2nd Division’s Army Reserve Response Force (RRF) was established after a series of overseas terrorist incidents in 2001–02 and has carved out a niche role in the area of public safety. Since 2006 RRF trained soldiers deployed on no less than three domestic event support operations and three disaster response operations. This article focuses on experiences in NSW, and argues that the RRF Defence Aid to the Civilian Community (DACC) role in public safety for major events and disaster response is …

Abstract Over the past decade, Australia has been called upon to conduct a range of whole of government interventions, as both a lead and contributing country. The experience has taught us a lot about how to prepare for and conduct such missions. It has also taught us much about the political and risk factors that often work against achieving a unified approach to such contingencies. Ten years on, though, it is fair to say that Australia has improved systemically in being able to mount such operations, but …

Abstract This article is an amended version of a paper first presented at the 2011 Chief of Army History Conference. The theme of the conference was ‘1911–Preliminary Moves’, therefore the paper examined the professionalisation of the officer corps via the prism of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. The article demonstrates that there were elements of professionalism present in the Australian military prior to RMC’s founding in 1911; in fact these foundations were crucial in the long-term development of …

Abstract Advisers working with the Afghan 205th Corps operate in a ‘twilight zone’ as they attempt to bridge the cultural and institutional gaps between the Afghans and their ISAF partners. Like the rest of the Afghan National Army, the Corps is grappling with numerous institutional development challenges while simultaneously fighting a difficult counterinsurgency war. Determining what might constitute ‘Afghan okay’, and how they can assist their Afghan colleagues to arrive at this state, demands …