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The British Army on the Western Front, 1916   Helion and Company , 2018, ISBN : 978804518045, 534pp RRP:35 GBP Editor:   Spencer Jones Reviewed by:   Chris Roberts   Following on from two splendid studies of the British Army on the Western Front in 1914 and 1915, Spencer Jones brings us another excellent volume of essays, this time concerning1916.  In it we have 20 contributions from mainly academic historians.  Given the Battle of the Somme was the only major operation conducted by the British …

  Air University Press , 2022, 91 pp Paperback ISBN: 978158566319 PDF ISBN: 9781585663200 Edited By: Megan J Hennessey, PhD Reviewed By : Jodie Lording Developing Military Learners’ Communication Skills Using the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning , edited by Megan J Hennessey, is a timely and insightful collection focused on communication instruction of officers within the United States’ (US) system of professional military education (PME).  The volume persuasively argues for a more deliberate, …

The New Era of US-China Strategic Competition   Cambridge Georgetown University Press, 2023, 320 pp Hardcover ISBN: 9781647123581 Edited By : Evan S Medeiros Reviewed By : Jade Guan   As strategic competition becomes the defining feature of US-China relations, policymakers, analysts, and national security professionals are grappling with its meaning, implications, and trajectory. In this context, Cold Rivals: The New Era of US-China Strategic Competition , edited by Evan S. Medeiros, a top-notch expert on …

  The Australian Army is a professional, values-based organisation committed to excellence in warfighting and service to the nation. However, like many modern institutions, it faces increasing administrative demands that can detract from its core mission. Excessive bureaucracy, duplicated reporting, and inefficient processes can erode time, morale, and operational effectiveness. As the Australian Army undergoes rapid and integrated transformation in response to evolving geostrategic challenges, we are …

Lessons for Littoral Logistics Introduction Australia’s Littoral Manoeuvre Group (LitManGp) marks a step-change in how the Army projects and sustains land power across the Indo-Pacific. Built from the outset to deal with contested littorals, its design and employment should be anchored on four principles: movement, self-protection, deception, and persistence. Movement ensures we can reach, bypass and sustain forces across archipelagic terrain. Self-protection(organic weapons, sensors and C-UAS, underpinned …

The Untold Story of How American Engineering and Ingenuity Won World War II   Hachette Books , 2024, 368 pp RRP US$34.00 Hardcover ISBN: 9780306831980 Written By : Christian Wolmar Reviewed By : Samuel Wright   In January 1944, young doctor and polymath Solly Zuckerman devised his much lauded ‘Transportation Plan’ with the goal of crippling Germany’s logistics network in occupied France. Zuckerman’s unique approach was to view the railway network in France as though it were the cardiovascular system of a …

  The Free Press, New York, 1986, ISBN 0029227907, 329 pp Written By : Richard Neustadt and Ernest May Reviewed By : Samuel White   Thinking in Time was first published in 1982. I would argue its core message about the importance of integrating historical thinking into decision-making remains timeless, with the idea that “better decisions involve drawing on history to frame sharper questions”. [1] However, does the book stand up as a practical guide for contemporary readers? On this point, I believe it …

An introduction to the One Defence Capability System The aim of this series of posts on the Land Power Forum is to pass on what I have learned about the role of Land Capability Division (LCD) over the last 20 months, in helping the Chief of Army (CA) to manage the capability provided by the Australian Army. The first post introduced the series and outlined the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) fundamental inputs to capability (FIC). [i] It highlighted how the 2024 National Defence Strategy (NDS 24) heralded …

  Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2017, ISBN: 978-1-316-62369-5, 344 pp Written By : Brian N Hall Reviewed By : Chris Roberts   The thrust of Communications and British Operations on the Western Front, 1914-1918 is that communication systems are at the heart of command and control, and those employed by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) at each stage of the war had a profound effect on the ability of British commanders to control operations. In addressing this matter, Brian N. Hall seeks to …

  Militaries worldwide are embracing machines with varying degrees of automation and autonomy. [1] However, ensuring that machines pioneered in industry and academia meet the needs and constraints of military users remains challenging. One core challenge is that machines are frequently conceived and developed as standalone systems, whilst their military use increasingly entails operation in human-machine teams. To be effective in human-machine teaming (HMT), machines must be capable of recognising and …