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There is no more challenging role in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) than to command in war.        ADF-P-0 Command [1] Command is not easy. In peace or war, command is one of the most difficult activities we do as military professionals. Command in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is unique—very few organisations can knowingly order subordinates into life-threatening situations. It takes a great deal of training, education and experience to be ready to command, and then the execution of command takes …

Introduction The Chief of Army’s directive to review the state of the Army profession divides the task into a review of Army’s jurisdiction, expertise, and self-regulation. One area of expertise that the Army prides itself on, and which tends at times to set it apart from other services, is in the area of tactical and operational planning. [1] Planning and decision-making is not something that is peculiar to the Army or to the military; planning is an activity that is a normal part of everyday living. …

The Australian Army’s current organisational structure is reminiscent of the fable of the rally driver who would not change his Cooper S Mini after he gave up racing and married. When the rally driver’s first child arrived, he retained the Mini as the family car on the assumption that he would eventually return to racing. A second child soon followed and the family could barely fit in the car. Yet the rally driver refused to dispose of his beloved racing vehicle. A third child duly arrived and the family …

Like many Australian soldiers who have served large parts of their careers between the end of the Vietnam War in the early 1970s and the deployments to East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq since the end of the 1990s, I have not participated in a combined arms assault. The long years during which the Army was confined to continental defence resulted in a dichotomy between our doctrinal theory and military practice. Since the adoption by the Army of a maritime concept of strategy, there has been considerable …

The most powerful tool we have in succeeding in this era of strategic competition is not the weapons we have, nor is it technology. It is the people … Chief of Army LTGEN Simon Stuart LANPAC 2024   Introduction One distinguishing element of a profession that sets it apart from other jobs is a commitment to ethical and moral conduct. The ‘profession of arms’ is like medicine, law and ministry—professionals who share a commitment to practising a role within the ethical bounds of agreed ethical frameworks. …

The principle of mission command, though not described as such, was practised by naval forces for centuries, and continues to be into the 21st century. [1] Exercise of command varies greatly depending on the context, and is highly dependent on the mix of organisational culture and enabling technology present. Since the development of radar, and reinforced by the advent of combat data systems and guided weapons, the volume of information available to a naval commander, and the speed with which command …

Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty-First Century   Bloomsbury Academic, London, 2023, ISBN 9781350352957, 258 pp (paperback), RRP AU$44.99 Author: Jack Watling Reviewed by: Robin Smith   The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty-First Century by Jack Watling is a seminal work that delves deeply into the transformative impact of emerging technologies on modern warfare with a particular focus on the land domain. As a military strategist, Watling brings a wealth of knowledge and …

Defence Planning and Uncertainty: Preparing for the Next Asia–Pacific War   Written by: Stephan Frühling,  Routledge, 2014  ISBN 9780415605731, 240pp,   As the Indo–Pacific region continues to grow, both economically and militarily, a growing number of countries in the region and beyond are facing challenges in their strategic planning. Stephan Frühling asks, ‘How can countries determine what kind of military force is needed if threats are uncertain and history is full of strategic surprises?’ For the …

New Zealand, Her Allies and the Second World War   New Zealand Military History Committee, 2024, ISBN 9780473704230, 486 pp., RRP NZD$45 (softcover) Editors: Peter Cooke and John Crawford Reviewed by: Brian Farrell   The most difficult obstacle facing any effort to publish a history book that emerges from an academic conference is to persuade a publisher to take it on in the first place. Many shy away, citing the difficulty of compiling a volume that maintains coherence in coverage of its connecting theme, …

Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay   Oxford University Press, 2022, ISBN 9780190062361, 496 pp, RRP GBP£27.49 (hardcover) Author: Craig L Symonds Reviewed by: Thomas J Rogers   Nimitz at War is a biographical study of Admiral Chester W Nimitz during his time as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) in World War II. Author Craig L Symonds presents a chronological narrative beginning with Nimitz taking control in Hawaii in late December 1941. A prolific naval historian at the …