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Army’s Role in Train, Advise and Assist Missions 前事不忘，后事之师 “Do not forget the past, for it serves as a teacher for the future” Chinese proverb The actions of Australian commandos in Japanese-occupied East Timor during World War 2 are well established in the Australian Army legacy.  Less widely known, however, is the fact that Australia, not Japan, was first to invade East Timor in December 1941. The deployment of a joint Australian and Dutch force into Portuguese Timor, 10 days after the Japanese attack on …

Corporal John Wellfare is a Military Police Section Commander in D Company, 1st Military Police Battalion. He has previously served in the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and Royal Australian Armoured Corps, with operational service in East Timor. … John Wellfare …

Corporal Luke Jones is a current serving member posted to Simpson Barracks. … Luke Jones …

Australia has experienced major power competition in the Indo-Pacific before. When we last experienced this environment, we deployed forces into south-western China under the little-known Mission 204 in 1941. This mission was expressly intended to deter Japan from aggression; a purpose that still resonates today in the context of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review which establishes a need for ‘asymmetry’ against a more powerful competitor, to affect ‘a strategy of denial.’ [i] Mission 204 thus highlights …

Australia’s model of Good Soldiering involves the development of trusting teams, where ideas can be contested, and each soldier is expected to contribute to a force with an intellectual edge over potential adversaries. A similar approach is emphasised by some of our key allies, particularly the US and the UK. [i] One feature that these three nations share in common is a national approach to education that has, for decades, emphasised active learning and critical deliberation. This educational foundation is …

CAPT Matthew Malcolm joined the Australian Army after a career in academia, most recently serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts at an Indonesian university. Having previously been posted to the Army Education Centre, he is now Staff Officer Grade 3 - Professional Military Education. … Matthew …

The Australian Army Journal is the Australian Army’s premier professional publication and a consistent presence informing the debate about the Army since the late 1940s. The topics of the journal have been ever-changing as authors reflect upon the issues affecting the Army of the day. The journal has given everyone from junior leaders to Chiefs of Army an opportunity to share ideas, discuss issues and do the most important thing that a leader can do: offer thoughts to prepare those who will inevitably …

Five Ideas to Strengthen Civil-Military Coordination Before a Crisis Recently, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) headed off to again to support another humanitarian response, this time in Vanuatu . The ADF has a long history of supporting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) operations overseas and providing defence assistance to the civil community (DACC ) in Australia. The 2023 Defence Strategic Review reiterated that ‘climate change is now a national security issue’ and this reality will …

Beth is passionate about approaching humanitarian action differently. After surviving the bureaucracy of large international NGOs and the United Nations, she now enjoys working with a small team to deliver leading-edge research and advice to enable the humanitarian sector to perform at its best. Beth co-founded Humanitarian Advisory Group in 2012, a social enterprise that aims to harness humanitarian passion with entrepreneurial energy and innovation. A 2019 Fulbright scholar, Beth was able to learn more …

Captain Greg Strahan serves in the Australian Army Reserve. He is a Defence linguist who speaks Indonesian and Malay and holds tertiary qualifications in Asian Studies and Education. He has deployed to Bougainville, East Timor and the Middle East and has previously served as the Assistant Army Attaché (Jakarta). … Gregory …