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In June 2022, the British Chief of the General Staff used the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Land Warfare conference to make a major speech. In it he publicly directed his organisation to ‘mobilise’ in response to Russian aggression. Striking in its forcefulness, that speech was widely reported among many responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. One year on, General Sanders used the same forum to run a ruler over developments to-date. In a room full of military leaders and analysts from across a …

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 …

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 …

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 …

How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq By Ben Barry Osprey , Oxford: UK, 2020, 528pp Paperback ISBN: 9781472831040 Hardback ISBN: 9781472831019 eBook (ePub) ISBN: 9781472831026 eBook (PDF) ISBN: 9781472831002 Reviewed by Dr. Al Palazzo When reviewing a book, I have a definite preference. I like to review books that I enjoyed reading so that I can share my pleasure with others — which explains why I found it so frustrating to review Ben Barry’s Blood, Metal and Dust: How Victory Turned into …

The biggest event in Australia for the Defence industry, Land Forces 2022 was held in October 2022 in Brisbane.  The expo featured  810 exhibitors and had a strong multinational flavour, including 159 delegates from 30 nations.  Over three days, there were a total of 20,000 attendees at the event.  For Army members, Land Forces represented not only an excellent opportunity to see what future platforms may become available, but also to get a better understanding of emerging technologies that industry is …

Securing a Point of Entry to Facilitate Littoral Manoeuvre in the Near Region The recent release of the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) has brought littoral operations – and all that these entail – back into the limelight. The Australian Army has received explicit guidance that it ‘must be transformed and optimised for littoral manoeuvre operations by sea, land and air from Australia, with enhanced long range fires.’ [1] This new specialised focus will be a challenge for Army. Although it possesses a strong …

A Wargame Experiment Arguably the biggest challenge for law-and-ethics-abiding military forces engaged in urban warfare is their current reliance on standoff firepower to reduce their own casualties while allowing progress against adversaries who are concealed and protected. As is the case in operations conducted on rural terrain, this tactic is essential to overcome defensive urban advantages . However, it is less palatable or even counterproductive in cities because of the associated civilian suffering . …