Tactical Observations on the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine This Spotlight Brief examines Russia’s combined-arms approach during its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. To provide context, it discusses the primary Russian tactical unit of action, the Battalion Tactical Group. It subsequently explores a range of observations on the application of combined-arms at the tactical level during the initial phases of the invasion. It concludes by offering a number of deductions pertinent to the Australian Army’s own …

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and Mission Command is the most important challenge facing those tasked with building the ADF’s future Command and Control system. [1]  For the Army in particular, getting this integration right is essential. The Australian Army has recognised this technological factor as a critical component of Australia's future land power, but AI is a tool with unique characteristics. Rather than just being a physical instrument, it is also an "intelligent" one, …

Our people must be leaders and integrators who contribute to multi-disciplinary teams, enabling us to thrive in uncertainty, adapt to change and generate solutions. Accelerated Warfare: Futures Statement for an Army in Motion Both  Army in Motion  and  Accelerated Warfare  advocate for a strong people capability. The debate on how to achieve this focuses predominantly on how to train everyone better and the use of technologies such as  human-machine teaming ,  artificial intelligence , and  big data . …

Australian Army Occasional Paper No. 6 In this paper, Associate Professor Kevin Foster of Monash University examines how the Australian Army’s engagement with, and use of, social media compares to that of allied and comparator militaries. Drawing on historical examples drawn from the First Gulf War, Somalia and Kosovo as well as Afghanistan and the Second Gulf War, the paper examines how militaries in the US, Britain, Israel and Australia have met (or have yet to meet) the challenges posed by the changed …

Transcript of a speech delivered by Major General Chris Smith to the U.S. Army Maneuver War Fighter Conference on 17 February 2022 Fort Benning Maneuver Center of Excellence Watch MAJGEN Chris Smith delivering the speech on YouTube Now, I have to admit to being a little bit anxious. Pat has unfairly stuck me between General Flynn and General Abrams – two hard acts to follow and, I get the sense from this week, which is supposed to be about the Indo-Pacific, that the Russian and European flavour of the week …

With Fear of Change By Williamson Murray Cambridge University Press , Cambridge, 2011, 342pp Online ISBN: 9781139005241 Reviewed by BRIG Chris Roberts AM, CSC (Retd.)   The only constant in war is change. Williamson Murray addresses this factor through the lens of five case studies ranging from the Great War (1914-18) to the Yom Kippur War (1973).  Murray has written extensively on the subject of military effectiveness, defining military change during periods of peace as innovation, and during war as …

A big thank you to all the teams and exhibitors involved in the successful conduct of Army’s Quantum Technology Challenge 2022 held in Adelaide earlier this month. Stand by for an in-depth announcement and review of the challenge on the Army Land Power forum soon. This article provides a preview of the recent Quantum Technology Challenge (QTC) 22 Demonstration Day in Adelaide on 10 August 2022. Background The Army’s Quantum Technology Roadmap highlights quantum technology solutions and potential …

The British Fiasco in Norway, 1940 By John Kiszely Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2017, pp. 375 9781107194595 - Hardback 9781316646427 - Paperback Reviewed by Dr Al Palazzo Periodically, one is fortunate to read a book that ticks all the boxes. It is interesting, impeccably written, and professionally relevant — a page turner that you just can’t put down. The kind of book that when you reach the end you think, ‘why did I not read this sooner’ or ask ‘what else has this author written’? John …

The Transformation of the French Army and the Invention of Modern Warfare By Michel Goya (translated by Andrew Uffindell) Pen & Sword , Barnsley, 2018. 323pp 9781473886964 - Hardback Reviewed by BRIG Chris Roberts AM, CSC (Retd.)   A product of his doctoral thesis, Michel Goya, a former Colonel of the French marine infantry, has produced a superb study of the transformation, in all its features, of the French Army during the Great War. The breadth and depth of his work is impressive. Unlike much of the …

In a previous LPF Post , I introduced Dr Albert Palazzo’s controversial argument that the best outcome of a future conflict for Australia, is not to lose - and that not losing must be the basis of Australia’s new military philosophy. This philosophy is deterrence through denial or seeking to deny the enemy its objective. To support this analysis, I focussed on Land Warfare Doctrine 3-0-3 Formation Tactics 2016 as applied to the historical scenario of the Falkland Islands conflict in 1982. For the purpose …