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Tactics, Training and Operations in North Africa 1940-1942 By James Colvin Helion and Company Limited, Warwick, 2020. 261pp. Reviewed by Brigadier Chris Roberts, AM,CSC (Rtd) In this splendid and thoroughly engaging book, James Colvin—a former member of the British Territorial Army's 44th Parachute Brigade—provides a penetrating insight into the British Eighth Army's performance against the German and Italian forces during the North African desert war.  It spans the period from General O'Connor's highly …

By Thomas Waldman Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press, 2021, 320 pages) Reviewed by Major Andrew Maher Thomas Waldman’s Vicarious Warfare: American Strategy and the Illusion of War on the Cheap , unpacks America’s contemporary employment of military force in conflicts worldwide. On the basis of his analysis, Waldman argues that an operational concept exists, called “vicarious warfare,” which he asserts is a manifestation of a political desire to limit the costs of waging war – financial, political, and …

‘Observing how our past appeared when it was the future can help us understand why events occurred as they did, how individuals became prisoners of their experiences and missed what was blindingly obvious to later generations, and occasionally saw what was coming, only to be dismissed by their contemporaries. In short, the future of war has a distinctive and revealing past.’ Lawrence Freedman [1] History is an assessment of events from the past retold in the present. History is often biased; it is both …

In our two previous blogs on MakerSpaces ( Part One  and  Part Two ) we have taken our readers through a look at the Maker philosophy and a review of its potential utility to the Australian Army. It has always been the intention of our project to examine models for implementation in Army and to conduct a pilot MakerSpace as a practical application of our work. From speaking to universities, a variety of academics and military personnel from around the world—alongside reviewing literature—we developed a …

The beginning of this journey could be characterised as an unorthodox approach to solving a problem Army did not know it had. This work was originally designed for Dr Thompson to explore a non-traditional learning methodology but as interest grew, the scope expanded beyond her role as a researcher at the Australian Army Research Centre. This interest and subsequent support allowed her to access people and ideas that would eventually evolve into a yearlong joint research project and a practical activity …

Accelerated Warfare, as the futures statement for Army, outlines the challenges faced in a rapidly changing environment. [1]   How we respond to these challenges will be in part governed by how we ‘think, equip, train, educate, organise and prepare for war’. Enhancing the way we think, train and educate is therefore a critical component of preparing our people—individually and collectively—to face future threats in an environment categorised by a multitude of technological innovations arising from …

  By Chris Roberts and Paul Stevens Big Sky Publishing, 2021, ISBN 9781922387936, 374pp Reviewed by Dr Albert Palazzo The 1915 Gallipoli Campaign features highly in the consciousness of many Australians and New Zealanders. Much has been written on the campaign at Anzac Cove and it must be a challenge for authors to find something that is new, relevant and important to say. When Chris Roberts and Paul Stevens, conceived of their book it must have been a ‘challenge accepted’ moment, a challenge in which they …

As our nation’s land specialists, Army is acutely aware of why a diverse force matters. We fight where people live and 50% of the world’s population are women. Drawing on a presentation I made to a 2021 Defence International Womens’ Day event, this piece reflects on the opportunities for women in leadership that have emerged from Army’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Firstly, I consider the pandemic as the catalyst for cultural change, and how this enables more women to progress more naturally into …

By Jim Storr Helion & Company, UK, 2018, ISBN 978-1-912390-85-4, 283pp Reviewed by Major Andrew Maher The Defence Strategic Update (DSU) 2020 marks a significant investment in equipping the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to 2040 and beyond. Realising the equipment investments articulated by the DSU will require decision makers to reflect on historic lessons and to exercise nuanced military judgement to justify recommended acquisitions for a complex and uncertain future. It is this issue of applying …

The inherent challenges of an Army that seeks to be ready now and future ready The 2020 Defence Strategic Update presents a picture of an unstable and uncertain strategic dynamic. The confluence of great power competition, the proliferation of disruptive technologies and military modernisation create both risks and opportunities. The Defence Strategic Update further states that “reduced warning times mean defence plans can no longer assume Australia will have time to gradually adjust military capability …