‘ Science runs ahead of military and political affairs evolving new conditions, which institutions must  adapt  to .’ According to an  NRMA report  a global  new energy vehicle  transition has  begun . A confluence of battery innovations, autonomous driving technology and public awareness of clean energy imperatives has conspired to trigger a switch in sentiment away from  fossil fuel  cars. Targets are already being set in some countries for zero emission vehicle  zones  by 2040. Car manufacturers are …

In 2007 the Australian Army Journal published an article titled  Peak Oil and the Australian Army . The motivation for writing that article was the risk of Army being ‘functionally dislocated’ by the onset of peak oil with inappropriate doctrine, training and equipment. This post provides an update to the original article, focusing on the current global and Australian oil situation. It also discusses Army’s, and more broadly Defence’s, approach to a liquid fuel constrained future.  The continued growth in …

In space, all is not what it seems. Like military deception tactics in maritime, land, air and cyber domains, the  space warfighting domain  may also be rife with deceit and disguise. So it is foreseeable that space-based  deception measures  will be a core component of military space operations, due to the unique open nature of space and the predictable physics of Earth’s orbits. There is nowhere to hide in Earth’s gravity well, so clever stratagems to mask space capabilities and mislead rivals will be …

No Sherman Tank could  stand up  to a Panther Tank, but the U.S. had advantages of supporting airpower, plentiful reserves, and an overwhelming superiority of numbers. During the Normandy Campaign in the Second World War, German  Panther  and  Tiger  tanks proved to be technically  superior  to Allied M4 Sherman Tanks. The heavily armoured German tanks outgunned their opponents with higher  velocity  tank guns, resulting in huge  losses  of Allied tanks. Consequently, Shermans became known as  Purple Heart …

‘The history of failure in warfare can be summed up in two words: Too late.’ – General Douglas MacArthur In Part 1 of  Making a Case for Space  published in early 2017, I submitted a case for sovereign space launch and small satellite capabilities. In my estimation, a bespoke space capability was cost-feasible due to technology advancements, which would become increasingly vital to national security in the years ahead. So now in 2019 where military space is firmly  de rigueur , it’s timely to revisit the …

The current manner in which the Australian Army  formally  develops its junior officers is heavily focused on generalised outcomes and rarely fosters an environment where subalterns are compelled to use their cognitive and analytical skills. This article will argue that the Australian Army should re-think its approach to the formal training and education of its junior officers and suggests a framework in which this change may be implemented. For the purpose of this article, training is defined as the …

‘But a nation that does not exploit new and emerging technologies, that does not continuously modernise and which does not seek novel opportunities for advantage over potential adversaries will be found wanting when its military is needed.’ [1] In response to COL Smith and Dr Palazzo’s article,  Coming to Terms with the Modern Way of War , it is exciting to see that the adoption of advanced technology, such as precision missiles, is being considered as an integral component of force design and development …

Throughout the past two decades the words religious extremism and terrorism have become synonymous with each other as many Islamic nations resist the global pull of western secular society. Recently, however, the attacks in Europe show a different side of terrorism and radicalisation that has little to do with religious affiliation. In the last 18 months an increasing number of studies have been conducted into the growth of foreign fighters and the origins of radicalisation amongst European youths behind …

This article will seek to argue that historical concepts of mounted forces have framed our contemporary understanding of mounted capability in a way that has left a gap in our language and thoughts. It will further argue that the resulting gap has created a situation where our organisation is unable to reach a common understanding about mounted capability that fits neatly within historical examples. Finally it will argue for a framework to rectify these problems. All of our concepts of mounted capability …

Whether it realises it or not, the modern world relies on space-based technology for a range of vital applications, not limited to science, communications and navigation.  Our major allies, following considerable investment in military space systems, are Australia’s indispensable enablers for coordination, targeting, intelligence and weather monitoring.  Unfortunately, open sources indicate that other space-capable nations may have developed counter-measures to these space capabilities in every orbit …