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Like a Fish out of Water…   The Defence Strategic Review makes one thing clear to those concerned in Australia’s profession of arms: Army must be optimised for littoral operations in Australia’s northern land and maritime approaches. As the Indo-Pacific faces increased competition, the commentary surrounding Army’s littoral refocus suggests that it will provide a critical function in projecting forces further into Australia’s northern approaches to deliver deterrence through denial. Army will be key in the …

Enhancing Littoral Warfare Capabilities in the Australian Infantry   The Infantry platoon stands as the backbone of ground operations of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Trained and equipped to fulfil a range of mission tasks that contribute and support an overarching strategic objective. Now, with the strategic shift towards littoral manoeuvre outlined in the 2024 National Defence Strategy (NDS), there is a requirement to adapt and enhance the capabilities of the Australian Infantry platoon for …

Empowering the RFSG   This article was a submission to the 2024 AARC Short Thoughts Competition: Littoral Warfare , which asked: " What is one way that you would see Army adapt in order to contribute to littoral warfare? " In recent months, the Australian Government has announced significant investments in improving defence capabilities in the north of Australia, as outlined in the 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR) and National Defence Strategy. As the Australian Defence Force (ADF) pivots towards a more …

2(AS) Division PME Program   What the Australian Army can learn from the 7 October 2023 HAMAS attack and the Israeli response On 7 October 2023, HAMAS terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel. By its very nature this was a terrorist attack by the militia, intended to invoke fear by murdering and mutilating civilians, delivering – as Bruce Hoffman has argued – a statement of intent comparable to those of ISIS and the Einsatzgruppen. [1] Over the course of hours and days, militants abducted an …

A Professional Military Education program   Introduction The Defence Strategic Review (DSR) has provided a blueprint for a substantial increase in Australia’s military capacity in response to an evolving strategic environment. It recognises that Australia’s closest international partner, the United States of America, is no longer the leader of a unipolar world. Also acknowledged is an increase in international competition and threats to the rules-based order, both of which requiring a response by …

2(AS) Division PME Program   Do you lead, or are you part of an organisation which has been asked to rapidly scale in response to contingencies? Then this topic is important for you.  In response to the release of the National Defence Strategy (NDS), a seminar was hosted by 2(AS) Division on the topic of accelerated preparedness, titled Scalability Insights for Defence . We have published an Occasional Paper of the same title . The seminar and paper share pioneering research – so stand on the knowledge …

US Army Engineers in World War II   by Chris McNab Casemate Publishers , 2023, 194 pp Hardcover ISBN: 9781636243863 Digital download: 9781636243870 Reviewed by Nicholas Bosio It is easy to say that military professionals should study military history, and the underlying theory of our profession, through the lens of context, width, and depth. Yet, how does one study depth ? Michael Howard’s seminal article, ‘The Use and Abuse of Military History’, contends that depth is achieved by studying a campaign or …

  A Plan B: How Might Australia Support Resistance? The  Defence Strategic Review (DSR) was a call for action which stated bluntly that we have seen ‘the return of major power strategic competition, the intensity of which should be seen as the defining feature of our region and time’.  Examining the ‘state of competition’ globally might also help explain what it is we are competing for. Given the march of autocratic governance regimes within the international world order – regimes that use tools such as …

  Introduction The Ukraine war has thrust small drones into the spotlight as an integral component of contemporary combined arms warfare. Cheap, plentiful, and attritable commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) drones (sometimes referred to as ‘wedding drones’ with equal parts respect and derision) [i] have proven their utility for military roles such as dropping explosive ordnance onto targets and performing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) activities. [ii] Both of these capability effects …

  Biological Swarms The concept of swarms originates in nature, often referred to as biological systems or natural swarms. [1] Swarm intelligence (SI) research originally pertained to studying the self-organised behaviours of social insects. [2] An example of the SI demonstrated by social insects is provided in a 2004 study on ant colonies building networks of galleries which demonstrate path system efficiency. [3] The intelligence that emerges from collective behaviour has been harnessed in robotics …