Abstract This article outlines the current Australian Army Aviation (AAAvn) General Service Officer (GSO) career profile and discusses proposed modifications to career requirements that the author recommends for the AAAvn GSO to function effectively in the combined arms environment. Introduction The introduction of the Tiger Armed Reconnaissance helicopter (ARH) considerably expands the role of Australian Army Aviation (AAAvn) and increases the complexities and professional challenges confronting officers …

Abstract This article examines the need for a National Security Strategy in Australia. The author looks at what is meant by the term, discusses what a National Security Strategy should achieve, and outlines how such a strategy should come about in Australia. The debate over the need for, and shape of, a National Security Strategy (NSS) is analogous to the debate over an Australian Republic. The post-mortem conducted by the Australian Republican Movement after the 1999 referendum indicated that ‘the …

Abstract As the Australian Army continues to deploy troops to operations across the globe, questions are being asked both within and outside the Army as to why certain forces are being deployed. This article explores the role of the Royal Australian Infantry, and suggests changes that would increase options for its deployment. Armies do not win wars by means of a few bodies of super-soldiers but by the average quality of their standard units... The level of initiative, individual training, and weapon skill …

Abstract This provocative article questions the use of the Infantry Corps in the current high-tempo period of deployments, asking if the Infantry is being used to its full potential. The author claims to represent the views of frustrated Royal Australian Infantry members who feel that they are not being employed to their full potential in current operations. Situation The Royal Australian Regiment has been conducting operations continuously since the intervention into East Timor in 1999. These operations …

Abstract With this account of his time in Afghanistan, the author describes some of the challenges of ‘contested nation-building’ in that country. This article explores the difficulties of developing civilian capacity while also participating in a counterinsurgency campaign. The author contends that Coalition military forces in Afghanistan must remain responsive to the needs and directions of the fledgling national government while developing the infrastructure required for law and order. Peace will come …

Abstract While a tactical defeat for the Communists, the Tet Offensive is acknowledged as the turning point of the Vietnam War that ultimately led to the fall of South Vietnam. Forty years on, this article examines why the Tet Offensive was such an important event, and reassesses its legacy, especially as it relates to the use of military force today. January marked the fortieth anniversary of the 1968 Tet Offensive. This event proved to be the turning point of the Vietnam War and its effects were …

To the Editors It’s a pity that Brigadier John Essex-Clark did not read Paul Hams Vietnam — The Australian War  with a more critical eye (Australian Army Journal, Summer 2007).  The book holds too many errors that range from the silly to the serious for it to be classified as a ‘history students textbook’. There is no doubt that Paul Ham can write well and what he has written is easy to read. One expects, however, that the narrative and its references be reliable. This is where Vietnam  fails the test. The …

  … Chauvel Essay Prize - 2007 …

The Artist and the Warrior: Military History through the Eyes of the Masters   Written by: Theodore K. Raab, Yale University Press, 2011, ISBN: 9780300126372, 228 pp   Reviewed by: Dr Claire Baddeley, Senior Curator of Art, Australian War Memorial The preoccupation with war and its representation has long been the subject matter of artists. Whether recording battles or the heroism and suffering of war’s protagonists, artists have depicted conflict in its many forms over the centuries. From early images in …

Anzacs in the Middle East: Australian soldiers, their allies and the local people in World War II   Written by: Mark Johnston, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 2013, ISBN: 9781107030961, 255 pp   Reviewed by: Tristan Moss, PhD student, Australian National University During the first half of the Second World War, three Australian divisions and thousands of support troops played an important role in the war against Italy and Germany. Over a period of three years, Australian soldiers campaigned or were …