Abstract The release of the Defence White Paper 2016 marked a tectonic shift in attitudes to international engagement, elevating it to an ‘integrated core function’ of Australian Defence Force business. This article proposes a human resources framework for the Australian Army to allow it to generate specialist planners with the ability to enhance the capability of local partners. It proposes the development of ‘generalist plus’ officers with regional specialisation, termed ‘strategic planners’ within this …

Abstract The Defence White Paper 2016 articulated a specific requirement for the Australian Army to respond to the challenge of innovation. This article constitutes a response to that requirement, initially defining innovation and then summarising the 10 characteristics that are central to innovation. Employing these characteristics, the article moves to examine two concepts that would enable Australian Army innovation: improving collaboration and realising people’s potential. Importantly, and aligned to …

Abstract The history of the Australian Army tends to neglect the development of ‘officership’, particularly during both world wars. The development of officers in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), for instance, presents an excellent opportunity to examine the evolution of the professional Australian combat officer, particularly in terms of battalion command, and to explore the role of structured training and education in the development of command. This progressed in three broad stages. The first …

Supported by the Army Research Scheme, Dr Charles Miller conducted a review of the significance of cultural sensitivity training. His method of research and the results of his findings are contained within this article. This article will challenge your opinion of the way in which our Army conducts and manages cultural sensitivity training. And challenge is a good thing. We are all, by virtue of our voluntary service in the Australian Army, students of the profession of arms. This study requires us to value …

Abstract The rapid advances in robotic technologies and the successful use of existing unmanned and autonomous platforms has generated significant debate on the use of autonomous weapon systems (AWS). The debates surrounding AWS have centred primarily on legal and ethical concerns and also whether machines can ever emulate the psychology of the human decision-making process. Incredibly, this discourse occurs in the absence of a common or accepted legal definition of ‘AWS’, including what criteria or …

Abstract Over the past decade, interest in human enhancement has waxed and waned. The initial surge of interest and funding, driven by the US Army’s desire for a ‘Future Force Warrior’ has partly given way to the challenges of meeting operational demands abroad. However the ethical opportunities provided by soldier enhancement demand that investigation of its possibilities continue. Benefits include enhanced decision-making, improved force capability, reduced force size and lower casualty rates. These …

Listed below is a selection from the review copies that have arrived at the Australian Army Journal . Reviews for many of these books can be found online in the relevant edition of the Australian Army Journal at: http://www.defence.gov.au/army/lwsc/Australian_Army_Journal.asp East Asian Multilateralism: Prospects for Regional Stability , Kent E Calder and Francis Fukuyama (eds), The John Hopkins University Press, ISBN 9780801088496, 281 pp. (Distributed in Australia by Footprint Books)   Military Ethics , …

Carry Me Home: The Life and Death of Private Jake Kovco   Written by: Dan Box, Allen & Unwin, 2008, 288 pp Reviewed by: Wing Commander Terence O’Connor I approached the review of this book with a deep sense of foreboding having read Geoffrey Robertson QC’s reference to ‘institutionalised dickheadery’ in the publicity release. I had expectations of yet another ‘public flogging’ of the integrity and competency of the ADF. Having regard to what occurred during and after the repatriation of Private Jake Kovco, …

The Battle for Wau: New Guinea’s Frontline 1942–43   Written by: Phillip Bradley, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 2008, 285 pp Reviewed by: John Moremon In any war, and within any nation remembering war, there will be some actions over-commemorated and others under-acknowledged. In the latter group rests the Battle for Wau, in the mountainous hinterland of south-eastern Papua–New Guinea. The guerrilla campaign in 1942 might have gone unnoticed by the public but for cameraman Damien Parer venturing …

The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan after the Taliban   Written by: Sarah Chayes, St Lucia, University of Queensland Press, 2006, 386 pp. Reviewed by: Lieutenant Commander Glenn Kerr The Australian Government has been committed to military involvement in Afghanistan since the aftermath of the al-Qaeda attacks on the continental United States on 11 September 2001. Despite our strong military presence, Afghanistan is a country largely unknown to most Australians, peopled by Mujahideen freedom …