To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918   Written by: Edward G Lengel, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2008, 512 pp. Reviewed by: Dr Douglas V Johnson II Ed Lengel has gathered together a large collection of first person accounts of this campaign and has woven them together with just enough context to produce a ‘nice’ piece of fabric. I say ‘nice’ because this fabric is basically gray in background, but splotched from top to bottom with battlefield detitrus, and the offal of human remains. If the intent …

Duty First: A History of the Royal Australian Regiment (2nd edition)   Wriitten by: David Horner and Jean Bou (eds.),  Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2008, 526 pp. Reviewed by: Karl James In the days following the end of the Second World War three new Australian infantry battalions were raised. The 65th Battalion opened its headquarters at Balikpapan, on Borneo’s east coast, in the Netherlands East Indies, on 11 October 1945. Two weeks later, on 26 October, the 66th Battalion was formed on Labuan in northern …

Ethics Education in the Military   Written by: Paul Robinson, Nigel de Lee and Don Carrick (eds.), Ashgate, Aldershot, 2008, 224 pp. Jointly reviewed by: Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Alan Howes, Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hampson, Chaplain David Jackson CSM, Dr Stephen Coleman, Chaplain Clyde Appleby RAN, and Flight Lieutenant Alyssa Badgery There are many who will agree that Ethics Education in the Military is long overdue as required reading for those who deliver ethics training and education programs in …

China’s Rise and the Balance of Influence in Asia By: William W Keller and Thomas G Rawski (eds.),  University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2007, 284 pp. America and China: Asia-Pacific Rim Hegemony in the Twenty-First Century,  By: Randall Doyle,  Lexington Books, Plymouth, 2007, 199 pp. ‘China’s rise’ is an increasingly prevalent term used by academics, politicians, political commentators and economists alike to describe China’s rapid emergence in recent decades as an economic, political and military …

Abstract This article examines the enlistment of indigenous people into the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. Despite official prohibitions, the author estimates that close to a thousand Indigenous men eventually enlisted. The author demonstrates how their attempts were made easier as racial prejudices gave way in the face of the authorities’ purely pragmatic concern with replacing the AIF’s appalling losses of 1916 and 1917. Three of these Indigenous enlistees—the Blackman …

Abstract This article examines Israel’s capacity for deterrence. Unlike classical deterrence, where the use of force constitutes failure, the differing cost-benefit calculus of irregular enemies means that Israel must occasionally exercise its military power to demonstrate that it retains the will to act when not existentially threatened. While Israel’s ability to deter conventional and nuclear attacks from its state-based neighbours remains strong, the author finds that its capability to deter non-state …

Abstract This article examines the use and effectiveness of retention bonuses in the Australian Army. These bonuses have been implemented at considerable expense despite the absence of a solid basis of empirical research regarding either their effectiveness or the potentially unintended consequences that can arise from their payment. The author examines each of these issues in turn and concludes that retention bonuses, despite their questionable logic and rationale, are still useful as a temporary measure …

Abstract Infantry have long aspired to the ideal of ‘one shot, one kill’ in marksmanship training, but this article proves that, especially in complex terrain, infantry are better served by employing the ‘volume of fire’ approach to psychologically dominate the enemy. Only then can the significant challenges of poor visibility and fleeting engagement opportunities be successfully overcome and manoeuvre restored to the light infantryman. In the matter-of-fact terms of Australian Army doctrine the role of …

Abstract Simply being aware of cultural ‘dos and don’ts’ is insufficient to ensure truly gainful cooperation with a host populace, especially when the Army is waging counterinsurgency campaigns in complex, urban battlespaces. Taking cultural awareness ‘to the next level’ is the subject of this article, which details lessons from the Army’s arguably expert force regarding this topic: the Regional Force Surveillance Units (RFSUs). The authors examine the major aspects of the RFSUs community engagement …

Abstract The Australian Army is a fighting force that depends upon the combined arms approach to generate operational effectiveness. This approach works only when each part of the team can contribute appropriate effects in the face of opposition. The author argues that the Australian Army’s combat engineers are incapable of providing mobility assurance in the face of opposition because of shortcomings with their equipment. The author demonstrates the negative effect this will have on future operational …