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Abstract This article examines the limitations of traditional strategic approaches to the resolution of contemporary conflicts. It proposes control as the unifying idea for military action. Everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult. The difficulties accumulate... –  Clausewitz Isaiah Berlins famous essay The Hedgehog and the Fox 1   was an examination of the work of Leo Tolstoy that rested on an observation from the ancient Greek poet Archilocus that ‘the fox knows many things but …

Abstract The purpose of this article is to highlight five challenges for Future Infantry in order to stimulate thinking about Future Infantry’s requirement to adapt and change. While this paper is Infantry focused, the challenges outlined will resonate with many people in the wider Army, and are of likely interest to people from Joint, whole-of-government, coalition, contractor and non-government organisations who expect to operate with Army in the future. In the twenty-first century, Future …

Abstract An enduring element of Australia’s commitment to Afghanistan is the Special Operations Task Group (known as TF66). This force is specifically trained for counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations, both of which have been conducted as part of the effort in Afghanistan. The effectiveness of these operations has to date been significant. This has been due to the direct and indirect Tines of Operation, which have been developed into a series of operating methodologies throughout the rotations …

Malaya   Written by: Brian Farrell and Garth Pratten,  Army History Unit, Canberra, 2009. ISBN: 9781921941689, 254pp   Reviewed by: Mark Johnston The Second AIF was a magnificent force, but it was on the receiving end of several heavy defeats. Inevitably, these defeats raise some questions about its performance. One of these controversial campaigns, Malaya, is the subject of the latest instalment of the ‘Australian Army Campaigns Series’. Brian Farrell and Garth Pratten have written a penetrating and …

Managing Civil-Military Cooperation   Written by: Sebastiaan J H Rietjens and Myriame T I B Bollen (eds),  Ashgate Publishing Limited, Surrey, 2008, ISBN: 9781315593470, 280pp   Reviewed: by Major Richard Peace Civil-military cooperation is now a feature of nearly all Australian current operational deployments. While seen by some as a black art, this book attempts to dispel some of the misconceptions that arise on what is civil- military cooperation. This book is a collection of essays based on the Dutch …

Abstract This article argues that Improvised Explosive Devices are robots. In declining to make this connection, Western militaries have been blind to their adversaries’ use of robot-enabled warfare. The effect has been to render Western soldiers tactically and operationally reactive, and on the wrong end of attrition warfare. The resolution lies in understanding how robots are supervised, and how a robot-enabled force can enable its personnel to out-adapt their human foes. Introduction The rapid fielding …

Mud & Dust – Australian Army Vehicles and Artillery in Vietnam   Written by: Michael K Cecil,  New Holland Publishers, 2009, ISBN 9781741107678, 272pp   Reviewed by: Ian Kuring, Australian Army Mud & Dust by Michael Cecil is the third book of a series sponsored by the Australian War Memorial. It is a well researched, interesting and easy to read reference book covering the armoured fighting vehicles, artillery, logistic vehicles and engineer equipment used by the Australian Defence Force in Vietnam. Also …

Embedded: A Marine Corps Adviser Inside the Iraqi Army   Written by: Wesley R Gray, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 2009, ISBN 9781591143406, 272pp   Reviewed by: Graeme Sligo, Australian Army Second Lieutenant Wesley Gray was a young Marine at Okinawa in 2006 when told he was being posted—at short notice—to Anbar Province to advise and train members of the Iraqi Army. It was a seven month tour. When Gray arrived, in July 2006, the insurgency was at a critical stage. The Golden Mosque bombing that year …

Bloody Victory: The Sacrifice on the Somme and the Making of the Twentieth Century   Written by: William Philpott,  Little, Brown, London, 2009, ISBN 9781408701089, 736pp   Reviewed by: Albert Palazzo, Land Warfare Studies Centre For most readers the mention of the Somme brings forth the image of a futile and tragic campaign in which a generation of fine British and Imperial soldiery was wilfully slaughtered by an incompetent and distant command. William Philpott, in his breakthrough book Bloody Victory: …

Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the Twenty- first Century   Written by: Peter Singer,  The Penguin Press, New York, 2009, ISBN 9781594201981, 512pp   Reviewed by: Richard S Bowyer, Defence Science and Technology Organisation Peter Singer’s Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the Twenty-first Century takes the reader on a twenty-two chapter journey through the space occupied by the mechanical, electronic and software world of real robots doing real stuff. Situated …