This paper analyses the relevance of deterrence theory based on conventional forces to Australian military strategy. It argues that a majority of Australian strategists did not favour conventional deterrence as an explicit strategic posture during the Cold War since it was seen as an outcome, rather than a starting point, of successful defence planning. In the post-Cold War era, conventional deterrence has become a disputed subject amongst Western defence analysts. In a multipolar world prone to regional …

This study examines the relationship between the 1915 Gallipoli campaign and the military revolution of World War I. The paper seeks to focus on what can be learnt from the military expedition rather than concentrating on its legendary aspects. The study evaluates the strategic concept behind Gallipoli, provides a sketch of the events of the campaign, and then analyses the context and enduring significance of the Allied attempt to seize the Dardanelles. It suggests that Gallipoli remains a cautionary tale …

This paper examines the place of the Army in the making of Australian strategy in the 20th century. It argues that, over the past one hundred years, Australian peacetime strategic planning has been characterised by a schism between the requirements of local territorial defence and the needs of security defined on the basis of upholding vital international and overseas interests. The major consequence of this schism in Australian defence philosophy was that, for long periods during the past century, the …

This paper examines the way in which Australia has responded to the post–Cold War concept of a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA). It argues that, between 1994 and the present, Australian thinking about an information-age military revolution has gone through two distinct phases: a period of informal debate and a period of institutional theorising. The informal phase of Australian RMA thinking lasted from 1994 until 1997 and represented a period of intellectual speculation under the rubric of Defence of …

This working paper analyses the continuing importance of combined arms warfare in modern armed conflict. The paper consists of three edited essays: a conceptual introduction to the theory of combined arms combat; a case study of combined arms warfare based on the Australian Army's experience in Vietnam; and a concluding essay with historical and contemporary insights on the continuing relevance of all-arms combat. The first essay by Michael Evans provides a conceptual context for understanding the …

A primer for ADF commanders to assist them to own the challenge of military suicide in the ranks as a command and leadership issue. This paper seeks to provide a primer for Australian Defence Force commanders to assist them to own the challenge of military suicide in the ranks as first and foremost a command and leadership issue. It argues that it is impossible to understand a suicidal soldier unless the subject of suicide is itself broadly understood by the profession of arms. In order to frame the …

An International Comparative Analysis   … Benchmarking Bottom Up Defence Innovation in the Australian Defence Force …

Preparing Army to Counter Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems Small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) are widely available, militarily effective and challenging to defeat. In this Occasional Paper on counter-sUAS, Dr. Carl Rhodes reviews the recent employment of sUAS and evaluates methods to sense and engage these systems. … Small Aircraft, Sizeable …

  … Autonomous Cyber Capabilities and International Law on the Use of Force, Self-Defence, Intervention, and Sovereignty …

Lessons Learnt from the War in Ukraine   Abstract  Drone operations have added a new chapter to modern warfare. In Ukraine, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) have become an important weapon to gain an asymmetric edge over Russian forces. The lessons learnt from the use of UAS in Russia’s war against Ukraine are almost innumerable and extend from the individual soldier level to tactical, strategic and government levels. This paper summarises highlights from the first evidence-based research on the lessons …