Reflecting on recently introduced ADF-wide policy on respite, author Phillip Hoglin identifies areas for further improvement in Occasional Paper 21, Respite Periods in the ADF . He outlines factors that contribute to enduring challenges to the achievement of consistent respite policy, with reference to both Australian and overseas experience. Hoglin identifies a spectrum of applied and academic approaches to address these issues and, based on his analysis, provides several workable options for …

Achieving that Long-Desired Information Advantage Foreword This thoughtful and candid article from Jason Logue addresses challenges and opportunities within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) regarding the evolution of operations in the information environment. While he focuses on his experiences within the ADF, his characterisation, observations and views are consistent with US challenges based upon my almost 30 years of experience as US Department of Defense Information professional. Essentially, Grey …

The Australian government’s intent to increase the defence workforce to 100,000 personnel by 2040 affects the Army’s future force structure, capability, and training. [1] Yet, before the implications of this target can be properly considered, the issue of recruitment must be addressed. The changing threat within the Indo-Pacific, and the lack of 10-year warning time, means that recruitment for the future is more important than ever. From the impacts of COVID-19 to ongoing natural disasters, there has been …

The ADF has a long history of defence international engagement within our region and beyond. In Occasional Paper 18 , Dr Michael O'Keefe seeks to extend the policy literature through a case study of international engagement with Fiji by detailing how a successful approach from 2014-2017 contributed to the achievement of Australian foreign policy goals. … Occasional Paper release - ADF Engagement with …

What can the benefits of Train, Advise and Assist missions be for members of Army and the ADF? Train, Advise and Assist (TAA) missions have been a major component of Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Army operations since the end of the Second World War. Defence undertakes these missions, as directed by government and its ministers, to aid, train and develop the forces of Australia’s partner nations. Although these partner forces are the focus of training, it is wrong to characterise these TAA missions as …

War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944 By Ian, W. Toll WW Norton and Company, 2015. 688. Paperback ISBN: 9780393353204 Hardcover ISBN: 9780393080643 Reviewed by Sam Baumgarten The Conquering Tide is an outstanding book for those wishing to understand the American conduct of war in the Pacific. It examines the war in the Pacific islands from the aftermath of the Battle of Midway to the Battles of Saipan and Guam in mid-1944. This is the second part of a trilogy. The other two books cover firstly the war in …

Over the past decade, the Australian Army has established itself as the ‘preferred partner’ within the Indo-Pacific region. The Indo-Pacific region covers the area from India to Papua New Guinea, extending to North Korea in the North, our greatest footprint landing within the archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean north of Australia. The importance of maintaining or gaining the ‘preferred partner’ status with the countries in the region is highlighted by the meagre 800km stretch of ocean that separates the …

Introduction Since 2017, measles outbreaks have been surging around the globe, with many Indo-Pacific nations experiencing disease outbreaks due to low vaccination rates [i] . A targeted vaccination program provides opportunities for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to supplement its traditional train, advise and assist missions with a low-risk and cost-effective public health intervention while delivering a strategic deterrent effect within our region. Measles vaccinations provide a legitimate reason …

Building solid relationships conducive to mutual force preservation is at the forefront of international missions. Individual attention and deliberation needs to be applied to all aspects of this relationship in order to determine the most appropriate operational response. There must be an understanding of the potential impact of delivering military training to another nation, the extent to which it will support both the donor and recipient nations’ strategic interests, and the degree to which it will …

Introduction Train, advise and assist missions play a pivotal role in the Indo-Pacific region, where fostering stability and security is of utmost importance. These missions involve the Australian Army working closely with partner nations to build their military capabilities, enhance their operational effectiveness, and promote regional cooperation. By leveraging these missions within a deterrence framework, the Australian Army both contributes to regional stability and also reinforces the message that any …