The Australian Army Research Centre is interested in the ‘ Transformation of Land Power ’ as a topic that encompasses a range of domestic and global tasks for Army. This article reflects on how transformative the Australian Army’s modern application of land power is, when viewed against the lessons of one of our deployments to the Middle East. I recently became aware of Dr Albert Palazzo’s book, which provided an analysis of the Australian Army’s role in the 2003 Iraq War. The book was eventually titled, …

Introduction The 2020 Defence Strategic Update (DSU) and its companion document the 2020 Force Structure Plan have given an insight into possible future concepts and employment options for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Most pundits agree that it is a timely and relevant update to the strategic assessments and investment priorities of the Australian Government’s Defence White Paper 2016, with an emphasis on increasing the ADF’s space and cyber capabilities and lethal strike capabilities and its …

Thinking about How the ADF Recovers from the First Losses of War In war, mistakes are normal; errors are usual, information is seldom complete, often accurate, and frequently misleading. Success is won, not by personnel and materiel in prime condition, but by the debris of an organisation worn by the strain of campaign and shaken by the shock of battle. The objective is attained, in war, under conditions which often impose extreme disadvantages. It is in the light of these facts that the commander expects …

The inherent challenges of an Army that seeks to be ready now and future ready The 2020 Defence Strategic Update presents a picture of an unstable and uncertain strategic dynamic. The confluence of great power competition, the proliferation of disruptive technologies and military modernisation create both risks and opportunities. The Defence Strategic Update further states that “reduced warning times mean defence plans can no longer assume Australia will have time to gradually adjust military capability …

This is the fifth blog in a series benchmarking the French Army – the armée de Terre. To date, this series has ‘benchmarked’ the armée de Terre , its culture , its structure and its people capability . This post will analyse the French Army’s approach to training. In doing so, it will highlight points of convergence relevant to the increasingly important Army/armée de Terre partnership. The author currently serves as Army’s Liaison Officer to the armée de Terre in France. Many are familiar with the proverb …