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 …

Introduction The effectiveness of land power is underpinned by its supply chain. Without an efficient supply chain, Army’s ability to maintain effectiveness in established locations, and when projected forward, is at risk. Therefore, it is imperative that the Army looks to enhance its ability to deal with situations where the supply chain is compromised, either due to geographical dislocation, replacement part shortages, or backlog. The adoption of Additive Manufacturing (AM) as part of the supply chain …

Introduction Tomorrow’s protracted battles will occur in complex terrain where casualties are maximised and engagements drawn out for as long as possible. This Land Power Forum Post describes the concept of protracted battle in the context of supporting military theory and its effects on land power. It will demonstrate why battles are becoming longer and larger fights occur in complex terrain. These protracted battles are the domain of semi-national forces who behave with a mix of characteristics, …

To Deter and Respond to Invasion ‘In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity’ Sun Tzu Introduction Modern history depicts some decisive military trends. Among these, counter-insurgency wars are inherently unpopular, demonstrably costly and, for the most part, unsuccessful. If this is the case, it follows that Australia’s Defence policy must include layers of defence that guarantee sovereignty and that capitalise on the asymmetric advantage traditionally experienced by insurgent forces. Specifically, …

In April, the AARC launched a ‘ Short Thoughts Competition ’. The purpose was to encourage authors to communicate ideas about land power to Army’s senior leadership and a wide range of readers, and in the process help to inform and shape Army’s future, under the theme of ‘Transforming Land Power’.  The number and quality of responses reflected positively on the authors’ willingness to take on the challenge of helping to shape Army’s future.  Contributors ranged from current serving to retired ADF members, …

Land Power and the Future Littoral Environment The future operations for which Australian land power will be required will almost certainly fall within the Indo-Pacific region. Thus, the future of land power will be in the littoral environment. This will require an Army ready to conduct dispersed operations across a number of coastlines and islands, acting independently or in concert. Above all, this will require integration into the joint environment, working with sea and air power as part of a holistic …

Domestic security operations cannot be separated from the conduct of operations offshore. The increased reach of enemies allows them to attack targets directly in the homeland ……and involves not only protection of militarily important targets but also actions to deny the enemy the ability to strike civilian targets. [1] 23 March 2022 marked a step change in military thinking. State-on-state conflict was back in Europe.  Advanced, peer competitors slugged it out in the forests and cities of Ukraine with …

I met a representative of our future land power just last month. She served me at the checkout at my local Woolworths. Glancing at her name tag, I asked her what she had planned for the weekend. She proceeded to tell me, with immense energy, about the steps she was taking to ensure that she would be joining the Australian Army at the end of the year when she finished high school. She described in vibrant detail, with no further prompt from me, how she was going to crew Army’s next-generation armoured …

Abstract: This submission proposes modifying the Honeywell Aerospace AGT1500 gas turbine in the M1A2 Abrams MBT, and other reciprocating piston diesel engines used by the ADF, to allow them to burn Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as fuel in addition to diesel (dual fuel).  The purpose is to secure a homogenous liquid fuel source in times of constrained supply chain circumstance, such as prolonged armed conflict. Additional dividends could be extracted by utilising the waste cold energy created during the …

  John P. Kotter , the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus, at the Harvard Business School, argues that successful transformation requires time to succeed, usually measured in years. Kotter emphasises that successfully transformation includes eight distinct stages, worked through in sequence. [i] The success of any given stage of transformation depends on the work done in previous stages. A critical mistake, or skipping a step, in any of the stages, can have a devastating impact. Kotter …