Abstract Viewed superficially, the 2005 London bombings appeared to be a fairly standard, albeit devastating terrorist attack. However, post-blast investigations pointed to the use of a potent new weapon in the modern terrorist’s arsenal — organic peroxide explosives (OPEs). Through analysis of the London bombings and other key incidents in which these explosives have been used, this article will reveal a gradual but unequivocal increase in the manufacture and employment of OPEs in explosive attacks. In …

The past decade has been one of constant change and adaptation for the Australian Army. Since the deployment to East Timor in 1999, the Australian Army has been constantly deployed in a range of different environments on several continents. The resulting tempo has challenged our personnel, training and material resources. While this keeps Army busy, there is an ongoing need to ensure that the Army keeps its eye on the future. The threats to the forces deployed on operations are not static in nature. New …

Abstract As the Australian Army begins a transition from a decade abroad it is timely to ask what we know about its officer culture, how that has been moulded by operational deployments and whether the Army officer corps is ready for the challenges ahead. This article argues that egalitarianism, the ‘natural soldier myth’ and bureaucracy in the Australian Army combine to create an officer culture in which excellence and professionalism are not respected and officers are overly keen to minimise the rank …

‘In THAT direction,’ the Cat said, waving its right paw round, ‘lives a Hatter: and in THAT direction,’ waving the other paw, ‘lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.’ ‘But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked. ‘Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat: ‘we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’ ‘How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice. ‘You must be,’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.’ - Lewis Carroll 1 The Australian Army — our army — has its own culture, just …

Abstract The reality of service life for gay soldiers is far from straightforward. 2 What is valued and cherished by some, such as a hyper-masculine culture, excludes others. For some, being gay is no more significant than possessing other characteristics, while for others, being gay singles them out for bullying and harassment: it seems there are no common denominators. Despite legislative and policy reform, incidents of bullying and harassment call into question the cultural attitudes that underpin our …

Abstract For some time, the Australian Army has been moving from Huntington’s institutional culture model, characterised by a sense of service above self, to Janowitz’s more occupational model which is defined in terms of market principles. This shift from one cultural model to another is a result of both internal and external pressures and is reflected in what is broadly referred to as Army’s ‘culture’. This article uses the twin issues of recruitment and retention to measure this shift and provide some …

Abstract This paper has two primary objectives. The first of these involves an examination of Army’s family friendly policies, which can be broadly summarised as addressing affordable day care, paid maternity and parental leave, carer’s leave and flexible work arrangements. The effectiveness of Army’s policies will be gauged through comparison with employment conditions in the public and private sector. The article’s second objective comprises analysis of the effects of the Army force generation cycle on …

Abstract Organisations remain relevant and competitive through their ability to harness and deploy knowledge in order to promote future success through adaptation. To this end, an organisation’s capacity to generate cultures which promote learning at individual, team and organisational levels is paramount. This article examines the significance of culture, and in particular, the role of learning cultures in the Australian Army as vehicles for individual and organisational development. In doing so, this …

Abstract Army’s leaders are determined to build and sustain a relevant, positive organisational culture for its people and the land force capability they create. Army recognises that, in the future, competition for labour will be fierce. By raising its status to that of a first class employer of choice, Army hopes to recruit and retain quality personnel. This article describes one aspect of Army’s career management reform — the Officer Enhanced Career Management model (ECM). It provides insight into Army’s …

Abstract Since military operations in international settings often place a greater emphasis on cooperating with indigenous forces and working within local populations the understanding of cultural factors — what is commonly referred to as cultural awareness — is frequently stressed in military training. This article presents a slightly dissenting view from mainstream cultural awareness training and critically analyses the ‘primacy of culture perspective’, concluding that cultural factors will not …