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Abstract Alliances require each party to constantly assess the benefits of maintaining the relationship. As the United States re-frames its defence posture and strategy to accommodate the new strategic environment, the utility of the ANZUS alliance, with its distinctly Cold War orientation, is under increasing scrutiny. Similarly, public opinion polls in Australia suggest that the ANZUS alliance, and US foreign policy generally, is viewed negatively. This article examines the several aspects of the …

Abstract This article is based on an address by the Chief of the Australian Army, Lieutenant General Peter Leahy AO, to the Royal United Services Institute of the United Kingdom at the Royal Palace of Whitehall on 8 June 2006. Lieutenant General Leahy outlines why the Australian Army is seeking a significant increase in combat weight when most Western armies are lightening their forces. He argues that Australian military history is the backdrop against which this apparent anomaly can be resolved. This …

Abstract New information technologies are challenging the way we organise and operate, and our soldiers are facing greater ambiguity and scrutiny. This article examines the way we intend to help prepare ourselves for these two major challenges. The extraordinary improvements in information technologies are affecting almost every part of our lives. In particular, connections between individuals, groups and societies are intensifying. The ability of new machines to collect, store and move information around …

On 25 May 2006, the Australian Defence Force commenced a highly complex stabilisation operation in the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste in response to an urgent request from that nation’s government. An outbreak of violence had culminated in a breakdown in the security forces of Timor Leste. In the ensuing security vacuum, sectarian and criminal violence created a humanitarian emergency. At very short notice an Australian Defence Force Joint Task Force (JTF 631) was deployed to Timor Leste. The task …

The ability to concentrate superior forces at the critical time and place has been a hallmark of successful commanders throughout history. Since warfare emerged from the inter-tribal squabbles when a few dozen men endeavoured to cut each other’s throats, to the stage when state and national armies were formed, man has been constantly striving to develop more powerful weapons and improved means of mobility. During the 15th Century B.C., Ethiopia fell to the empire-building Egyptians, not because of any lack …

Introduction No doubt this title will provoke some violent objections. The passing of the horse-drawn and horse-borne era did not occur in quiescent silence either. The demise of the tank does not imply any degradation in strength or status of armoured units; but rather a need to adapt to the products of technology. Just as the introduction of the tank to modern warfare had great impact on tactical philosophy, so will its passing. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that changes in tactics have led to the …

In this edition of Retrospect, we feature two articles published in the Army Journal of March 1970, which take opposing views of the relevance of the Main Battle Tank (MBT). The first article, by Major W Lennon of the Royal Australian Engineers, provocatively asserted ‘The Tank is Dead’. While conceding that, even at that time of writing, the Centurion Tank was still performing effectively on operations in South Vietnam, the author argued that the increased lethality of individual shoulder-fired weapons, …

Abstract The author argues that the hype surrounding the supposedly unique characteristics and workplace demands of ‘Generation Y’ deserves closer critical analysis. He questions those within the Army and the Australian Defence Force who use the simplifications of ‘generationalism’ as the basis for making long-term strategic workforce management decisions. He concludes by outlining five common workforce needs that might be expressed differently in each generation but which remain at the foundation of …

TO THE EDITORS Congratulations on publishing, in the Winter 2006 AAJ , the article by Captain Daimien Patterson entitled Army Force Structure - What has gone wrong? As a staff officer serving with HQ 1st Division, I am simultaneously impressed that Captain Patterson wants to sack me: ‘we don’t need a Division Headquarters’[1], while he also provides some excellent critical thinking on the future of our Army. This type of critical thinking should be encouraged at all levels within Army, especially if we are …

Abstract The New Zealand Army has not had experience in high-intensity urban warfighting for over sixty years. However, as Afghanistan and Iraq illustrate, stability and support operations (SASO) in a complex human environment can be just as daunting as the actual warfighting stage. It is within this enivornment that the New Zealand Army has been repeatedly successful. Analysis of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) in the province of Bamyan Central, Afghanistan, reveals the New Zealand …