Pacific 360°: Australia’s Battle for Survival in World War II 1   Written by: Roland Perry, Hachette, 2012, ISBN 9780733632778, 512pp   Reviewed by: Wing Commander Mark Smith When I first pick up a book I usually read the cover flap to gain some understanding of its subject matter. The cover flap of Roland Perry’s Pacific 360° told me that, ‘In the dark days following the 1941 fall of Singapore ... Churchill was demanding our troops stay in North Africa and Greece ...’ This did not bode well! Next, with …

Abstract Threat forces are becoming increasingly familiar with the capabilities of information and communications technology devices. Given their ability to store and rapidly disseminate data and information, these devices will only become more prevalent in the battlespace. While they have been exploited as methods of intelligence- gathering and within intelligence-led operations, little attention has been paid to the potential use of digital evidence in the prosecution of offenders. This article will …

Abstract Army’s incremental approach to the ingress of women into combat roles is arguably incompatible with its objective of achieving increased operational capability. This approach will also take too long to make a meaningful contribution to operational capability. This article argues that Army should consider altering its current approach by raising a predominantly female infantry battalion instead of relying on an incremental model. This would deliver a more tangible capability in a shorter time-frame …

Abstract Recent operations would have us believe that Combat Service Support (CSS) personnel have not previously been required to protect themselves. On closer examination it seems that throughout history, support services of armies have been targeted by enemy forces. These lessons are somewhat conveniently forgotten as armies only equip and train their fighting echelons for close combat while largely ignoring the requirement in CSS units. Contemporary and past operations have demonstrated that danger is …

Abstract After 12 years of conflict, it is not surprising that many are beginning to ask what Australia has achieved in Afghanistan and whether Australians have really made a difference. The latter question is less pertinent for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as, what happens in the years to come is largely a matter for the population of Afghanistan. What should concern the ADF however, is what it can learn from its longest war and its most dynamic foe. This article seeks to build on James Brown’s …

Anzac’s Long Shadow James Brown, Redback, 2014, ISBN 978163956390, 192pp, $19.99 Defence analyst and former army officer James Brown believes that Australia is expending too much time, money and emotion on the Anzac legend, and that today’s soldiers are suffering for it. Vividly evoking the war in Afghanistan, Brown reveals the experience of the modern soldier. He looks closely at the companies and clubs that trade on the Anzac story. He shows that Australians spend a lot more time looking after dead …

Kidnap in Crete Rick Stroud, Bloomsbury, 2014 ISBN 9781408851753, 288pp, $32.99 In 1941 the German army invaded the strategically important Mediterranean island with the largest airborne force in history. The years of Nazi occupation that followed saw mass executions, widespread starvation and the brutal destruction of homes – but amid the horror, the Cretan resistance, the Andartes, with the support of a handful of British SOE agents, fought on heroically. This is the story of the abduction of General …

Abstract The theories of Sir Basil Liddell Hart are a ready staple of Australian doctrine. Indeed they arguably represented the most significant influence on Australian military doctrine between the 1970s and the 1990s, the period in which the Australian Army developed its first independent and operational-level doctrine. This article will examine Liddell Hart’s influence on the Army’s doctrine development and the continuing relevance of his signature theories which espoused two specific military ideas. …

Abstract This paper contends that the three primal constituents of the military art — strategy, tactics and logistics — must be united within the Australian Army’s future concepts. If history is any guide, this will be a significant challenge for the Army’s modernisation and planning. Yet the marriage of these components is not new. Indeed, Baron Antoine-Henri Jomini emphasised the inseparable nature of logistics, strategy and tactics in his classic work The Art of War . Other authors also argue that …

Abstract This article examines the role and use of one of the largest and most flexible sub-units in a combat brigade, the armoured personnel carrier (APC) squadron. It contends that, without a better understanding of all aspects of the combat brigade across the land force, the Army may not utilise its combat assets to best effect. Based on the author’s personal experience, the article explains the best use of an APC squadron and contrasts the armoured mobility of the APC with the protected lift provided …