Introduction At 0630 on the morning of 17 November 1943, a tremendous screeching sound cut through the air of the slopes of Sattelberg, a peak that reached some 900 metres above sea level and dominated the southern coast of the Huon Peninsula, on the north coast of New Guinea. The sounds were produced by a salvo of 4.5 inch rockets fired from a makeshift mount on a ¾ ton weapons carrier; another salvo was quickly fired, and then another. [1] It was unclear how much damage the rockets did to the Japanese …

Introduction Writing in The Lifeblood of War: Logistics in Armed Conflict, distinguished Royal Marine Major General Julian Thompson (retd), noted that for all its importance logistics usually takes a ‘back seat to the more glamorous tactics and strategy’. [1] He was not claiming that militaries do not understand logistics. Rather, he was saying that they often show a reluctance to acknowledge its importance—or devote enough time to its detailed study—vis-à-vis operational matters. As someone with active …

Introduction The intersection of land and sea both defines Australia’s borders and characterises the Australian military’s primary operating environment. With 90 per cent of the global population living within 1,000 km of a coastline (including 40 per cent living within 100 km), 90 per cent of international trade traveling between ports, and 95 per cent of global communication transmitted through submarine cables, littoral environments hold significant strategic importance. [1] Nevertheless, the conduct of …

Geography, History, and the Ongoing Utility of Land Power in Australia’s Littoral Arc — A Primer Introduction The platform for the current direction in Australia’s Defence policy was set down with the release of the 2020 Defence Strategic Update (DSU). With this document, the then Morrison Government made it clear that Australia’s strategic environment was rapidly changing, and along with it, the risks that the nation’s defence policy must manage. The DSU noted the key drivers of this revision of the …

As war has become more spacious and fighting more intricate, so victory has grown more and more dependent on a system where the leader is supported by a staff and an executive, trained to relieve him of the burden of detailed preparation and administration and to give effect to his plans by a thorough comprehension of his intentions. [1] Introduction Military advisors, often grouped as a ‘staff’, have probably existed as long as armies have had commanders. The principal role of the staff is to aid the …

Introduction In December 2022, CNN reported that Ukrainian defence officials had been lobbying for ‘many months’ to be provided with US stocks of Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICMs). While the request has not yet been satisfied, its existence indicates that Ukraine, despite its considerable military successes against Russia, considers cluster munitions to be necessary in its war effort. [1] By contrast, Australia rejected the use of cluster munitions on 4 December 2008 when Defence …

Introduction Military practitioners are undoubtedly becoming more aware of the benefits that artificial intelligence (AI) can confer on military operations. But what exactly is AI? Popular media would have us imagine swarms of killer drones, unmanned vehicles such as personnel carriers, planes, tanks or even robots (maybe not unlike the droid armies from Star Wars). While no single definition for AI exists, there is a common understanding that AI is a programmed system that learns by itself, or can ‘learn …

Introduction A 2020 paper published in the Australian Army Journal (AAJ) outlined that the success of the Australian Defence Force Gap Year—Army (ADFGY-A) program that ran from 2007 to 2012 was not as clear as the rhetoric of the day suggested. [1] A low transfer rate into the Permanent Force coupled with ambiguity around its purpose gave reasonable cause to question whether the program represented value for money or whether it was even effective as an alternative avenue of entry. After a hiatus of three …

Reducing Injury and Medical Discharge Rates Introduction In August 2017, national news headlines about Army recruitment standards caused a stir and led to many emotionally charged discussions across the country. These headlines included ‘“Political Correctness Gone Mad”: Australian Army Told Not to Recruit MEN as Part of a Gender War to Push to Have More Women Soldiers', [1] ‘“PC Gone Mad”: Army, Air Force, Navy Bans Men in Bid to Boost Women’ [2] and ‘Australian Army Reportedly Shuns Male Recruits in …

Introduction Although there are many pathways to becoming an officer in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), this essay focuses specifically on the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) located in Canberra. ADFA’s Charter is: To provide Australian Defence Force Midshipmen and Officer Cadets, and other international partners, a balanced and liberal university education within a military context and environment; positively develop their character, leadership and professionalism; and enable them to build a …