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Supported by the Army Research Scheme, Dr Charles Miller conducted a review of the significance of cultural sensitivity training. His method of research and the results of his findings are contained within this article. This article will challenge your opinion of the way in which our Army conducts and manages cultural sensitivity training. And challenge is a good thing. We are all, by virtue of our voluntary service in the Australian Army, students of the profession of arms. This study requires us to value …

Abstract The rapid advances in robotic technologies and the successful use of existing unmanned and autonomous platforms has generated significant debate on the use of autonomous weapon systems (AWS). The debates surrounding AWS have centred primarily on legal and ethical concerns and also whether machines can ever emulate the psychology of the human decision-making process. Incredibly, this discourse occurs in the absence of a common or accepted legal definition of ‘AWS’, including what criteria or …

Abstract Over the past decade, interest in human enhancement has waxed and waned. The initial surge of interest and funding, driven by the US Army’s desire for a ‘Future Force Warrior’ has partly given way to the challenges of meeting operational demands abroad. However the ethical opportunities provided by soldier enhancement demand that investigation of its possibilities continue. Benefits include enhanced decision-making, improved force capability, reduced force size and lower casualty rates. These …

Listed below is a selection from the review copies that have arrived at the Australian Army Journal . Reviews for many of these books can be found online in the relevant edition of the Australian Army Journal at: http://www.defence.gov.au/army/lwsc/Australian_Army_Journal.asp East Asian Multilateralism: Prospects for Regional Stability , Kent E Calder and Francis Fukuyama (eds), The John Hopkins University Press, ISBN 9780801088496, 281 pp. (Distributed in Australia by Footprint Books)   Military Ethics , …

China’s Rise and the Balance of Influence in Asia By: William W Keller and Thomas G Rawski (eds.),  University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2007, 284 pp. America and China: Asia-Pacific Rim Hegemony in the Twenty-First Century,  By: Randall Doyle,  Lexington Books, Plymouth, 2007, 199 pp. ‘China’s rise’ is an increasingly prevalent term used by academics, politicians, political commentators and economists alike to describe China’s rapid emergence in recent decades as an economic, political and military …

Abstract This article examines the enlistment of indigenous people into the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. Despite official prohibitions, the author estimates that close to a thousand Indigenous men eventually enlisted. The author demonstrates how their attempts were made easier as racial prejudices gave way in the face of the authorities’ purely pragmatic concern with replacing the AIF’s appalling losses of 1916 and 1917. Three of these Indigenous enlistees—the Blackman …

Abstract This article examines Israel’s capacity for deterrence. Unlike classical deterrence, where the use of force constitutes failure, the differing cost-benefit calculus of irregular enemies means that Israel must occasionally exercise its military power to demonstrate that it retains the will to act when not existentially threatened. While Israel’s ability to deter conventional and nuclear attacks from its state-based neighbours remains strong, the author finds that its capability to deter non-state …

Abstract This article examines the use and effectiveness of retention bonuses in the Australian Army. These bonuses have been implemented at considerable expense despite the absence of a solid basis of empirical research regarding either their effectiveness or the potentially unintended consequences that can arise from their payment. The author examines each of these issues in turn and concludes that retention bonuses, despite their questionable logic and rationale, are still useful as a temporary measure …

Abstract Infantry have long aspired to the ideal of ‘one shot, one kill’ in marksmanship training, but this article proves that, especially in complex terrain, infantry are better served by employing the ‘volume of fire’ approach to psychologically dominate the enemy. Only then can the significant challenges of poor visibility and fleeting engagement opportunities be successfully overcome and manoeuvre restored to the light infantryman. In the matter-of-fact terms of Australian Army doctrine the role of …

Abstract Simply being aware of cultural ‘dos and don’ts’ is insufficient to ensure truly gainful cooperation with a host populace, especially when the Army is waging counterinsurgency campaigns in complex, urban battlespaces. Taking cultural awareness ‘to the next level’ is the subject of this article, which details lessons from the Army’s arguably expert force regarding this topic: the Regional Force Surveillance Units (RFSUs). The authors examine the major aspects of the RFSUs community engagement …