The war with Japan had been enacted in the game rooms at the War College by so many people and in so many different ways that nothing that happened during the war was a surprise … except the kamikaze tactics toward the end of the war. We had not visualized these. Fleet Admiral Nimitz 1 Abstract Unrestricted wargames can build confidence, test mental models, and provide a method to create military experiences outside of live exercises and direct combat operations. By pitting an individual or group against …

Abstract Historically, the Australian Army has been precluded from a role in deterrence, but recent documents indicate that the Australian Government no longer wants its Army occupying a strategic backseat when it comes to deterring actions against Australia’s interests. At the same time, integrating mobile long-range, land-based rocket artillery will be inherently complicated, and needs a strategic community of teams to forge these systems into an accepted and credible deterrent. In moving to ‘ride …

Abstract As a Military Self Defence Instructor, I have noted over the last five years a variation in levels of enthusiasm towards this fundamental skill set. Commanders and Physical Training Instructors alike have demonstrated everything from willing acceptance to total indifference. This article aims to generate discussion at all rank levels as to the success or not of Military Self Defence within the Australian Defence Force, to look critically at what has been achieved and, most importantly, propose …

Abstract The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the role a conventional parachute capability can have in modern expeditionary operations. It will argue that a conventional parachute capability is still viable and relevant in the Australian Defence Force, either as a single capability or in support of the amphibious capability, particularly in regard to the force required to undertake modern expeditionary operations. In addition, this article will query the viability of the development of the …

Abstract The recently endorsed and released Adaptive Campaigning  had been cited as ‘fundamental to achieving the Adaptive Army’. The late Colonel John Boyd, USAF, famed for his work on the ‘OODA loop’ also conducted a considerable amount of research on adaptation in times of conflict and peace. This article reviews the lessons that Army could learn from his work. The article also argues that some elements of his work have been corrupted in Adaptive Campaigning,  in particular the new ‘Adaption Cycle’ seen …

Listed below are a select group of books recently or soon to be published that either contribute to the discussions initiated in the articles in the Australian Army Journal  or on subjects that may be of interest in the near future. Some of these books may be reviewed in forthcoming editions of the Journal. David Horner, Australia’s Military History for Dummies , John Wiley & Sons, 2010, ISBN 9781742169835, 384 pp, RRP AU$45.00. War has had an enormous effect on the way Australians perceive themselves—as a …

Brigadier Phillip Jamieson Greville, CBE (1925 - 2011) Phil Greville was born in Queenscliff, the son of Staff Sergeant (later Colonel) S J Greville, OBE of the Australian Signals Corps. After schooling in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory—a consequence of the posting cycle even then—he graduated from one of the wartime courses at RMC Duntroon in December 1944 (although through illness he was not commissioned until January 1945). He served in New Guinea at the war’s end, with …

Abstract I was privileged to spend the last two years commanding the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment, and I loved every minute of it. Apart from the enjoyment of being a brigade soldier again, and the pleasure of regimental life, the exercise of command is an intellectually engaging pursuit. There was rarely much complexity in the decision-making, but with a wide sphere of influence, responsibility for a large number of people, and the need to nurture every aspect of the regiment for the long term, it was a …

Abstract Army recruits have traditionally entered the ARA straight from school with no previous military experience, a method known as ab initio entry. More recently, other avenues of entry including re-enlistment, reserve transfer, and overseas transfer have increasingly been used to augment ab initio entry. There are disadvantages in an overemphasis on non- ab initio avenues of entry, which, in our continued desire to fill vacancies and achieve recruiting targets, are often overlooked. This article …

Abstract This article argues that the Australian Defence Force Academy, by virtue of its original charter, access to resources and duration of its officer training course, offers a unique and unrealised suite of opportunities yet to be fully realised and harnessed toward ADF capability. The author offers practical suggestions for implementing a number of ready, command-led measures for directing the academy toward this end, thereby increasing graduates’ contributions to Defence capability across the …