Abstract Dissatisfied with its soldiers’ physical readiness for combat, the US Army has recently conducted a sweeping review of its physical training program. To a degree, the rise of innovative fitness programs such as CrossFit influenced this review. This article contends that the theory and practice of physical training in the Australian Army requires review. The CrossFit strength and conditioning program offers an innovative prism through which to identify opportunities for improvement. Specifically …

Abstract There is currently a gap in foreign engagement that threatens to degrade the high level of cultural awareness now required by Army. Similarly, there are a number of programs existing in and available to Army that could be drawn upon to empower a new specialisation similar to the United States military Foreign Area Officer. This article examines the possibilities and advantages of such a stream and offers some proposals for starting a venture in this direction. Introduction A number of articles …

Abstract In response to the 2009 Defence White Paper, the Australian Army is developing the Army Objective Force 2030 concept based on the 1st, 3rd and 7th manoeuvre brigades. This article examines the extant Army Aviation capability and identifies that due to its size and structure it is unable to effectively support this emerging force. This article argues that in order to fully embrace the Army Objective Force concept, radical change may be required within the Army Aviation capability and the …

Abstract This article argues that the Military Appreciation Process (MAP) does not support adaptation or complex problem solving, which are fundamental requirements of contemporary operations. An alternative model is presented that would preserve most existing doctrine while facilitating a shift away from linearity and prescription in favour of concurrency and description. How often people speak of art and science as though they were two entirely different things, with no interconnection. An artist is …

Abstract In order to best synchronise operations in Kandahar Province in 2009–10, Canada implemented the Battlespace Commander concept, where one military commander, partnered with Afghan government elements, became responsible for all security, reconstruction, governance and development in each district. A number of critical lessons remained a constant thread throughout one combat team’s deployment to Kandahar’s Dand District. While operations in other theatres and future conflicts will present challenges …

Abstract Success in counterinsurgency requires a careful balance between the ability to win the support of the people, and a finely honed close combat ability which can crush the enemy with precision whenever and wherever the opportunity arises. This article examines these issues from a commander’s perspective with a focus on counterinsurgency operations in Uruzgan in the second half of 2009. In doing so it focuses on two primary areas in which MRTF-2 modified its operational techniques: dispersed …

Abstract This article examines the role of culture in an insurgency and critically analyses the way that counterinsurgency operations address culture. Essentially, the article argues that Western counterinsurgency warfare generally assumes that the culture of a nation beset by an insurgency will adapt to population-centric approaches made by the counterinsurgent force. This assumption is the result of a fundamental mismatch between the theoretical/ideological underpinnings of counterinsurgency theory and a …

Abstract The fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan has lasted for almost eight years now—longer than even the Second World War. The author argues that in this time, progress has been made, but that it has been made against a tide that now threatens to wash away the modest gains so bitterly made. Australian forces have been making gains in their sector, but with the Dutch contingent expected to leave sooner rather than later, the author insists that only a significantly increased Australian presence will …

The flight comes into view. Nine machines, enough to lift the whole company. Purple smoke marks the landing zone as the helicopters wheel over the jungle perimeter and ease themselves fussily onto the ground. The soldiers emerge from the nearby trees and clamber aboard, section by section, awkward with their heavy packs and weapons. Together with others of the company headquarters group, the captain is assigned to the lead helicopter. The flight is airborne again within five minutes. Aloft, the deafening …

Abstract One of the enduring challenges of the war in Afghanistan has been the synchronised delivery of sustained population protection with robust good governance, development, and reconstruction efforts. Beginning in 2009, the United States began to send additional resources to Afghanistan in order to adopt a population-centric counterinsurgency strategy. Significant efforts were made to better organise US and NATO military forces to implement this strategy and the US Embassy also sought to better …