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Abstract This article argues that Improvised Explosive Devices are robots. In declining to make this connection, Western militaries have been blind to their adversaries’ use of robot-enabled warfare. The effect has been to render Western soldiers tactically and operationally reactive, and on the wrong end of attrition warfare. The resolution lies in understanding how robots are supervised, and how a robot-enabled force can enable its personnel to out-adapt their human foes. Introduction The rapid fielding …

Abstract Adaptive Campaigning – Army’s Future Land Operations Concept is a wake up call for the Army and ADF as a whole, as it seeks to generate effects in the modern complex operational environment. A core element of the concept is the requirement to recognise and utilise the global information environment to support operations. While the concept in various versions has been available for some time, Army has yet to fully embrace the capabilities already resident within its organisation to focus on winning …

Abstract This article argues that, while the nine core behaviours are an excellent base for our soldiers, it is perhaps time to consider enhancing their skills to ensure they are better prepared for the dual factors of an operationally busy Army and competitive enemies. This article proposes the Enterprising Soldier model, to provide the Australian Army and the Land Force with a capability edge over known and anticipated enemies, which takes the Australian soldier beyond Army’s nine core behaviours. This …

Abstract John Boyd is a military theorist who achieved significant influence on military thought with his renowned OODA Loop. His thoughts evolved during the Cold War, but he did consider guerrilla and irregular warfare. The majority of his work dealt with this security environment as his frame of reference. The author believes that Boyd’s work remains relevant to the contemporary security environment. Boyd’s approach to strategy is articulated and then discussed using the 9/11 Commission Report as a tool …

Abstract This article reviews the 2006 US Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual along with two major historical works on counterinsurgency. The author does not seek to present a precis of each work. Instead selected threads from each work are drawn out to pose the question: Are these works milestones that further our understanding of counterinsurgency or millstones that place impossible burdens on us? While other books and operational experiences have contributed significantly to the corpus of …

Abstract In the second half of 2009, two Australian officers served at the Headquarters of the United States Marine Corps 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2d MEB) in Southern Helmand Province, Afghanistan. During this period the 2d MEB conducted significant offensive and counterinsurgency operations. This article focuses on one of these operations—EASTERN RESOLVE II—to act as a snapshot of 2d MEB activities and to draw lessons from the USMC experience for Australian Army audiences. In August 2009 the 2d …

Congratulations to the Army Journal and Lieutenant Colonel Jason Thomas for publishing the article ‘Adaptive Campaigning – Is it Adaptive Enough?’. 1 I found the article both thought provoking and informative. I must declare some interests in writing this letter. First, as Director Future Land Warfare and Strategy (FLWS) in 2008–09 my Directorate authored Adaptive Campaigning – Future Land Operating Concept , which is the subject of criticism in Jason Thomas’ article. Any flaws in Adaptive Campaigning are …

Abstract ‘Wool Gathering in the CO’s Office’ is an article in two parts. Firstly it proposes a model for the Psychological Contract between Army and its personnel, and postulates that a fundamental role of commanders is to uphold this contract. Secondly, it provides a series of discrete observations about the practice of command at unit level. The author’s aim is to share his experiences in order to assist future COs and provide them with a head start on their own journey of command. I was privileged to …

Abstract The Australian Overwatch Battlegroup (West)-3 provided operational overwatch to two Iraqi provinces in 2007. A small but important part of the battlegroup staff was a CIMIC (civil-military cooperation) team that supported the Commander with civil-military liaison and the planning of consent winning activities. The superficial ‘hearts and minds’ commentary that accompanies the public face of CIMIC projects often belies the true extent, nature and contribution of CIMIC. In essence, every CIMIC …

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. Terrorism and Global Security: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives , Anne Aly, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2011, ISBN 9781420256406, 306 pp, RRP AU$59.95. In this book, Senior Lecturer in terrorism …