Abstract This article reflects on the operation of the Australian Army’s 1st Reconstruction Task Force, which deployed to Afghanistan’s Uruzgan Province in August 2006. The author highlights the importance of civil affairs, such as reconstruction, education and capacity-building, in an overall counterinsurgency effort. As for the character of our enemies, they have been unusually ruthless and nihilistic. Their only purpose in violence has been to tear down, not to build up an alternative vision they …

Abstract While the experience in Iraq has generated a degree of political caution in the West towards mounting military-led interventions, it will inevitably only be a matter of time before fading memory and circumstances reverse this reluctance; this article offers a conceptual construct for such deployments. It first considers the nature of military-led interventions intended to effect regime change, and then develops a conceptual construct for reconstruction and societal reform that intervention forces …

Abstract At its highest operational tempo since the Vietnam War, the Australian Army in 2006 was deployed widely for a range of tasks. Two of these, East Timor and Solomon Islands, were short-notice deployments to provide security and stability for regional neighbours. The lessons of these missions, explored in this article, relate to the nature of the contemporary conflict environment, operating with international and interagency partners, the role of the media, and the skills that Army soldiers require …

Abstract This article reflects on the increased prominence of ISTAR and reviews the spectrum of ISTAR functions for land-based operations, demonstrating the effects of networked technology and the need for improved ISTAR management for complex warfighting. These developments indicate that a visionary repositioning of ISTAR within Army’s warfighting concepts is called for to harness the greater significance and growing range of ISTAR capabilities. A way ahead is offered to better manage the ISTAR functions …

Abstract As our modern army is called upon to operate in complex battlespaces against non-traditional enemies, or to undertake activities other than traditional warfighting, is the training provided to Staff Cadets applicable to the situations junior commanders will face in their future careers? This article assesses the Part Time General Service Officer First Appointment Course and highlights possible changes that would make it more relevant to the challenges facing junior officers today. It is 1130 …

Abstract In a post-Cold War, post-11 September world, the field of biosecurity has increased, both in importance and scope, as a concern for military and civilian authorities. This article explores some of those nascent threats, and their implications for military forces. Introduction In the immediate aftermath of the attacks of 11 September 2001, the threats posed by the new world order that emerged shifted Defence and First Response agencies out of their post–Cold War comfort zone. Familiar threats, …

Abstract As the contemporary battlespace evolves, consideration needs to be given to the requirements for Army Health. This article critiques the existing structure and use of health capabilities in the Army and suggests future developments to improve how Army cares for the medical needs of its members against the backdrop of complex warfighting. I went over to Brizzo, who was still alive at this time. He was laying down and he had no wounds from his knackers up, but every square inch of his legs was just …

Abstract This article, based on the 2006 Australian War Memorial Anniversary Oration, examines a recent issue in the Australian military history debate, the idea of the Battle for Australia. The author challenges the reality of the Battle for Australia and locates how and why such a grand narrative emerges into a nation’s consciousness. For Australia, 1942 was the year of greatest losses, a year of crises confronted and overcome. It was a year in which war briefly touched Australia’s shores. What does this …

Abstract The author contends that significant gains are being made against the insurgency in Iraq, especially in the political realm and in light of the recent ‘surge strategy’, and yet these advances are poorly reported in Western media. At the same time, domestic pressures are growing within the United States and Coalition partners for withdrawal timetables regardless of Iraqi stability and self-sufficiency. Consequently, the author argues, a precipitous withdrawal would create greater chaos and loss of …

Letter to the Editor In his 2006 Australian War Memorial Oration, Dr. Stanley questions that there ever was a Battle for Australia. Instead, he attempts to decry the emergence of a concept that thousands have embraced but which few historians have endorsed. He believes it is an idea that has captured popular imagination but is too restricted in concept and generally ill-conceived. I do not agree. The commemoration of the Battle for Australia seeks to ensure that the knowledge and understanding of the …