Written by: Hall Gardner and Oleg Kobtegg (eds), Ashgate, Farnham, 2012, ISBN 9780754678267, 664pp     Reviewed by: Dr David Connery, Deputy Director (Strategy and Development) National Security College, Australian National University This is a book for the very serious student of war. As befits the title ‘research companion’, this volume of collected works on the topic of war by Professors Hall Gardner and Oleg Kobtzeff of the American University of Paris provides a detailed exposition of the causes of …

  Written by: Aaron L Friedberg WW Norton & Company, New York, 2011, ISBN 9780393068283, 360pp,   Reviewed by: Dr Michael Lankowski, Strategic Policy Division, Department of Defence The relationship between China and the United States is crucial to our region’s strategic stability and a central concern in Australian defence and security policy debates. In A Contest for Supremacy, Professor Aaron Friedberg provides a broad assessment of the Sino-US relationship, highlighting the growing risks for the United …

Assessing Civilian Employer/Manager Support for Employees’ Part-time Military Service   … Drawing on Reserves …

Assessing Civilian Employer/Manager Support for Employees’ Part-time Military Service Over the past decade, there has been an increasing recognition of the importance of the Australian Army Reserves for Defence capability and greater utilisation of individual reservists and reserve units for major conflict deployments and humanitarian operations. However, as foreshadowed in the Australian Defence Strategic Review recommendation for “[a] comprehensive strategic review of the ADF Reserves…” there are …

Abstract This article examines the origins and implications for Australia of the US concept AirSea Battle. It argues that the US preparations for AirSea Battle will shape warfare in Australia’s region and will require a refocusing of the preparation of the ADF. Introduction In mid-2010, Washington-based think tank The Center of Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) published A irSea Battle: A Point-of-Departure Operational Concept , which prescribed an approach through which the United States should …

Abstract Counter-nation networks pose a serious threat to national sovereignty. How nations cope with these complex adaptive systems within the global system represents one of the most serious challenges faced by nation-states. This article will discuss the elements that comprise a complex adaptive system and suggest a counter-system approach through which they can be defeated as part of a national security strategy. A systems-based approach is the only effective way to manage and defeat these …

Abstract This article has been written to address the poor application of planning processes by junior commanders. Decision-making is explored through the biological functions of the human brain to understand what occurs at the fundamental level of decision. This will demonstrate how junior commanders can harness this knowledge to improve their military decisionmaking. The article explains the importance of both analytical and instinctive processes that occur during decision-making, concluding that …

Abstract This article explores what kind of ‘Swiss Army Knife’ Australia’s future land force should look like in relation to its foundation warfighting capability. This discussion is crucial amid ongoing debates about the ‘Army After Afghanistan’. In one respect, developing a niche specialisation in Army’s skill sets is appealing for the potential monetary, time and other resource-efficiency savings. Yet, given a future operating environment that is generally predicted to be complex, uncertain and varied …

Abstract The Australian Army is on the cusp of its most challenging period since the end of the Vietnam War. Following twelve years of unprecedented operational tempo, Army is steadily shifting towards a ‘peacetime army’. Its training focus has shifted from attaining expertise in counterinsurgency operations towards achieving mastery in combined arms warfare. It has entered a period of fiscal austerity. The future will not be easy. This article will argue that Army can readily, confidently and successfully …

Listed below is 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. Charles A Kupchan, How Enemies Becomes Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace , Princeton University Press, 2012, ISBN 9780691154381, 442pp, US$24.95 Using historical case studies as evidence Kupchan …