Living and Thriving Under Ambiguity
Luke Houghton and Jennifer Loy
Griffith University
Defence can only achieve an intellectual edge if its members are consistently engaged and curious.
The onset of the war in Ukraine saw one of the most dramatic shifts in combined arms warfare since the introduction of the machine gun. This shift is attributed to the wide scale introduction of drones to the modern battlefield (Kagan et al, 2024). Principally the conflict is demonstrating drones pioneering new capabilities in reconnaissance, close air support and strategic strike with virtually zero risk to the operator.
Space as a Strategic Geography
Pete Wooding
Australian Defence Force
For several decades, the relationship between Australia and India seemed limited to Commonwealth, cricket and curry.
The RAAF's Frozen Middle Part Two
Dylan Williamson
Australian Defence Force
The 'poor man's air force' is a term for employing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hobbyist drones or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to strategic level military effect, and that effect cannot be understated (Waters, 2018; Nadeau, 2022; Shift, 2023). The ability for terror organisations to coordinate multiple layers of effects, including using COTS drones, to destroy Command and Control (C2) nodes in Israel causes alarm. Couple this with the use of COTS drones for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike and battle-damage assessment missions, and the threat posed by what are essentially toys is alarmingly real.
Decreasing Reliance on Fossil Fuels to Increase Defence Capability
Benjamin Cole
Australian Defence Force
When was the last time you were faced with a problem that no one in the history of humankind has ever been able to define a clear solution?
As humans venture further and further into space, we begin to encounter more and more challenges, with increasing levels of complexity. Just as the early explorers ventured past the horizon, we now attempt a similar adventure by reaching deeper and deeper into space. While there may be a myriad of unknown problems waiting ahead of us, we are called upon as professionals to solve the ones immediately ahead of us.
