Military

Analysis and Comment (22)

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Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison has once again vowed to tackle a seemingly systemic culture of indiscretion within the ADF. AAP/Lukas Coch

Defence force sex scandals: can the culture be changed?

By Ben Wadham, Flinders University

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is again confronted by allegations of sexual humiliation and denigration of serving female members. The latest scandal involves claims that emails containing explicit…
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A teddy bear bought by murdered soldier Lee Rigby for his son, Jack, sits alongside a family photograph. PA/Dave Thompson

Making soldiers safe at home is essential for mental health

By Jennifer Wild, University of Oxford

The brutal killing of Drummer Lee Rigby on the streets of Woolwich has raised serious questions about the safety of our soldiers at home, and how such violence could affect their recovery from the psychological…
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The US remains the most militarily powerful nation on Earth – but will budget cuts bring it back to the fold? EPA/Zurab Kurtsikidze

Budget cuts: will American military power suffer?

By Simon Reich, Rutgers University

The maelstrom surrounding budget cuts that has engulfed the United States over the last twelve months seems no nearer to reaching a satisfactory conclusion. The U.S. Congressional House and Senate currently…
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Bob Carr, Hillary Clinton, Stephen Smith and Leon Panetta (Left to Right) at AUSMIN 2012, Perth. AAP/Theron Kirkman

US joint facilities are a threat to the national interest

By Richard Tanter, University of Melbourne

Foreign minister Bob Carr told the Australian yesterday that his top two priorities are to ensure the US is engaged in our region, and to handle Australia’s relationship with Asia better. But the “joint…
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Australia is not fulfilling its obligations to its veterans. Flickr/Another Seb

Roll call: how Australia broke the promise of remembrance

By John Cokley, Swinburne University of Technology

Ten years ago this month, John Howard’s Minister for Veteran Affairs, Danna Vale, launched a searchable internet database known as the World War 2 Nominal Roll. It was intended to be a virtual war memorial…
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The Legged Squad Support System has been designed to accompany war fighters into battle. Boston Dynamics

Meet Boston Dynamics' LS3 – the latest robotic war machine

By Katina Michael

On first viewing Boston Dynamics' latest creation, the LS3 (Legged Squad Support System), I could not help but be taken back to the AT-AT (All Terrain Armoured Transport) walker, as depicted in the Star…
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The links between the military and disability sport are being cast anew. Corporal Jamie Osborne, Department of Defence

The military and the modern Paralympic movement

By Ian Stuart Brittain, Coventry University

In the past five or six years there has been a marked increase in the overt use of disability sport in the rehabilitation of soldiers injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – which, in a sense, is…
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Australian troops with Afghan elders in Uruzgan province. AAP/Department of Defence

Friend or foe: green on blue killings in Afghanistan

By Ben Wadham, Flinders University

Reports are coming in this morning that five* Australian troops have been killed in Uruzgan province in Afghanistan. But instead of falling victim to an IED, signature weapon of this long running conflict…
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The Australian government denies a US aircraft carrier will be based near Perth. AAP/US Department of Defence

Memo Stephen Smith: there are US bases in Australia and they are expanding

By Richard Tanter, University of Melbourne

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has been saying long and loud that there are no US military bases in Australia, and that anyone who says otherwise is misinformed. Last week, after Australian media reported…
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The dead soldier’s funeral holds an important place in our society. (AAP Image/Australian Department of Defence, LS Andrew Dakin)

From religion to patriotism: how we see the death of a soldier

By Matthew Beard

Another Australian soldier has tragically lost his life while on his seventh tour in Afghanistan. The 40 year-old special forces soldier from Perth was shot while on a counter-insurgency operation in the…
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The boundary between the military and everyday life is being eroded by videogames. gelle.dk

Anders Breivik, videogames and the militarisation of society

By John Martino, Victoria University

The ongoing trial of Norwegian right-wing extremist Anders Breivik has generated a great deal of media coverage, public debate and analysis. Much of this has focused on claims made by Breivik that he…
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US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said the images are an aberration, but evidence points to the contrary. EPA/Michael Reynolds

Afghan body part photos a grim reminder of how war has changed

By Kevin McDonald, Victoria University

Once again we are confronted with disturbing images coming out of a war zone, this time of American troops posing for trophy shots with the body parts of alleged Afghan suicide bombers, published by the…
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It’s unlikely the war hero would be fazed by Styne’s comments, but the public was appalled. AAP/Martin Philbey/Australian War Memorial

Yumi and Ben: the militarisation of Australia and the democratisation of hate

By Ben Wadham, Flinders University

Last week the world became a very scary place for television host Yumi Stynes when she quipped that Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, looking buffed, ripped and tattooed in a public…
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Burma’s military junta has held on to power through violence and intimidation for 50 years. EPA/Rungroj Yongrit

The Burma question: is reform possible after 50 years of military control?

By Anthony Ware, Deakin University

Today marks the 50th anniversary of military control over the Burmese state, marking half a century of the Junta’s tight, often brutal grip on power. But within the last year, there have been shifts towards…
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Argentinian President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is part of a renewed push to reclaim the Falkland Islands. EPA/Leo La Valle

Bald men and combs: the Cameron-Kirchner Falklands showdown

By Binoy Kampmark, RMIT University

Argentinean wordsmith Jorge Luis Borges could be cryptic. But his powers of perception were always daunting. Borges came up with an excellent description of the 10 week conflict in 1982 that took place…
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Are Australia’s Collins class a feat of engineering genius or an expensive boondoggle? iStock

In deep water: where now for the Collins class submarines?

By Hamza Bendemra

In 2011 Minister for Defence Stephen Smith announced a review on the Sustainment of Australia’s Collins Class submarines. The review is led by John Coles, an independent expert from BMT Defence Services…
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Suspect Bradley Manning is accused of “aiding the enemy” and faces court martial by a US military court. EPA/BradleyManning.org/

Defending Private Manning: Wikileaks suspect has his day in court

By Harry Melkonian

The controversy over Wikileaks will today, at least temporarily, shift its focus from the website’s founder Julian Assange to suspected informant Private First Class Bradley Manning. Today Manning will…
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2500 US Marines will be deployed near Darwin in coming years, but we could also see an expanded American military presence elsewhere in northern Australia. AAP/Malone

History repeating: Australian military power in the Cocos Islands

By Liam McHugh, Curtin University

Negotiations are underway that could see some the US military’s most advanced drone aircraft based on the Australian Indian Ocean territory of the Cocos Islands. Combined with discussions around having…
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Coptic Christians have long been discriminated against in Egypt, but the violence against them, and the government response to it, signals concerns for democracy in the country. EPA/Mohamed Omar

Democracy in peril: Egypt’s handling of Coptic unrest

By Anthony Billingsley

The violence in Egypt involving Coptic demonstrators, military units and unidentified thugs shocked the country and rang alarms about prospects for transition to democracy. Egypt is going through a revolution…
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Some groups in Karachi have demanded the army takes to the streets to restore law and order. EPA/Rehan Khan

Karachi violence putting NATO troops in Afghanistan at risk

By Claude Rakisits, Deakin University

There is a threat to Nato forces in Afghanistan which the world is ignoring. Violent gangs have been killing indiscriminately in Karachi, the Pakistani city vital to the supply chain which sustains ISAF…

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Research Briefs (2)

PTSD may not manifest during combat

Texas A+M

Combat soldiers deployed in the field report similar mental health status to their age and gender equivalents who remain…

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