Recent remarks by Scott Morrisons, Prime Minister AnnouncementThe plan to increase the size the Australian Defence Force to 80,000 uniformed personnel in 2040 is a reflection of the significant change that Australia’s strategic outlook will see over the next few decades. The announcement came at a time when there were a number of ADF initiatives. DeploymentsAustralia: There are approximately 1,700 people to support the aged sector and more than 5,00 to help with flood relief in Queensland, New South Wales.
The government clarified that it intends to continue funding the ADF for high-end warfare involving large capability acquisitions. The plan to increase ADF’s capacity for community aid seems to not include any provision.
The trend of governments calling on the ADF to provide domestic support for emergencies within and beyond Australia’s borders has been ongoing for decades. As the climate change impacts in Australia and the region worsen, these concurrent requirements for the ADF will only grow.
The Constitution enshrines the defense role. Defence Act 1903As defending and protecting the nation from foreign forces. The act also allows the government the ability to call the ADF for other purposes. Defences makes it easy for state and territory governments in order to request emergency assistance. policy on assistance to civil society.
We see a resurgence of the questions governments and Defence ask when the ADF is used in these roles on a regular basis. This is an example of how the ADF’s high-end warfighting capabilities can be best used. What is Defence’s core function in Australian society?
Australia has traditionally answered the core role question with warfighting. However, it is worth considering this answer. The ADF is often asked to support domestic crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, catastrophic bushfires, and floods. It is one of the most well-trained and equipped institutions in Australia. However, the ADF is not structured to fulfill that role fully. Virtually all ADF platforms and units are not designed to provide civilian assistance. This is why it is necessary to use capabilities that have been acquired, developed, and sustained for other purposes.
There is a deeper conceptual problem. The temptation to view interstate competition as warfighting or civil aid can lead you to fall into the trap of interpreting it through a war- or peace lens. Over the past decade, we have seen that such thinking exposes Australia and other countries to malicious actors who routinely use their military in the grey zone, which is below the threshold of conflict or between traditional conceptions about war and peace. In the absence of an open conflict declaration, such constructs can lead to the ADF’s high end warfighting capabilities becoming ineffective in grey-zone battles.
The ADF’s role in the government’s thinking seems to be evolving beyond the traditional war-peace dichotomy. The ADF was given three tasks in the 2020 defense strategic update: shape, deter, and respond. These two tasks have been traditionally the responsibility of Australia’s military. The first is now at the same level. This has not yet had an impact on investment or force structure decision making, but it shows that the government views the ADF daily as a tool of government that shapes the optimal regional environment long before any conflict might occur.
Every day, culture wins over strategy. How does professional military culture view the ADF’s role? The debate on the role of militaries within the Australian civilmilitary organization seems to be relatively recent scantBut there’s a rich discussion on this subject in the American Civilmilitary Community. These are just three examples from three prominent scholars who have shaped the debate.
In his 1957 book The soldier and the stateSamuel P. Huntington, a political scientist believes that the central competence of officership lies in the management of violence. Because he believes the only role of the military is to conduct wars on behalf society.
Morris Janowitz, an American sociologe, published his first book in 1960 The professional soldierAs a response to Huntington. Janowitz claims that the American army is facing a duality between the heroic and managerial leaders, whom he views as the absoluteists, as well as the pragmatic leaders, who are seen as the pragmatists. He says that the military profession evolved from managing violence to be a dynamic bureaucratic structure. He suggests that the US military could have a constabulary role.
Charles Moskos, an American socioologist, suggested a pluralistic model of the military. He suggested that some sections of the military were similar to the civil sector, such a unit with uniformed lawyers and doctors. Some sections of the military did not resemble civil sector, such as combat units, which were primarily designed to fight. Moskoss model drew harsh criticismIt was argued that it created two military units and hampered the organisation’s professionalism and effectiveness by taking it away from its core function.
This disagreement shows that the US military’s role was not established even after its enormous success in World War II, an archetypal convention war. The more complex strategic environment that we are facing today makes it difficult to determine the core role of military personnel. ConceptsLike war and peace.
A clear understanding and appreciation of the ADF’s core role is crucial in a defense system that favours a platform-centric view. This means that Defence forms its identity with, forms itself around, acquires its equipment, and trains to fulfill its core function.
In recent years, Defence was given the freedom to review its force structure, and equip itself to adapt to changing environments. It has the potential to make itself irrelevant from directed tasks by reorganizing and equipping itself.
In today’s complex strategic context, shaping is as important to Defence as deterring or responding in today’s world. The government appears to have indicated it will continue to seek ADF assistance for civil assistance.
Civil assistance capabilities have the potential to be useful for a wide range of non-warfighting activities off the coast. They will also be more relevant in the face security concerns that arise from climate change. The ADF will have to view its force structure in this light. This will ensure that Defence supports government in ensuring security and prosperity for the nation over the long-term.