The Future of the Australian Army

The army of an island nation will always be either a purely defensive force or an expeditionary one. For most of our short history, Australian armies have been expeditionary, and they have been the principal instrument of Australian strategic policy. But that ended after Vietnam, when for the first time Australia's key defence objective became the direct and independent defence of the island-continent. This was a job for the Navy and the Air Force, with Army required only to round up any small enemy forces that might evade the air and naval defences. Expeditionary operations were no longer a priority, and the Army's role became secondary and purely defensive.