Joint by Design: The Evolution of Australian Defence Strategy

by Robbin Laird

Overview

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the prime minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, launched a new defense and security strategy for Australia. This strategy reset puts Australia on the path of enhanced defense capabilities. The change represents a serious shift in its policies towards China, and in reworking alliance relationships going forward. "Joint by Design" is a book about Australia, but it is about the significant shift facing the liberal democracies in meeting the challenge of dealing with the 21st century authoritarian powers. The strategic shift from land wars to full spectrum crisis management requires liberal democracies to have forces lethal enough, survivable enough, and agile enough to support full spectrum crisis management. The book provides an overview of the evolution of Australian defence modernization over the past seven years, and the strategic shift underway.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781098342876
Publisher:	BookBaby
Publication date:	12/20/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	330
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

A long-time analyst of global defense issues, Robbin Laird has worked in the U.S. Government and several think tanks, including the Center for Naval Analysis and the Institute for Defense Analysis. He is a Columbia University alumnus, where he taught and worked for several years at the Research Institute of International Change, a think tank founded by Dr. Brzezinski. He is a frequent op-ed contributor to the defense press, and he has written several books on international security issues. He is Research Fellow with The Williams Foundation, a Canberra-based organization supporting Australian and allied defence efforts and strategies.

Table of Contents

Preface 1

Chapter 1 The Australian Defence and Security Strategy 2020 Reset 5

Launching the New Strategy 5

Assessing the Way Ahead 18

The Perspective of Brendan Sargeant 19

The Perspective of Air Marshal (Retired) Geoff Brown 22

Chapter 2 2014: The Return of Great Power Competition 25

Strategic Turning Points: 1914 and 2014 26

Air Combat Operations: 2025 and Beyond 30

Seminar Presentations 39

The Perspective of an Australian F-22 Pilot 39

The Perspective of Peter Hunter 41

The Perspective of USMC Pilots 43

Retrospectives at the Time 48

Chapter 3 2015: The Launch of Plan Jericho 54

Integrating Innovative Airpower 56

Overview of the Copenhagen Symposium 57

Plan Jericho 63

"Coalitionability" 67

A Royal Air Force Perspective 69

A Dutch Air Force Perspective 72

Highlighting the Transition 73

The Plan Jericho Seminar 79

An Overview of Plan Jericho 83

Plan Jericho Co-Directors Perspectives 87

The Perspective of Air Marshal (Retired) Geoff Brown 94

Chapter 4 2016: Building an Integrated ADF for the High-End Fight 100

The 2016 Defence White Papers 100

The Perspective of the Minister of Defence 102

The Perspective of the Prime Minister 103

An Initial Assessment 107

Air-land Integration 111

The Perspective of the Army Chief of Staff 113

The Perspective of the RAAF Chief of Staff 116

The Perspective of Brigadier General Mills 120

Air-Sea Integration: The Arrival of the Kill Web 125

Overview of the Seminar 126

The Perspective of Vice Admiral Tim Barrett 130

The Perspective of Rear Admiral Mayer 134

The Perspective of Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead 138

The Perspective of the Surveillance and Response Group 141

The Perspective of Air Commodore Craig Heap, Commander SRG 142

The Perspective of Brigadier General Chris Mills 146

Final Thoughts 150

Chapter 5 2017: The Transition to Enhanced Australian Extended Defense 152

Integrated Force Design Seminar 154

The Need for a Strategic Approach 157

The Perspective of VADM Ray Griggs 160

The Perspective of the Force Design Division 161

The Perspectives of the Services 162

Building A More Integrated Force 167

The Perspective of Air Vice-Marshal Mel Hupfeld 170

Air Vice-Marshal (Retired) Blackburn 173

The Way Ahead for Electronic Warfare in Australia 177

Overview of the Electronic Warfare Seminar 179

The Perspective of Air Commodore Chipman 182

A Way Ahead 187

Chapter 6 2018: Rethinking Conventional Deterrence 190

The High-End Fight and Deterrence 190

The Nature of the Challenge 192

Twenty-first-century Authoritarian Powers 194

Crafting an Effective Deterrence Equation 198

An Independent Long-range Strike Capability 204

Overview 207

The Role of the RAAF 208

Deterrent Options for Australia 211

The Nuclear Dimension 215

Weapons Modernization 221

The Perspective of Air Marshal Davies 224

The Role of the Army 225

The Perspective of Air Marshal (Retired) Geoff Brown 227

Chapter 7 2019: High-Intensity Operations and Sustaining Self-Reliance 231

Enhancing Australian Defence Sovereignty 232

Key Highlights from the Seminar 235

The Perspective of Brendan Sargeant 240

Shaping an Ecosystem for a More Sustainable ADF 243

Sustainment Far from the Sanctuaries 246

The Perspective of Air Marshal (Retired) Geoff Brown 249

The Requirements for Fifth-Generation Maneuver 251

Terms of Reference for the Seminar 251

Overview of the Seminar 253

The Manoeuvre-ist Approach 256

Providing for Longer-Range Manoeuvre 259

The Perspective of Air Marshal Hupfeld 262

The Perspective of Air Marshal (Retired) Geoff Brown 263

Chapter 8 Building New Offshore Patrol Vessel: A Case Study in Strategic Change 265

The CASG Perspective 266

The Perspective of the Prime Contractor 269

A Suppliers Perspective 271

The OPV as Part of Smart Sovereignty 274

Conclusion: Shaping the Way Ahead 276

Appendix: Past Defence White Papers 285

2009 White Paper 286

2013 White Paper 287

2016 White Paper 288

The Core Challenge 289

Coda: The Perspective of Senator Jim Molan 291

April 16, 2017 292

August 29, 2017 295

May 4, 2018 298

Aprils, 2019 301

Coda 2: The Challenge of Supply Chain Resilience 304

Will the Coronavirus Crisis be Wasted? 305

The Case of Medicine Supplies 310

The Case of Energy 314

The Institute for Integrated Economic Research, Australia 318

About the Author 319