An Australian Land Force for Conflict in a World Without Precedent (Future Warfare Concept Paper)

Abstract

Abstract : The current pace of change in the global security environment and information technology demands that, like all military organizations, the Australian Army must re-examine the way it trains, deploys and fights. The challenges of the 2020 battlespace will demand that the Australian Army be able to rapidly deploy a highly flexible force capable of operating in a multiplicity of threat scenarios. To fulfill this role, the Australian Army should create the Expeditionary Task Force (ETF), a combined arms organisation able to operate and thrive in the chaos of future conflict. In order to gain the best effect from the greater lethality of its weapon systems, and ensure its own survivability, the Australian Army must evolve to become a true Information Age force. In doing so it must understand the likely central tenets of future land warfare. This paper emphasizes four: that future conflict will remain a chaotic activity that at its heart remains a clash between human wills; the pivotal nature of the sensor contest between opposing forces; its non-linear character; and, the need to maintain a small signature in the battlespace. To successfully operate in this environment, this paper proposes the formation of a new warfighting organisation called the Expeditionary Task Force (ETF). The ETF is structured to provide a rapidly deployable, highly agile and lethal option for the Australian Defence Force. The ETF espouses traditional, industrial age structures and comprises five functional components: the command element (ETF HQ); the Recon-Strike Group; the Close Combat Group; the Maneuver Support Group; and the Force Sustainment Group.