The Brereton report—the findings of a long-running inquiry into war crimes allegations involving members of the Australian Special Operations Task Group during their 2005-13 deployment to Afghanistan—was publicly released on 19 November 2020. Veiled Valour, from one of Australia's most respected military affairs analysts, explores the background to these allegations—the gradual demise of the Afghan state and society, the decision to deploy Special Forces personnel to Central Asia ...

The Liberal-National Party Coalition was elected to office on 2 March 1996 and continued in power until 3 December 2007 making John Howard the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister. This book is the final in a four-volume series examining the four Howard Governments. Contributors to each of these volumes are asked to focus critically on the Coalition's policies and performance to reveal the Howard Government's shortcomings and failures. The aim of each of these volumes is to be ...

In the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre on 28 April 1996 – when a gunman murdered 35 people and injured another 23 at a popular Tasmanian tourist attraction – John Howard, a conservative prime minister who had been in office for just six weeks, surprised his colleagues and startled the nation by moving swiftly to transform Australia's lax firearm laws. The National Firearms Agreement, produced just twelve days after the massacre with support from all levels of government and across th...

The years 1997-2001 were eventful ones for the Howard Government. This second volume of the Howard Government series explores these tumultuous years. Politicians, commentators, and scholars—including Michael Wesley, Hugh White, Peter Costello, Phillipa McGuinness, and Tom Frame—take a critical look at the Howard Government's performance, and analyze landmark events. Topics covered include: Wik and native title; a succession of ministerial resignations; the Patrick Corporation waterfront di...

In the first of four volumes on the Howard Government's nearly 12 years in office, The Ascent to Power covers the 1996 election and the practical challenges of the Coalition's first year in power, including its handling of the Port Arthur massacre, relationships with the Australian Public Service, management of Senate crossbenchers, and reversing the budget 'black hole' and repaying government debt. With contributions from John Howard, Liberal and Labor politicians, media commenta...

Peter Stanley, Jeffrey Grey, Carolyn Holbrook, Ken Inglis, Tom Frame and others explore the rise of Australia's unofficial national day. Does Anzac Day honor those who died pursuing noble causes in war? Or is it part of a campaign to redeem the savagery associated with armed conflict? Do the rituals of April 25th console loved ones? Or reinforce security objectives and strategic priorities? Contributors explore the early debate between grieving families and veterans about whether Anzac Day...

A candid exploration of the 50-year partnership between UNSW and Australia's Defence Force. Since 1967, over 25,000 students have graduated from UNSW after studying at military institutions. Tom Frame examines this productive, yet complex, relationship.Widening Minds traces the evolution of officer education, the creation of the Australian Defence Force Academy, and the challenges of civil-military partnerships. It delves into curriculum development, cadet...

Events at Abu Ghraib prison and the 1968 My Lai Massacre show that the behaviour of the military can descend into barbarism. How strong is the military's commitment to avoiding such atrocities? Ethics Under Fire – a timely and compelling book – asks questions and raises issues the Australian Army can't ignore. Including chapters on social media and violence, cyberweapons, ethics in special operations, and humanitarian deployments, leading military personnel, aid workers, commentat...

No one in the Australian government or Army could have predicted that in the 25 years following the end of the Cold War Army personnel would be deployed to Rwanda, Cambodia, Somalia, Bougainville, East Timor, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Solomon Islands. In a constructive critique of the modern Australian Army, On Ops examines the massive transformation that has taken place since troops were deployed to East Timor 1999. After decades of inactivity and the 'long peace' of the 1970s an...

Helping neighbors and partners stabilize their political systems and work towards peace and security is a core activity for the modern Australian Defence Force. The Long Road analyzes the successes and failures of ADF's 'train, advise, assist' missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, the Solomon Islands, South Vietnam and Uganda. With a diverse array of contributions from media commentators Chris Masters and Ian McPhedran, politicians Kevin Andrews and David ...

The complete and authoritative account of the sinking of the HMAS Sydney, and the recent finding of her wreck.On 19 November 1941, the pride of the Australian Navy, the light cruiser Sydney, fought a close-quarters battle with the German armed raider HSK Kormoran off Carnarvon on the West Australian coast. Both ships sank – and not one of the 645 men on board the Sydney survived.Was Sydney’s captain guilty of negligence b...

'Voyager's bow has been detached from her stern' was the laconic phone message left for the RAN's public relations officer' on the night of 10 February 1964.During naval exercises off the coast at Jervis Bay, the destroyer HMAS Voyager inexplicably turned towards the RAN Flagship, HMAS Melbourne, and steamed under the mighty carrier,s bows. The impact cut Voyager in two with 82 of her complement losing their lives in Australia's worst peacetime naval disaster.Why did this h...