Extended Nuclear Deterrence and the Restraint of Non-Nuclear Allies: Material Cooperation and Strategic Dialogue. Extended nuclear deterrence is central to the security commitments offered by the US to its European and Asian allies, but little is known about why non-nuclear allies ask for the nuclear assurances they do and how they influence the assurances they ultimately receive. Using the lenses of intra-alliance bargaining, the role and composition of assurances, and domestic and internationa ....Extended Nuclear Deterrence and the Restraint of Non-Nuclear Allies: Material Cooperation and Strategic Dialogue. Extended nuclear deterrence is central to the security commitments offered by the US to its European and Asian allies, but little is known about why non-nuclear allies ask for the nuclear assurances they do and how they influence the assurances they ultimately receive. Using the lenses of intra-alliance bargaining, the role and composition of assurances, and domestic and international interactions, the project investigates why non-nuclear allies often seek modest extended nuclear deterrence guarantees when they could push for more ambitious commitments. The outcomes of the project will advance theoretical understanding of alliances, assurance and nuclear strategy, with direct relevance to foreign policy and nuclear disarmament.Read moreRead less
Uncovering the organisational dynamics of pirates and maritime terrorists. This project will develop a novel framework to assess the organisational dynamics of two major maritime threats: piracy syndicates and maritime-capable terrorist groups. The results will allow analysts and policymakers to understand the behaviour of violent maritime organisations, and to maximise the effectiveness of policies designed to stop them.
Australia's Nuclear Choices. Australia's nuclear choices will be made in the context of a challenging and fluid international strategic environment characterised in Australia's immediate region by heightened global concerns regarding such transnational dilemmas as terrorism, energy security and nuclear proliferation. This project, through exploring the nature, evolution and consequences of contemporary strategic, military and civil nuclear developments impacting on the international non-prolifer ....Australia's Nuclear Choices. Australia's nuclear choices will be made in the context of a challenging and fluid international strategic environment characterised in Australia's immediate region by heightened global concerns regarding such transnational dilemmas as terrorism, energy security and nuclear proliferation. This project, through exploring the nature, evolution and consequences of contemporary strategic, military and civil nuclear developments impacting on the international non-proliferation regime will enable Australian policy-makers to better calibrate the costs and benefits of potential policy changes across these strategic, regime and market realms of Australia's nuclear interests.Read moreRead less
Official History of Australian Peacekeeping and Post Cold War Operations. This nationally important project will produce a four-volume official history of Australia's peacekeeping and post-Cold War operations. Previous official histories covered the world wars, the Korean War and Southeast Asia conflicts. This new series will cover Australia's military role in some 50 missions, over 56 years in 33 countries, in which about 37,000 Australians were involved. It will become an enduring national ....Official History of Australian Peacekeeping and Post Cold War Operations. This nationally important project will produce a four-volume official history of Australia's peacekeeping and post-Cold War operations. Previous official histories covered the world wars, the Korean War and Southeast Asia conflicts. This new series will cover Australia's military role in some 50 missions, over 56 years in 33 countries, in which about 37,000 Australians were involved. It will become an enduring national record, and an invaluable resource for the public and for researchers at all levels. As with previous official histories, it will be written with unrestricted access to all government records, but will not be subject to government censorship. Read moreRead less
InterFET and East Timorese independence. InterFET was the first international military campaign led by Australia since WW2, and its largest deployment since Vietnam. It also marked a crucial moment in East Timor's transition to independence. Yet there is no significant scholarly research on the troops who served, nor has there been any substantive scholarly analysis of the InterFET deployment itself. The central aim of this project is thus to investigate the latter by means of the former. It aim ....InterFET and East Timorese independence. InterFET was the first international military campaign led by Australia since WW2, and its largest deployment since Vietnam. It also marked a crucial moment in East Timor's transition to independence. Yet there is no significant scholarly research on the troops who served, nor has there been any substantive scholarly analysis of the InterFET deployment itself. The central aim of this project is thus to investigate the latter by means of the former. It aims to provide a substantive scholarly analysis of InterFET primarily through means of an oral history of participants. The project endeavours to dramatically enhance Australian and international understanding of this seminal event and what it signified in military, political, social and personal terms.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101123
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,359.00
Summary
Through their eyes: Rethinking the role of information operations in counterinsurgency scholarship and strategy. Western counterinsurgency forces regularly lose the 'information battle' to militarily and economically inferior insurgent forces. This project explores why and how insurgent adversaries often prove superior in shaping the perceptions of local populations and winning their support. Through case studies of East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, the project identifies the key strategic pilla ....Through their eyes: Rethinking the role of information operations in counterinsurgency scholarship and strategy. Western counterinsurgency forces regularly lose the 'information battle' to militarily and economically inferior insurgent forces. This project explores why and how insurgent adversaries often prove superior in shaping the perceptions of local populations and winning their support. Through case studies of East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, the project identifies the key strategic pillars in insurgent information operations in order to critically analyse and revise the role of information operations in counterinsurgency theory and practice. This research will advance scholarly understanding of the psychosocial dynamics of influence during conflict and challenge dominant trends in counterinsurgency theory and practice.Read moreRead less
Burma's Role in Shaping the Asia-Pacific Strategic Environment. Australia is an active participant in global security affairs, not only as a close ally of the United States but also as an independent middle power with its own perceived sphere of influence. Developments in the strategic environment and the way in which countries attempt to influence state behaviours are central to our national security posture and alliance relationships. Also, the diverse security challenges in the Asia-Pacific r ....Burma's Role in Shaping the Asia-Pacific Strategic Environment. Australia is an active participant in global security affairs, not only as a close ally of the United States but also as an independent middle power with its own perceived sphere of influence. Developments in the strategic environment and the way in which countries attempt to influence state behaviours are central to our national security posture and alliance relationships. Also, the diverse security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, such as those associated with so-called 'pariah' states like Burma, and the management of related transnational threats, are critical to the formulation and implementation of Australia's foreign and defence policies.
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Insurgency and Strategic Non-Violence: The Resistance in East Timor. The best-known forms of resistance to foreign occupation are violent ones. This project investigates how a largely non-violent insurgency was successful despite being geographically and militarily isolated. It provides important new insights into the research on insurgency and non-violence. It also helps us to better understand East Timor.
Discipline, Morale and Winning Wars: Understanding the Relationships Between Discipline and Combat Performance in Low-Intensity Conflict. Discipline and morale are key elements in combat performance, particularly in Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC). This project examines the relationships between discipline, morale and combat performance using the Australian Army in Vietnam as a case study. It provides insights into better understanding and managing discipline and morale to produce and sustain comba ....Discipline, Morale and Winning Wars: Understanding the Relationships Between Discipline and Combat Performance in Low-Intensity Conflict. Discipline and morale are key elements in combat performance, particularly in Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC). This project examines the relationships between discipline, morale and combat performance using the Australian Army in Vietnam as a case study. It provides insights into better understanding and managing discipline and morale to produce and sustain combat performance. It assists the Army to avoid the negative effects of failures in discipline and morale that produced the My Lai massacre and the Abu Ghraib fiasco. It also helps position Australia internationally as a contributor to the better understanding of LIC, and fills a gap in Australian historiography of war.Read moreRead less
Understanding Low-Intensity Conflict. Since 1945, Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC) has become the dominant form of warfare. Conventional armies have a poor record of success in fighting LIC. This project uses the records of the Australian Army's operations in the Vietnam War to better understand it's operational performance there and to unearth insights into the conduct of LIC. The project has the potential to reduce casualties, both military and civilian, and assist the Army in selecting new war-fi ....Understanding Low-Intensity Conflict. Since 1945, Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC) has become the dominant form of warfare. Conventional armies have a poor record of success in fighting LIC. This project uses the records of the Australian Army's operations in the Vietnam War to better understand it's operational performance there and to unearth insights into the conduct of LIC. The project has the potential to reduce casualties, both military and civilian, and assist the Army in selecting new war-fighting technologies, designing training and developing doctrine for future LIC. The project will raise Australia's profile in theorising about this troubling but increasingly common form of warfare.Read moreRead less