Those serving in the Australian Army are required to measure their performance and master the difference between the dual-challenges of war’s enduring nature – as violent, interactive, and fundamentally political – and war’s changing character – as evolving conditions, ways, means and methods of combat[1].

In supporting National Defence Strategy, 2024, the Australian Army Contribution to the National Defence Strategy, 2024 identifies six factors related to the changing character of war in the Indo-Pacific Region[2]. One of these factors is Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral.

First, this paper briefly examines why the Australian Army needs to adapt to the changing character of war in the Indo-Pacific Region. Second, to assist the Australian Army’s adaptation to the changing character of war, this paper proposes three Australian Army innovations enhancing operations in Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral. These three innovations are summarised as:  

• Innovation 1, publish a 2024 version of the 1942 Rowell Memorandum to create both a Littoral Training Wing and an Urban Training Wing, to complement Jungle Training Wing, Tully.
• Innovation 2, create a dedicated Jungle, Littoral and Urban operations education program.
• Innovation 3, develop a littoral Jungle, Littoral and Urban operations training facility.

Importantly, to master and adapt to war’s enduring nature and changing character, including for Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral, the Australian Army requires sound fundamentals in leadership, training, education, learning, and the development of capabilities.

Why does the Australian Army need to adapt to the changing character of war in the Indo-Pacific Region?

The National Defence Strategy, 2024 directs the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to ‘shift from a balanced force capable of responding to a range of contingencies, to an integrated, focused force designed to address Australia’s most significant strategic risks[3]’. A ‘focused ADF [is] characterised by enhanced lethality and greater range, and [requires] Defence policy and activities to be better coordinated with Australia’s broader statecraft[4]’.

For the Australian Army, the National Defence Strategy, 2024, requires an:

…amphibious capable combined-arms land system, enabled by Navy and Air Force combat capabilities [integrated with cyber and space effects] and supported by Navy’s amphibious capability, to optimise the Army for littoral manoeuvre and control of strategic land positions, and to enable the ADF to undertake rapid stabilisation and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations[5].

As stated in the introduction, The Australian Army Contribution to the National Defence Strategy, 2024, identifies six factors related to the changing character of war in the Indo-Pacific Region. One of these factors, Mass Urbanisation in The Littoral, is directed to achieve the following three tasks:

1. Conflicts take place where people live, and this means that the land battlefield for the ADF is highly likely to be a complex mixture of littoral, jungle and urban terrain. 
2. The Australian Army must be equipped and trained to operate in this terrain.
3. This includes the execution of high-end close combat, if required[6].

Next, to assist the Australian Army’s adaptation to the changing character of war, this paper proposes three Australian Army innovations enhancing operations in Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral.

Three Australian Army innovations enhancing operations in Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral

The following three Australian Army innovations are designed to assist the Australian Army’s adaptation to the changing character of war in the Indo-Pacific Region through enhancing operations in Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral.

These innovations are framed through the three tasks, directed by the Australian Army Contribution to the National Defence Strategy, 2024, to achieve Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral:

Task 1: Conflicts take place where people live, and this means that the land battlefield for the ADF is highly likely to be a complex mixture of littoral, jungle and urban terrain.

Apart from Jungle Training Wing, Tully, founded in 1980, the Australian Army does not have organisations or facilities dedicated to Littoral or Urban training.

During World War II, the Australian Army developed three amphibious schools which enabled, in our region between 1942 and 1945, four division-sized amphibious assaults, one brigade-sized assault, dozens of battalion- or company-sized landings and hundreds of amphibious transportation operations[7].

The impetus for these schools was a March 1942 memorandum from the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Major General S. F. Rowell, who noted that there were at least two steps that Australia should take to re-establish a ring of island bases to secure the north and north-east of the continent.

1. Planning for the provision of special equipment, including landing-craft and air landing equipment
2. Establishment of a School of Combined Operations [which was a British term for Amphibious Operations][8].

Rowell’s directive led to the establishment of three Allied amphibious training schools:

• Port Stephens, Newcastle (HMAS Assault & Joint Overseas Operational Training School (JOOTS),
• Toorbul Point, Bribie Island, and,
• Trinity Beach, Cairns.

Innovation 1, the Australian Army should publish a 2024 version of the 1942 Rowell Memorandum to create both a Littoral Training Wing and an Urban Training Wing, to complement Jungle Training Wing, Tully, and enable the Army to fight in a complex mixture of littoral, jungle and urban terrain.

Task 2: The Australian Army must be equipped and trained to operate in this terrain.

The Defence Integrated Investment Program, 2024, allocates 11% of available investments to an amphibious-capable combined‑arms land system and assigns 16% proportional investment to land capabilities for the decade 2024-2034[9].

However, within investment allocations, both the National Defence Strategy, 2024 and Integrated Investment Program, 2024, do not mention urban operations. In contrast, the Australian Army Contribution to the National Defence Strategy, 2024, makes 13 mentions of urban and urbanisation.

Furthermore, Australia’s strategic documents – National Defence Strategy, 2024, Integrated Investment Program, 2024 and Australian Army Contribution to the National Defence Strategy, 2024 seem to bias training (59 mentions) – which teaches people what to do – over education (five mentions) – which teaches people how to think, learn, adapt, and innovate[10].

Therefore, to mitigate the training bias and ameliorate the education gap in Australia’s strategic guidance, the Australian Army needs a redesigned and reinvigorated education program for Jungle, Littoral and Urban operations.

Innovation 2, the Australian Army should create a dedicated Jungle, Littoral and Urban operations education program. Emphasising the changing character of war confronting the Australian Army, and adaptation required, a Jungle, Littoral and Urban operations education program should be additional professional education complementing existing Army and Joint education programs.

This new education program should require critical thinking, rigorous learning, problem solving, and tactical acumen, in a classified, campaign focused, pass or fail, environment. This education program should nurture, encourage and sustain excellence and adaptation in Jungle, Littoral and Urban operations.

Task 3: This includes the execution of high-end close combat, if required.

Littoral comprises ‘two segments: the seaward portion is that area from the open ocean to the shore that must be controlled to support operations ashore. The landward portion is the area inland from the shore that can be supported and defended directly from the sea[11]’.

As noted through innovation 1, apart from Jungle Training Wing, Tully, founded in 1980, the Australian Army does not have organisations or facilities dedicated to Littoral or Urban training.

In addition, the Australian Army lacks any high-end close combat facilities on the littoral, with a seaward portion from the open ocean and a landward portion, inland from the shore, that can be supported and defended directly from the sea.

Innovation 3, the Australian Army should develop a littoral Jungle, Littoral and Urban operations training facility. This training facility requires the ability to apply live-fire, combined-arms, joint, multi-domain (sea, land, air, space & cyber), inter-agency and coalition effects to an area, or areas, intimately accessible to the littoral on the Australian coast. This innovation and adaptation requires new facilities built to enable the practice, rehearsal, and mastery of Mass Urbanisation in The Littoral.

Conclusion

In supporting National Defence Strategy, 2024, the Australian Army Contribution to the National Defence Strategy, 2024 identifies six factors related to the changing character of war in the Indo-Pacific Region[12]. One of these factors is Mass Urbanisation in The Littoral.

This paper examines why the Australian Army needs to adapt to the changing character of war in the Indo-Pacific Region. Next, to assist the Australian Army’s adaptation, this paper proposes three Australian Army innovations enhancing operations in Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral. These three innovations, against three directed tasks, are summarised as:  

• Innovation 1, publish a 2024 version of the 1942 Rowell Memorandum.
• Innovation 2, create a dedicated Jungle, Littoral and Urban operations education program.
• Innovation 3, develop a littoral Jungle, Littoral and Urban operations training facility.

All three Australian Army innovations are designed to assist Army’s adaptation to the changing character of war in the Indo-Pacific Region through enhancing operations in Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral.

Finally, to master and adapt to war’s enduring nature and changing character, including for Mass Urbanisation in the Littoral, the Australian Army requires sound fundamentals in leadership, training, education, learning, and the development of capabilities. The three innovations in this paper seek to enable and support those fundamentals.

Major General Chris Field is a SERCAT 3 Officer in Headquarters Australian Defence Force
 

Footnotes