With the recent release of Chief of Army's Study Guide and Army's Professional Military Education Plan 2024-2030, The Cove brings to you this primer on how to best leverage the Study Guide for your own professional development.
CA's Preamble
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Why a Study Guide?
The CA Study Guide aims to formalise Army's approach to professional development in a member's career, thereby developing the foundations of military knowledge in the Australian Army. These include mandated readings for career development milestones with an intention to sharpen Army’s intellectual edge.
It is important to consider this Reading List in the context of Army as a profession. As Army professionals, it is important to continually pursue professional mastery and development of our understanding of this unique field. The CA Study Guide is a carefully curated guide to enable engagement with the foundations of topics such as: military philosophy, character of land warfare, leadership, command, operational art and specialist fields.
How should the Study Guide be used?
The Study Guide is constructed with two Sections, to align with two broad career periods for both officers and soldiers:
Section One: Foundational reading is for LT-CAPT and SGT-WO2.
Section Two: Advanced reading covers MAJ-LTCOL and WO1 Tiers A-C.
The Study Guide highlights readings within each area (Foundational/Advanced) as mandatory or extended. Mandated readings are now a requirement for promotion to the next career phase i.e, prior to promotion MAJ or WO1. Extended readings allow for individuals to continue their professional development, and will taken into further consideration for promotion.
In addition to be highlighted as mandated or extended, each individual reading is aligned to ranks (SGT/LT and CAPT/WO2 for Foundational section, WO1 Tiers A-C/MAJ/LTCOL for Advanced, as relevant) Each year, members in the Foundational group should select at least one (1) reading from the Foundational section to complete in that reporting period. Demonstration of engagement with, and completion of, a Mandatory reading relevant to the individuals rank and role will be reported in the member's Performance Appraisal Report (PAR).
A requirement for promotion to WO2 or MAJ is for the member to have read the mandatory reading in the SGT-WO2 or LT-CAPT assigned readings of the Foundational Reading section.
A requirement for promotion to Colonel (COL) will see the officer read the mandatory reading for MAJs and LTCOLs in the Advanced Reading section.
How can I access the books in the Study Guide?
There are a number of ways to find the books you need. If you do not wish to self-purchase your own copies, or are unable to find them in retail booksellers, consider accessing the Defence Library Service (DLS). DLS enables you to check out hardcopy and electronic copies of books and journals, as well audiobooks and other resources.
For DLS external access from your own device, the authentication service OpenAthens allows for a single login to seamlessly access the Library’s online resources from anywhere you might be posted, and is the only method of access to Janes Online and the SAI Global i2i platform for Australian Standards. Click here to register: Defence OpenAthens registration form.
How Members can get further involved
Completed a reading and want to share your thoughts? The Cove is a great place to support your PME efforts - why not consider writing a submission to demonstrate your progress in your professional development.
