Announcing the 2024 Cove Competition! This year's topic is:

‘The Changing Character of War’

Earlier this year, the Australian Army issued a new capstone document 'The Australian Army Contribution to the National Defence Strategy, 2024', indicating emerging tasks for Army as the integrated force’s experts in land combat:

  1. We are ready to fight wars in the littoral
  2. We deter and deny threats to Australia
  3. We enable the projection of military force
  4. We build partnerships with regional security forces
  5. We help defend Australia against long-range attacks
  6. We help maintain stability in Australia’s near region
  7. We contribute to the global rules-based order.
  8. We support the states and territories in crisis and disaster

As we conduct these tasks, Army’s fundamental design is shaped by war’s enduring nature, while its adaptation is shaped by war’s changing character. As this capstone document points out, Army has identified six factors that will shape Army's adaptation. In this year’s Cove Writing Competition, The Cove challenges you to think creatively about war’s changing character. Take one of the identified factors of war’s changing character that will impact Army, and answer the question: 

How does Army need to adapt to the changing character of war?

Factors:

  1. Acceleration of technology in warfare
  2. Sensor proliferation and the opportunity of clutter
  3. The exponential growth in weapon ranges, lethality and speed
  4. Mass urbanisation in the littoral
  5. The tyranny of distance
  6. A 'region of armies'

To get started, read 'Army's Contribution to the National Defence Strategy' and see how your chosen feature is elaborated upon in this capstone document (pages 23-26). 

One of the distinctive advantages of the Australian Army is our willingness to engage all ranks and roles in the contest of ideas. So feel free to support, contest, challenge, or expand upon those ideas further. 
 

Categories

Cove Competition 2024 has two categories – Officer and Other Ranks. Submissions will be considered within their relevant category.

Guidelines

  • All submissions must directly address the topic: 'How does Army need to adapt to the changing character of war?’
  • Be guided by and based in Army's Contribution to the National Defence Strategy, 2024
  • Keep your essay relevant, practical, and in line with current open-source Government strategic policy on National Defence.
  • Information must not be above the OFFICIAL level
  • Your essay should be between 1000 and 1500 words and comply with all other requirements set out by our Cove Submission Guidelines.
  • Your essay must be your own, original work.
  • Submissions are to be made via our dedicated Cove Competition 2024 Submission Portal.
  • Be submitted by 1700 on Sunday, 17 November 2024.

So, Get Writing!

This competition is open to all ranks, roles, trades and corps. Submissions need to be in by 1700 on Sunday, 17 November 2024 to be considered for judging.

Prizes

There are three chances to win a great prize pack for both officers and soldiers. Prizes are:

  • 1st Place: Trip to Melbourne (flights and accommodation) to conduct a tour of the new Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) + Cove Coin + Cove Merch pack
  • 2nd Place: $150 gift voucher + Cove Coin + Cove Merch pack
  • 3rd Place: $100 gift voucher + Cove Coin + Cove Merch pack
  • Honourable Mentions: Cove Coin and a Cove Jarrah wood Pen

Judging

All submissions will be considered within their relevant categories and reviewed by the judging panel.

This year's panel of judges consists of representatives of The Cove Team, as well as a guest judge from the Chief of Army’s Initiatives Group.
 

Good luck, we look forward to reading your submissions!