The Australian Army from Whitlam to Howard

The Australian Army from Whitlam to Howard is the first critical examination of Australia's post-Vietnam military operations, spanning the 35 years between the election of Gough Whitlam and the defeat of John Howard. John Blaxland explores the 'casualty cringe' felt by political leaders following the war and how this impacted subsequent operations. He contends that the Australian Army's rehabilitation involved common individual and collective training and reaffirmation of the Army's regimental and corps identities. He shows how the Army regained its confidence to play leading roles in East Timor, Bougainville and the Solomon Islands, and to contribute to combat operations further afield. At a time when the Australian Army's future strategic role is the subject of much debate, and as the 'Asian Century' gathers pace and commitment in Afghanistan draws to an end, this work is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the modern context of Australia's military land force.

Introduction: the origins of Australia's army; Part I. From Vietnam to East Timor 1972–1999: 1. The last years of the Cold War; 2. The post Cold War experience to the late 1990s; Part II. Land Force Operations in East Timor and Solomon Islands: 3. East Timor 1999–2000; 4. Operations with the UN in East Timor 2000–2004; 5. Operations in Solomon Islands; 6. Operation Astute in Timor L'este 2006 and beyond; Part III. The Middle East Area of Operations: 7. Operations in Afghanistan 2001–2002; 8. War in Iraq 2003–2007; 9. Return to Afghanistan; Part IV. Asia-Pacific Engagement and Adaptation at Home: 10. Aid and other assistance 2000–2005; 11. Operations everywhere – the army in 2006 and 2007; 12. Adaptation early in the twenty-first century; Conclusion: an adaptive army.

Dr John Blaxland is a historian and Senior Fellow at SDSC who writes about Asia-Pacific military, intelligence and security affairs. John spent 28 years in the Australian Army including as Defence Attaché to Thailand and Burma and Chief Staff Officer for Joint Intelligence (J2) at Headquarters Joint Operations Command. His previous publications include Strategic Cousins (2006), Revisiting Counterinsurency (2006), Information era Manoeuvre (2002), Signals (1999) and Organising an Army (1989).