Book review

Oct 26
3 min

On Target: Go hard, or go home!

One of the themes of recent On Target columns has been how recent force structure decisions have shaped the evolution of the RAAF into a pot

Jul 24
6 min

On Target: Defending south of Australia’s ‘First Island Chain’ – Part 3

Given the geo-political changes taking place in the Indo-Pacific, perhaps it is time for Australia to focus on the preparedness of the ADF t

Apr 30
3 min

On Target: Australia's First Island Chain: Part 2

Brian Weston - the growing importance of Australia's First Island Chain to Australia's national security. Part 2.

Mar 2
7 min

Planning to Win: Structuring the Force – Part 2 – Gus McLachlan

MAJGEN Gus McLachlan AO (Retd) shares his thoughts on how to best approach force structure to gain a winning advantage.

Feb 28
3 min

On Target: Australia's First Island Chain: Part 1

Brian Weston - continuing theme in Chinese strategic thinking is the concept of “island chains” with the First Island Chain stretching from

Feb 23
7 min

Planning to Win: Structuring the Force – Part 1 – Gus McLachlan

MAJGEN Gus McLachlan AO (Retd) shares his thoughts on how to best approach force structure to gain a winning advantage.

Dec 30, 2019
3 min

On Target: A Message from Beijing?

Brian Weston - the activities of 1st October 2019 had little to do with some four millennia of China’s history.."

Oct 30, 2019
3 min

On Target: Similarities from 1925

Brian Weston - Williams placed emphasis on Australia’s proximity to South-east Asia and of the importance of Australia’s north

Aug 30, 2019
3 min

On Target: Richard Williams and the Defence of Australia

Alan Stephens - continues the story by describing Sir Richard Williams’ strategy for defending Australia.

Jun 29, 2019
3 min

On Target: The Birth of an Australian Air Force – Part 2

Brian Weston - expands on the huge task Richard Williams faced when the Australian Air Force was established on 31 March, 1921 ‒ the prefix

Apr 29, 2019
3 min

On Target: Who was Richard Williams?

Brian Weston - outline of who was Richard Williams, and why is there a foundation bearing his name.

Mar 30, 2019
4 min

On Target: The Singapore deployment: How Australia filled the ‘East of Suez’ void

Brian Weston - announcement in 1968 that Britain would withdraw from its interests 'East of Suez' was to have long reaching consequences...

Feb 27, 2019
4 min

On Target: The evolution of Butterworth - The Suez Crisis, RAAF leadership in SE Asia

Brian Weston -A national commitment of impressive proportions...led to the establishment of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO),

Dec 30, 2018
4 min

On Target: The Building of Butterworth: Australia’s Strategic Commitment to South-East Asia

Brian Weston - culmination of these developments saw, by 1959, 50% of Australia’s operational fighter force (two squadrons CAC Sabre

Oct 30, 2018
4 min

On Target: RAAF Butterworth: From “Emergency” to “Strategic Reserve”

The Malayan Emergency foreshadowed the long timescales involved in conducting counter-insurgency warfare

Sep 29, 2018
3 min

On Target: A War by another name: The RAAF in the Malayan Emergency – 1948 to 1960

It was the declaration, on 18 June 1948, of the commencement of the Malayan Emergency following the murder of three British estate managers

Jul 30, 2018
3 min

On Target: Devotion to duty - Pilot Officer Rawdon Middleton, VC

The 11,500 men of the RAAF who fought as part of the RAF’s Bomber Command in World War II comprised only 2 per cent of all Australians who e

Jun 29, 2018
3 min

On Target: The Greatest Lost Battle on the German Side: The RAAF in Bomber Command

It might seem curious, therefore, that three of the greatest battles in which Australians have fought are not acknowledged.

May 30, 2018
4 min

On Target: Eighty to nil: Israel and the first networked air war

“Network-centric” warfare has become something of a cliché in advanced defence forces, especially for today’s “fifth-generation” era of capa

Apr 29, 2018
3 min

On Target: Powerful friends: Surviving high-intensity warfare

It was the 19th century British prime minister, Lord Palmerston, who famously remarked that in international relations there are “no eternal

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