Preface

The creation of the Australian Regular Army in 1947 marked a departure from the previous half-century of army policy. In its first five decades the army had emphasised the role of citizen soldiers in the defence of the nation, and the regular Permanent Military Forces had been small in size and limited in function. Intended to administer and train the army as a whole, the regulars were not expected to provide combat units in time of war, nor to fill command positions. During the world wars, however, and especially between 1939 and 1945, regular officers demonstrated their capacities across all fields of military endeavour, while the basis of the expeditionary forces in each instance was provided by volunteers for overseas service, amongst whom were numbered many militia soldiers, rather than by the citizen force per se.

The creation of a regular army did not immediately alter the relationship between the two forces, and throughout the 1950s Australian defence policy continued to emphasise the central role of the Citizen Military Forces in the event of another general war. It was only around 1960 that the emphasis switched to the regular force, where it was to remain for several decades. With the end of the Cold War and in the face of increasing resource pressures, the Australian Army is again returning to a force structure in which the part-time soldier is an integral part of the total army force, rather than a reservist with an ill-defined role and who is unlikely to be called on in any case.

The papers in this collection were delivered to the Chief of Army's annual historical conference, held in Canberra on 23 September 1997. The theme of the conference involved a consideration of the development and experience of the army as a whole in its second fifty years of existence, and although the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the ARA was central to the conference's concerns, it was not intended to be its exclusive focus. George Washington advised the Congress in 1780, at the height of the War of Independence, that 'our object ought to be to have a good army rather than a large one', and this might be thought good advice for a middle power such as Australia.

In addition to the speakers, we wish also to thank Roger Lee and his staff in the Directorate of History—Army. Elizabeth Greenhalgh once again provided invaluable support both on the day and in the preparation of this volume for publication.

Contents

Contributors: Contributors

Introduction
Lieutenant-General John Sanderson: Sanderson

The Remaking of Modern Armies Post Cold War
Robert O'Neill: O'Neill

The Development of the Australian Regular Army, 1944-1952
Major Graeme Sligo: Sligo

From Korea to Pentropic: The Army in the 1950s and Early 1960s
David Horner: Horner

One Army
Major-General KG Cooke: Cooke

An Army in Transition: The Development and Performance of the Australian Army, 1965-1986
Brigadier MPJ O'Brien: O'Brien

Fifty Years of Australian Army Peacekeeping
Peter Londey: Londey

The Future
Lieutenant-General John Sanderson: Sanderson - Conclusion