Australian military force projection in the late 1980s and the 1990s: what happened and why
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to examine Australia's proficiency in military
force projection in the late 1980s and the 1990s. It concentrates on the operational and
tactical levels of command. It is a critique...Governments deemed all national, regional and international Australian force
projections in the late 1980s and during the 1990s to have been successful. Several
produced significant political and strategic dividends. However, there was room for
improvement. Higher levels of command put the tactical level under unnecessary
additional pressure that increased risk. These problems made the case for consolidating ADF command and control arrangements and matching the responsibilities of commanders with the authority and means to achieve their missions. These systemic problems also made the case for a permanent joint commander of ADF operations, supported by a joint operations headquarters. This officer would command a rapid response command comprised of high readiness ADF force elements, including the infrastructure and means for specific force preparation, deployment and force sustainment.