Home on the Range: The Australian Army prepares for the future

The 2024 National Defence Strategy provided clarity of purpose for an Army in the midst of rapid change.

Mick Ryan

23 September 20255 min read

It was warm and humid as I stepped out of my vehicle to greet the commander of the Australian Army’s elite 3rd Brigade at the High Range training area near Townsville, Queensland, last week. The weather, if not the geography, was representative of potential future Australian land force operations in the Pacific region. For months now, the Brigade has been training in high-end warfighting, integrating its kinetic, information and support systems alongside Australia’s allies and partners on Exercise Talisman Sabre.

Modern war is integrated war, demanding the integration of all forms of land combat and support.

My visit coincided with a culminating activity for the soldiers of this storied brigade, the first ashore on the fateful first Anzac Day in 1915. The training would feature high-level combat with live ammunition, executing the toughest tactical activity any army can conduct – a combined-arms obstacle breach and assault. Afterward, these soldiers would begin to ease off their hectic training schedule, although the “ready” units – those on standby should the government call on them for warfighting abroad or disaster relief at home – will be busy beyond Christmas.

The 2024 National Defence Strategy (NDS) outlined Australia’s requirement for a land force capable of combined-arms combat and long-range strike across our region, as well as engagement with our partners and allies. While the Army has been reorienting from its Iraq and Afghanistan commitments for some time, the NDS provided the impetus for more rapid change. It also provided clarity of purpose for the Army, a crucial element in preparing lethal expeditionary forces and ensuring they have the right training, posture and leadership.

Combined-arms training is the core of a professional army’s development because it is the most effective way to build an array of skills that can be applied across the full spectrum of land force missions – from high-end warfighting through to disaster relief operations at home and abroad.

What are these skills?

First, these activities build the capability to integrate different combat and support elements. Modern war is integrated war, demanding the integration of all forms of land combat and support, but also the deeper integration of land, air, maritime, space and cyber effects in coalition arrangements. These training activities not only build integrated combat power, they also build trust and understanding between the different components of Australia’s integrated combat forces.

Second, demanding battle training builds confidence for soldiers in their equipment, tactics and processes. Since the release of the NDS, the Army has not only received a significant amount of new equipment, it has also re-established the 1st Division as an expeditionary littoral warfighting division. The Army has also deepened its capacity to work alongside our allies and partners from the United States to Japan, the Philippines and Fiji. All these changes must be tested and rehearsed. Confidence in one’s leadership and equipment, and the confidence that an individual’s exertions are contributing to a greater purpose, is crucial. The kind of confidence built in peace from these training activities pays off in war.

Third, the training provides insights into readiness. This is particularly important given the NDS finding that long warning periods no longer exist. The “fight tonight” mindset is critical for military personnel. But these training activities also provide data on where Army’s readiness and capability shortfalls are, and where it needs to learn from others. The Ukraine and the Middle East wars have demonstrated that, in areas such as the balance of crewed and uncrewed aerial and ground systems, the structure of the Army must evolve. Training activities such as the one in High Range elicit useful information about how organisations, tactics and training must adapt to meet the demands of 21st century conflict.

The extraordinary acceleration of Chinese belligerence across the information, diplomatic and military domains, including the deliberate and threatening Chinese naval circle-work around Australia in 2025, presages more difficult times ahead for Australia’s national security.

Finally, these are crucial leadership development activities. The difference between success and failure in war is the quality of leadership. While Ukraine has provided recent reinforcement of this lesson, the requirement for good leadership is an enduring element of military affairs. The complexities of planning and executing live-fire combined-arms training demands good leadership but also builds it.

Perhaps the greatest challenges that high-end warfighting preparations face in Australia is the shortfall in public understanding about threats, and the unwillingness of many in government to accept that these capabilities might be needed soon. While the NDS was clear about the need for such capabilities, government has been unwilling to level with the Australian people about the security challenges Australia faces. Australians are being insulated by their government from the full nature of Chinese and Russian threats to societal cohesion, economic prosperity and national security.

The extraordinary acceleration of Chinese belligerence across the information, diplomatic and military domains, including the deliberate and threatening Chinese naval circle-work around Australia in 2025, presages more difficult times ahead for Australia’s national security. The Chinese fully expect to fight on the land, as the recent massive Beijing military parade showed.

The kinds of Army capabilities rehearsed at High Range during my visit, the ability to project this capacity into the Pacific region, and the professionalism and will of our soldiers, plays a crucial role in Australia’s deterrence efforts. In cooperation with allies, Australia seeks to deter China and other authoritarians from the political and strategic miscalculations that could see the entire region tip into conflict.

From what I saw of the 3rd Brigade, the capability and mindset of Australia’s soldiers demonstrate they are up to the task.

Mick Ryan travelled to Townsville as a guest of the Australian Army.

About the author

Mick Ryan

Mick Ryan is a Senior Fellow for Military Studies in the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program.

Topics

Australia Defence & security