The Aviator – A Story of Death Intertwined with Observations of Cultural Change

By all accounts, my father was what they call a top bloke. A Flight Engineer on C-130 Hercules, he was tall, funny and loved motorbikes, rugby and surfing. He was as active and manly as the Marlboro Man. He was married with two young children, worked in a job he loved, and had more friends than he could count.

Integrating Our Military and Personal Stories: A Chaplain’s First Year in the Australian Defence Force

At the heart of the chaplain’s ‘spiritual’ role is assisting members to find congruence in their sense of self and the intersecting storylines of their lives, including their military story. I often invite those who are fatigued by change and challenge to reconnect with the adventure, and mishaps, of initial training. Looking back, yesterday’s challenge is often today’s amusing story. It is also the story of a challenge which has been overcome. These memories of past resilience can provide a source of new energy, the fuel of resilience, to face the challenges of tomorrow.

Evolving European Indo-Pacific Policies – Good for Australia

Evolving European Indo-Pacific Policies – Good for Australia

Synopsis

While AUKUS and the nuclear submarine agreement have amplified Australia’s role in the Indo Pacific, Europe is also asserting a greater interest in the region that could well determine a new international order.

Euthanizing Democracy: The Assisted Death of Liberalism

Authoritarian states have weaponised the vulnerabilities of technology and unchecked power of social media to exploit the very tenet of democracy that they despise – free expression – to undermine democracy itself.

Working with Contractors: Culture clash or Positive Partnership?

Contractors always pursue large profit, the customer – a high-quality end product in due time and at a lower cost.  This struggle never ends, but this is natural.

Vladimir Putin^[1]

Getting the best results from the ADF’s increasing use of private contractors calls for a deft ability to straddle the intrinsic cultural differences between military protocol and commercial practices.

Peekaboo with Mars or: How I learned to Love Jus ad Vim and address the Ethical Implications to the Changing Character of War

The contents of this paper reflect my own personal views and are not necessarily endorsed by the Naval War College or the Department of the Navy.

Stockdale Leader Development Concentration Paper Advisor: Dr. Pauline Shanks Kaurin, Ph.D.

The Innermost Heart

1^st place | ADC Sci-Fi Writing Competition 2021

Story by Gareth Abalo

Please don’t fear me. I have come for your stories. Your life has ended but I will remember you.

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Shoot the Trolley

2^nd place | ADC Sci-Fi Writing Competition 2021

Story by Owen Griffiths

When you leave in a hurry, you can forget things. Things like tear gas. Judith Evans used the armoured vehicle’s sensors to pan across the crowd. They were angry. Some of the braver ones were throwing stones. Judith couldn’t understand the shouting. She’d only been in the country for a week and everything still sounded like vowels. It didn’t matter. Jacob had been loaded up with the lingo/cultural modules before deployment.

The Endgame

3^rd place | ADC Sci-Fi Writing Competition 2021

Story by Maj Ian T. Brown, United States Marine Corps

Chipped

Honourable Mention | ADC Sci-Fi Writing Competition

Story by Bryn Smith

‘I, Bryce Francis Taylor, promise that—’  

Taylor looked down at the laminated card. His words merged with those taking the affirmation beside him.

‘—I will well and truly serve the President and the people of the Republic of Australia—’ 

President, Taylor thought. Still can’t believe we don’t have a queen anymore. Her face was still on the money.

Iteration

Honourable Mention | ADC Sci-Fi Writing Competition

Story by Bryn Smith

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‘Test the knot, Frosty.’

Private Sam Frost checked the rope lashed around a thick tree branch while Private Andy Ingram scanned the area with his Advanced F88 rifle. The branch hung over a sharp drop into a dry creek bed about six metres below them, smack in the middle of their patrol route. 

‘Knot’s good,’ Frost said. ‘I’ll get our packs down.’

A Very Normal Military PME Modern Love Story

Honourable Mention | ADC Sci-Fi Writing Competition

Story by Mike Matson

Lisa sat in the departure lounge at LAX tapping furiously on her phone, her right eye starting the twitch she only got when dealing with her mother.

Her boyfriend had dropped her off and said goodbye. It was amicable, but final. The relationship was not headed towards marriage despite the last five years they were together while she was completing her PhD in East Asian Art History at UCLA.