The Edge

Australian Defence Logistics - The Need to Enable and Equip Logistics Transformation

This report aims to highlight to the wider Defence community the challenges faced by Defence Logisticians and the lack of priority that Defence leaders have placed on Logistics in the past. Defence needs to place greater emphasis on the Defence Logistic function if it is to meet the challenges of a more complex and challenging operating environment in the future.

A Theory-based Framework for Critical Thinking in Defence Planning and Assessment

This article was written by Dr Mazourenko and Mr Jobst from the Defence Science and Technology Organisation and it describes how military planning and assessment processes can benefit from ‘Program Theory’. It argues that a ‘theory-based framework’ will support better-informed decision making in a time-sensitive matter.

The Importance of Knowledge sharing in Military Organizations

When General Stanley McChrystal started fighting al Qaeda in 2003, information and secrets were the lifeblood of his operations. But as the unconventional battle waged on, he began to think that the culture of keeping important information classified was misguided and actually counterproductive. In a short but powerful talk McChrystal makes the case for actively sharing knowledge.

Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe

What makes a great leader? Management theorist Simon Sinek suggests, it’s someone who makes their employees feel secure, who draws staffers into a circle of trust. But creating trust and safety — especially in an uneven economy — means taking on big responsibility.

Better Policy for Defence Officials

A series of videos describing how defence officials can better communicate and develop policy with government

Understanding Why a Ground Combat Vehicle That Carries Nine Dismounts Is Important to the Army

The Army has examined the lessons of half a dozen significant conflicts, starting with World War II, has conducted numerous studies over the last 65 years, and has found time and again that an ability to conduct dismounted fire and maneuver is the fundamental squad-level tactic.

The Astounding Athletic Power of Quadcopters

In a robot lab at TEDGlobal, Raffaello D'Andrea demos his flying quadcopters: robots that think like athletes, solving physical problems with algorithms that help them learn. In a series of nifty demos, D'Andrea show drones that play catch, balance and make decisions together -- and watch out for an I-want-this-now demo of Kinect-controlled quads.

Building Trust: Civil-Military Relations in Australia

Establishing and maintaining the necessary levels of trust in Australian civil-military relations has been tested over the past decade by incidents such as the ‘Skype’ and ‘children overboard’ incidents. This paper looks at civil-military relations; relationships between the civilian government, society and military leadership.

Technical Challenges of the US Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle Program

An overview of the difficulties the US Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle program in integrating emerging technology in AFV design and development as it looks to develop a successor for the M2 and M3A3 Bradley IFV. It provides commentary on IFV carriage capacity, weapons systems, active protection systems and the threat posed by the proliferation of anti armoured weapon systems among likely threat forces.

Development of an Algorithm for Calculating the ‘Risk’ of Terrorist CBRN

In order to avert a disaster from a terrorist chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) attack, it is important to study the likelihood of terrorists using CBRN weapons. This study reports on the development of an algorithm for calculating the ‘risk’ of a terrorist seeking CBRN weaponry with 67.3 percent prediction accuracy.

Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) in the Royal Navy – Developing a Risk-Based Policy for Integrating Safety and Maintenance Management

Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) was adopted by the Royal Navy (RN) in 1995 following trials in the HUNT Class mine counter measures vessels which indicated that its adoption could deliver both cost savings and improvements in availability.

TED Talk: The Moral Dangers of Non-Lethal Weapons

Pepper spray, Tasers, tear gas, rubber bullets -- these ‘non-lethal’ weapons are being used by more and more local police forces, as well as military forces brought in to control civilian crowds and other situations. Despite their name, non-lethal weapons have been known to cause deaths ... and as Dr Stephen Coleman suggests, there are other, more insidious hazards as well. He explores the complex ethics -- and the unexpected consequences -- of using non-lethal weapons to control civilians.