The Edge

Reforming Culture: Preparing Defence for AI

Every day, artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more accessible, scalable and affordable. Disruption is not only possible, it is an inevitable - and leaders must start preparing for it now. However, the Australian Defence Forces’ (ADF) organisational culture is poorly equipped for - if not entirely opposed to - the fast and complete adoption of AI-enabled warfare. This paper explores the changes that Defence will need to make in order to prepare for artificial intelligence.

How to Think (and How Not To)

In this piece, Ben McLennan discusses the pressing need to educate the Army’s workforce on how to think (and how not to). In his discussion, McLennan cogently addresses systems thinking, inherent biases and the need for open-mindedness as part of understanding the recipe to transform Army’s thinking. While specific to McLennan’s Army experience, his observations are equally applicable to other Services and anyone who aspires to think in a way that harnesses a competitive advantage.

The Royal Australian Air Force Leadership Companion

The Air Force Leadership Companion is designed to assist Air Force personnel in understanding and contextualising the foundations of leadership as espoused in ADDP 00.6 Leadership. This companion explores the context of Social Mastery: Character, Professional Ethics, Followership and Leadership in the Air Force.

CDLE Command Paper 1 - 2016

The CDLE Command Paper 1-2016 is Commodore Peter Scott’s CSC, RAN account of Submarine Command and the issues he faced during his Command. In his paper CDRE Scott covers: qualification to command an Australian submarine, leadership with ultimate accountability and authority, the essential elements of command, purpose, vision and realism as guiding concepts, methods of submarine command, lessons from submarine command, obligations inherent in submarine command, behaviours, and traits to value and nurture.

CDLE Ethics Paper 1 - 2016

Ethics and morality are often seen as esoteric concepts, and are often misunderstood. Just like good manners, everyone thinks that they have been correctly taught what is right or wrong, good or bad, but the reality is that most people do not have a framework for understanding the conceptual underpinning of why they hold these particular beliefs. In order to behave ethically and know the difference between ethical extremes one must be aware of the different perspectives of ethics.

Capability Boost: Trials Demonstrate Enhanced ViDAR/ScanEagle Package

This article from Jane’s International Defence Review discusses the use of Visual Detection and Ranging (ViDAR) technology on the ScanEagle unmanned aerial system (UAS) platform to provide detection capabilities comparable to radar using Electrooptical (EO) and Infra Red (IR) sensors.

Ethics and the Brave New Brain

Advances in neuroscience and AI could revolutionise medicine but they also pose significant ethical and social challenges. If a brain computer interface can allow a blind person to see, or restore speech to those who've lost the ability to communicate, what does this mean for a person's sense of self, personal responsibility or privacy?

Why Would Prosthetic Arms Need to See or Connect to Cloud AI?

This summary of a lecture by Microsoft’s CTO discusses the integration of sensor technology and cloud based AI in low cost, 3D printed prosthetic arms.

North Korea’s Military Capability

This article is a Backgrounder document produced by the US Council on Foreign Relations outlining North Korea’s military capabilities with a particular focus on unconventional weapons. The article addresses the current state and source of origin of North Korea’s current arsenal of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as their delivery platforms.

ADDP 00.6 Leadership Ed2

The aim of ADDP 00.6 is to guide the development of leaders in the ADF. This publication provides philosophical and application level doctrine on leadership and describes the basic leadership tenets, principles, behaviours and considerations necessary for leadership in the ADF.