The Edge

Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) - What's the Story?

Dr. Heather Skousgaard gives an excellent, easily accessible taster to the importance of cultural intelligence (CQ) and why it is nested within the Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) continuum. Stay engaged for further discussion on this topic by Dr. Skousgaard on the Forge!

We are ‘Better Together’: A contemporary case study #2

The much-anticipated key lessons by Ben McLennan, as applied to the contemporary case study - we are 'better together'.

We are 'Better Together': A Contemporary Case Study #1

In his third installment for The Forge, Ben McLennan discusses the enduring cooperative endeavour between the Australian Defence Force and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Ben presents us with a contemporary case study in cross-cultural leadership, collaboration, and cooperation. Stay tuned at the end of the week for the lessons-learned for this case study of working 'better together'...

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.

Catalogue of Technology, Knowledge and Concepts by Best-Selling Author Ray Kurzweil

Kurzweil Network is a small format digest — featuring hand-picked, specially curated stories and resources. This website is also home to the permanent collection of writings and commentary by Ray Kurzweil. It follows progress in the science and technology landscape, with topics including biology, nanotech, materials science, electronics, computation, artificial intelligence, robotics, web, pattern recognition, virtual reality, and prosthetics + body augmentation.

Officers’ Call: The Profession of Arms

In 1962, General Sir John Winthrop Hackett, GCB, CBE, DSO & Bar, MC delivered a series of lectures on the Profession of Arms at Trinity College, Cambridge. A renowned soldier, author and historian, General Hackett served with distinction in the Second World War and his career culminated in his appointment as the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine. Following the success of these lectures, he released a well-received book on the same subject, also called ‘The Profession of Arms’. The lectures provide a good historical basis for officers who wish to conduct further study of the profession of arms.

Center of Gravity: What Clausewitz Really Meant (Part 1 of 2)

Part one of a two-part article written by Professor Joseph L. Strange, Marine Corps War College and COL Richard Iron, British Army.

This paper explores what Clausewitz really meant by the term “center of gravity”. The authors propose that he intended it to be a strength, either moral or physical, and a dynamic and powerful agent in its own right. The authors also suggest that the current Joint and NATO definition of center of gravity is incorrect, implying it to be a source of strength, and that this mis-definition has been responsible for much of the confusion about the concept that exists today.

Managing Assumptions in Planning and Execution

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.

Us as the Enemy: Jihadism and the Strategic Narrative of Anti-Westernism

Delivered during the Chief of Army’s Land Forces Conference 2018, Ms Theodorakis’ lecture highlights how jihadists adhere to a worldview that has painted the West as a morally corrupt enemy, and the jihadists themselves – despite their involvement in such atrocities as extra-judical killings, beheadings – are the ethical actors trying to bring about a more just world.