Individual character is best understood as a complex human phenomenon that is more than the sum of its parts. When we talk about someone’s individual character, we are referring to the distinct attributes or qualities they embody as a unique person. Specifically, this involves positive personal strengths that manifest through their actions as virtues.
Importantly, virtues are actions and not just ideals. They are the physical expression of a person’s character and can be intellectual, moral, civic or performance related. The nature and expression of individual character is fundamentally important because it enables an individual to embody virtue and live out principles articulated through organisational values.
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Ethical PhilosophiesRape, Indefensible Weapon of WarChristina Lamb’s Our Bodies, Their Battlefield uncovers the often-hidden horrors of sexual violence in war, spotlighting the survivors’ resilience and the urgent need for justice.
<15 min06/11/2024 -
Ethical PhilosophiesThe Importance of Truth in our Institutional ServiceIn a world of distorted information, truth is vital for ethical leadership in the ADF. Discover how upholding truth strengthens trust, collaboration, and institutional integrity for long-term success.
<15 min14/10/2024
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Culture AlignmentThe Crimson Thread of KinshipLindsay Murray and Percy Ings are commemorated at a cemetery in Breadalbane, New South Wales. Both men were raised in Australia and killed in the Battle of Fromelles in 1916. Both are interred 17,000 km from home. That they were involved in a war so far away is central to Australia’s status in a British world in the early 20th century. Murray and Ings trained and served as Australian soldiers in a standardised Empire army. They personify the British learning experience of the Western Front. Their loss was keenly felt by family and friends in Australia.
<30 min17/07/2024 -
Character Role ModelCan Australians fight?A change in the character of war is the importance of pre-conflict, political warfare to weaken adversaries and undermine their will to fight. Meanwhile, recent wars between states reinforced the enduring nature of protracted, conventional war to avoid existential threats. This essay asks if Australia has the national understanding to counter the impact of political warfare and the commensurate will to endure a protracted war in the Indo-Pacific.<15 min01/03/2023
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Ethical PhilosophiesRape, Indefensible Weapon of War
Christina Lamb’s Our Bodies, Their Battlefield uncovers the often-hidden horrors of sexual violence in war, spotlighting the survivors’ resilience and the urgent need for justice.
<15 min06/11/2024 -
Culture AlignmentThe Crimson Thread of Kinship
Lindsay Murray and Percy Ings are commemorated at a cemetery in Breadalbane, New South Wales. Both men were raised in Australia and killed in the Battle of Fromelles in 1916. Both are interred 17,000 km from home. That they were involved in a war so far away is central to Australia’s status in a British world in the early 20th century. Murray and Ings trained and served as Australian soldiers in a standardised Empire army. They personify the British learning experience of the Western Front. Their loss was keenly felt by family and friends in Australia.
<30 min17/07/2024 -
Character Role ModelCan Australians fight?A change in the character of war is the importance of pre-conflict, political warfare to weaken adversaries and undermine their will to fight. Meanwhile, recent wars between states reinforced the enduring nature of protracted, conventional war to avoid existential threats. This essay asks if Australia has the national understanding to counter the impact of political warfare and the commensurate will to endure a protracted war in the Indo-Pacific.<15 min01/03/2023
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The Art of War Joint CompetencyEnter, the Contemporary Australian Warrant OfficerA new Senior Enlisted capability is emerging with a burgeoning form of influence-based leadership that embraces diversity and that can rapidly mobilise a workforce.
<30 min31/08/2022
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Ethical PhilosophiesThe Importance of Truth in our Institutional Service
In a world of distorted information, truth is vital for ethical leadership in the ADF. Discover how upholding truth strengthens trust, collaboration, and institutional integrity for long-term success.
<15 min14/10/2024 -
The Art of War Joint CompetencyInformation – the Missing Member of the Military Power QuartetDive into Part Three of the Military Power Quartet Series: Exploring the pivotal role of Information in shaping the outcomes of modern conflicts, through the lens of the recent Gaza conflict. A crucial read for understanding contemporary military strategies.
<30 min07/02/2024 -
Wicked SystemsThinking Strategically - ReflectionsThis article explores the concept of ‘strategic thinking’. It provides a model for those who are urgently grappling with the current geostrategic turbulence and trying to find a path through it, and a place in the emerging order.
<30 min22/03/2023 -
The Art of War Joint CompetencyEnter, the Contemporary Australian Warrant Officer
A new Senior Enlisted capability is emerging with a burgeoning form of influence-based leadership that embraces diversity and that can rapidly mobilise a workforce.
<30 min31/08/2022