Publications

The Australian Army has a range of publications aimed at informing its people of Army’s proud history.

For professional military education purposes and as awards and presentation gifts, units can request books via aahu.library@defence.gov.au.

For current employees of Defence and/or an authorised user who is permitted to access the secure Defence networks, books can be accessed via the Defence Library Service - OverDrive.

Google Books provide a choice of retailers for many titles. If a retailer lists a book as ‘unavailable’ or ‘not found’, the book may be out of print or awaiting reprint. Contact the retailer or the publisher for further details. Books may also be available for loan from a public library.

Australian Army Campaign Series

The Australian Army Campaign Series is written primarily for members of the Australian Army with a focus on leadership, command, strategy, tactics, lessons and personal experiences of war.

Find the series on Google Books.

Australian Army Combat Support Series

The Australian Army Combat Support Series is written primarily for members of the Australian Army with a focus on specific branches of military service, or by exploring materiel and equipment in support of operations.

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Australian Military History Series

The Australian Military History Series is written primarily for members of the Australian Army with a focus on issues and deployments.

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Australian Army History Series

The Australian Army History Series are books that explore a topic, subject or theme in a manner which has not been discussed before, or sheds new understanding on an existing topic.

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Australian Army History Collection

The Australian Army History Collection explores a broad range of themes including biographies, administrative studies, battle histories, campaign histories, weapons systems, and unit and formation histories.

Find the collection on Google Books.

History Snippets

History Snippets are scholarly articles limited to 800 words that briefly explore the Australian Army’s diverse history.

1947 - 75th Anniversary of the Formation of the Australian Regular Army (PDF 620.81 KB) 1964 - 50 Years Since the End of Conscription Under the 1964 National Service Act (PDF 689.85 KB) 1983 - The Pace Stick of the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (PDF 255.74 KB) 2022 - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee (PDF 511.21 KB) Boer War (1899-1902) - Some Lessons and Effects of the Anglo-Boer War (PDF 613.44 KB) World War 1 (April 1917) - 1st Division and the Battle of Lagnicourt (PDF 550.71 KB) World War 1 (May 1917) - 2nd Division and the Battle of Bullecourt (PDF 600.18 KB) World War 1 (September 1917) - Horse and Morse in Action at Ramadi (PDF 641.08 KB) World War 1 (October 1917) - Beersheba and the Art of Deception (PDF 542.44 KB) World War 1 (October 1917) - I & II Anzac Corps: Chance and Composure at the Battle of Broodseinde (PDF 866.81 KB) World War 1 (March 1918) - A Raid to Amman: Anzac Mounted Division (PDF 752.1 KB) World War 2 (January 1942) - Battle of Sanananda Road, Papua (PDF 751.75 KB) World War 2 (June 1942) - Salamaua Raid: A Precursor to Special Ops Model (PDF 613.09 KB) World War 2 (July 1942) - 9 Div at Tel el Eisa and a Foundation for Success at El Alamein (PDF 848.13 KB) World War 2 (July - November 1942) - The Kokoda Campaign: Myth and Reality (PDF 719.82 KB) World War 2 (August - September 1942) - The Battle For Milne Bay and Army's World Leading Fight Against Malaria (PDF 802.91 KB) Korea (1953) - The History of 2 RAR's Black Drums (PDF 833.69 KB) Somalia (1993) - 1 RAR Group Clashes with Bandits in Baidoa (PDF 883.2 KB) Vietnam (1962) - The Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (PDF 673 KB)

Australian Army Occasional Papers

The Australian Army Occasional Paper Series is a format that allows issues of importance to be explored in detail, without requiring the length or complexity of a book. 

Australian Army Mobilisation in 1914

MAJ Ian Bell

In 1914, Australia formed two expeditionary forces. The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) would fight in the Middle East and Europe and ultimately become the nation’s primary contribution to the war. The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) travelled north to seize German New Guinea in September.

The country’s part-time citizen forces were also mobilised to safeguard vital assets within Australia and protect the main ports. The rapid despatch of expeditionary forces and the garrisoning of ports and crucial infrastructure represented a remarkable achievement. Its success owed a great deal to the often imperfect but nonetheless significant military preparations completed prior to 1914.

The pre-war mostly part-time Commonwealth Military Forces were in a period of transition. The small, previously all-volunteer force was expanding to become a much larger force of over 100 battalions and regiments created on the basis of almost universal compulsory military service.

This force was partially mobilised in August 1914 to provide basic security within Australia. At the same time, Australia formed the two expeditionary forces for overseas service, the largest of which — the AIF — would eclipse the pre-war army.

Australian Army Mobilisation in 1914 (PDF 6.23 MB)

Force Design in the 1990s: Lessons for Contemporary Military Change Management

LTCOL Renée Kidson

Army in the 21st Century (A21) and Restructuring the Army (RTA) were two related force structure initiatives undertaken by the Australian Army in the 1990s.

A21 radically proposed to abolish traditional divisional/corps structures, fielding instead independent task forces with embedded combat arms. 

The RTA trials tested A21 concepts and capabilities over several years, yet A21/RTA was abandoned in 1999. 

This retrospective appraisal of A21/RTA is a case study of attempted transformational change in the Australian Army. The monograph features interviews with over thirty senior military, public service, academic and political leaders of that era, and applies organisational theory to interpret internal and external dynamics.

Force Design in the 1990s: Lessons for Contemporary Military Change Management (PDF 5.55 MB)

Australian Army Tactical and Instructional Pamphlets and Books - A bibliography

Michael O'Brien

The purpose of this bibliography is to list the instructional and tactical literature of the Australian Army and the Armies of the pre-Federation states. This body of work consists of the documentary material used to train soldiers for war and has been partially annotated where required or to highlight the particular importance of an entry.

Australian Army Tactical and Instructional Pamphlets and Books - A bibliography (PDF 3.69 MB)

Which Division?

COL David Connery

Through Plan Beersheba, the Australian Army’s contemporary leadership embarked on the most wide-ranging change to its combat force structure since the very late 1970s. 

The plan has three similarly structured multi-role manoeuvre brigades and the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters (1st Division) as a joint formation. Yet their predecessors responded to their situation after Vietnam by forming three specialised brigades — one on higher readiness than the others — within an entirely Army-focused divisional structure. These differing responses invite interesting questions concerning the way Army leaders respond to risk and competing challenges in their force structure choices.

This study examines the three primary stages of development in shaping the 1st Division between 1972 and 1980. The study illustrates how the 1st Division’s structure evolved as it moved from the Tropical Warfare Division of the 1960s to the three specialised regular Army brigades of the early 1980s. 

It also shows that Army’s leaders developed a very different division as the basis for their doctrine. This division was a tool for mobilisation planning and training, however it was structurally out of kilter with the emerging priority for forces capable of dispersed operations against low-level incursions in the north of Australia. 

The study concludes with observations on how the Australian Army’s leaders of the post-Vietnam period responded to risk through force structure, and provides some insights into the enduring challenges of force structure decision-making.

Which Division? (PDF 2.35 MB)