The Value of Respect: What Does it Mean for an Army?

The Australian Army has adopted “respect” as a new addition to the existing trio of values, “courage, initiative and teamwork.” This article explores what respect may mean as an army value. The significance of respect surrounding two incidents involving Australian Defence Force personnel while on duty in Afghanistan is considered. The first is the so-called “green on blue” attack by an Afghan National Army soldier killing three Australian soldiers on 29 August 2012. The second concerns allegations of mutilation of suspected Afghan insurgents’ corpses by soldiers attached to an Australian Special Forces Unit on 28 April 2013. The incidents have resulted in internal military investigations: in the second incident, with a view to possible prosecution for breach of the law of armed conflict and related disciplinary offences; and in the case of the green on blue attack, leading to a civilian coronial inquest. This article discusses the training and modelling of behaviour required to instil such a value as respect.     

Patterns in spatial point locations: Local indicators of spatial association in a minefield with clutter

The problem of detecting a minefield in the presence of clutter can be abstracted to that of detecting a spatial pattern within a set of point locations. The point locations are superpositions of several patterns, one of which corresponds to mines. In contrast to previous articles that take a formal, model‐based approach, this article proposes a statistical methodology that is distinctly exploratory. Each point location is considered separately, and its contributions to a global measure of spatial distances between locations are featured. Different patterns and unusual points can be more easily identified on the new scale. Both minefield data and simulated point patterns demonstrate the power of the method. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Naval Research Logistics 48:333–347, 2001     

Robustness of the normal approximation of lead-time demand in a distribution setting

Previous studies criticize the general use of the normal approximation of lead-time demand on the grounds that it can lead to serious errors in safety stock. We reexamine this issue for the distribution of fast-moving finished goods. We first determine the optimal reorder points and quantities by using the classical normal-approximation method and a theoretically correct procedure. We then evaluate the misspecification error of the normal approximation solution with respect to safety stock, logistics-system costs, total costs (logistics costs, including acquisition costs), and fill rates. The results provide evidence that the normal approximation is robust with respect to both cost and service for seven major industry groups. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 44: 165–186, 1997     

Iraq, 2003–2011: succeeding to fail

ABSTRACT

This study examines the US experience during the Iraq war, from the planning phase that began in 2001 to the withdrawal of US forces in 2011. It reveals a dearth of planning and intelligence leading up to the invasion; reluctance by conventional coalition military forces to conduct reconstruction, political and security capacity-building; and, later, full spectrum counterinsurgency operations. These forces took on some missions traditionally reserved for special operations forces, and they increasingly assumed diplomatic roles as they interfaced with the Iraqi leadership and local kingpins. Although these efforts yielded some impressive organizational learning and limited operational successes, they were hampered by lack of adequate preparation, a poor understanding of the human terrain, shortsighted strategies, and ultimately a dearth of political will to stay the course. The outcome was far from the model Middle East democracy envisioned by the invasion’s architects, and the American experience in Iraq instead became a cautionary tale for military intervention.