A Modern History of the ADF: Adapting to an Ever Changing Strategic Landscape

The history of the Australian Defence Force is one of an organisation trying to adapt to an ever evolving strategic landscape. This documentary charts the four major eras in Australian strategic policy; Forward Defence, the Defence of Australia, The Global War on Terror and, finally, Great Power Competition in East Asia. The forces, bases, platforms and doctrine of the ADF have swung between two goals that often stand in tension; the desire to shape Australia's region through the deployment of military force overseas and the longstanding Australian strategic dream of providing for its own fundamental security. With limited resources, specialised defensive systems and expeditionary forces can, often, not be procured at the same time. The reality has led to a number of hard choices, as the threat Australia faces has evolved. Finally, in the second decade of the 21st century, Australia faces its greatest challenge since the Second World War, the rise of China. But how will the ADF adapt to this new, and most formidable, of challenges?