'Educating an army': Australian army doctrinal development and the operational experience in South Vietnam, 1965-72

Abstract

This monograph examines the way in which the Australian Army met the challenges to its doctrine presented by the Vietnam War. The war produced some widely varied tactical problems, and the flexibility and deep experience which were the hallmarks of the army in the 1960s provide the key to understanding how these problems were solved. After surveying the origins of the Australian Army's counter-revolutionary warfare doctrine, the monograph examines in detail the challenges to and development of this doctrine in the four periods of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War: working alongside US forces (May 1965-June 1966); the establishment of the independent task force (May 1966-January 1968); the period of 'out of province' operations (January 1968-June 1969); and the final period of Vietnamisation and pacification. The developments in tactics and doctrine of the Vietnam War period marked a substantial step in the process of developing Australian Army doctrine - a process which is worthy of study as, at the turn of the century, the army develops new doctrine and concepts to meet the challenges of the future. Show more