Since retiring from the Australian Army in February this year, I have led a reasonably hectic existence writing, speaking and consulting, while at the same time moving my family north from Canberra and back to my home state of Queensland, Australia.
Over the last couple of decades, I have studied the phenomenon of war including tactics and strategy, technology and organisation, adaptation and leadership. It is complex and difficult topic.
But it is a subject that I am quite passionate about. Despite the decline of violence theories that we have seen in the past couple of decades, humans remain competitive animals. It’s why sport is popular! And unfortunately, it is why war has not been banished from our world. There is always someone who covets something they don’t possess and is willing to take it by force.
Whether we like it or not, war is an enduring element of human existence. It is why I have published many articles in the past two decades about warfare, future war, leadership and military effectiveness. It is also why I wrote my first book, “War Transformed”, which was published by U.S. Naval Institute books nine days before the Russians invaded Ukraine.
Since then, much of my writing has been focussed on the many different elements of the war in Ukraine. In addition to my long, 25-part Twitter threads (124 and counting), I write weekly columns for Australia’s most widely read newspaper, The Sydney Morning Herald, and for our national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). I have also published articles in The Economist, as well as a series of pieces at Engelsberg Ideas.
Topics have included strategy, new and evolving technology, the impacts of specific incidents, strategic influence activities, tactics and the adaptation of the Ukrainian and Russian forces.
While the Sydney Morning Herald articles are behind a paywall, the articles for the ABC are freely available online.
At the link below, there is a full library of all my ABC articles (as well as appearances on ABC television). I thought this might be useful, not only to provide access to more of my writing, but so you can critique whether my assessments have been accurate or not.
Hindsight can be quite valuable in honing our capacity to conduct strategic assessments. I have read through my early articles, in order to help me improve both the style of my writing as well as how I think about analysing the war. My assessments are far from perfect, but I think they have always been thoughtful, and well informed by my military experience and various studies at military and civil academic institutions.
Check them out at the link below and see what you think.
Thanks for your email this morning providing access to Furura Doctrina. Just noticed the same problem with the email link as Andrew. thanks to Andrew
Truly admire your work Mick, but you have a typo, "war is an enduring element of human existence." should read "war is an enduring element of men's existence." Sure I bet you could name a woman or two who have started a war, but let's face it "war" is men's business.