The final straw: Are our defence forces overstretched?

09 May 2007Are our defence forces overstretched? Have we reached the point where the scale and diversity of Australian Defence Force (ADF) deployments are no longer sustainable? Are overseas deployments compromising the maintenance and development of our defence capabilities? Is too heavy a burden being placed on the men and women of the ADF by multiple deployments? With concurrent operations ongoing in Iraq, Afghanistan, Timor Leste and Solomon Islands, coupled with shorter missions to Fiji and Tonga last year, it’s tempting to conclude that the answers to all these questions must be yes. But what do the numbers say?

Noticeboard

13 January 2012

The Summer 2012 issue of Quarterly Access examines the recent East Asia Summit, bilateral alliances in the Asia Pacific, the future of Timor-Leste, women's participation in peace processes and more.

Read QA online: http://www.aiia.asn.au/qa/qa-vol4-issue1

02 December 2011

Applications are now open for a unique training opportunity for selected individuals develop the skills, networks and knowledge needed to be effective in forging a more sustainable future.

21 October 2011

Michael Wesley, director of the foreign policy think tank, the Lowy Institute, has won the third John Button Prize for writing on public policy.

Dr Wesley won the $20,000 award for his book, There Goes the Neighbourhood: Australia and the Rise of Asia.