Leading by reading doctrine

The first edition of the ADF Doctrine publication Theatre Operations is now available.

ADF-A-0 Theatre Operations highlights the HQJOC operational command and control model, which applies the theatre component method to integrating joint and combined effects.

ADF Doctrine guides the employment and operational effectiveness of the integrated force. It supports professional military education and training of all ADF personnel, and in doing so, supports ADF preparedness.

Doctrine publications on leadership, ethics, character, command and culture provide a comprehensive account of Australian profession of arms and military ethos. This ethos reflects the way military professionals think, act and develop their character through service – shaping conduct and identity within the profession.

Recent doctrine publications include insights from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel Defense Forces counter-insurgency in Gaza, the Iranian-US War, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide (Recommendation 13), as well as grey-zone activity.

Ethos of the Profession of Arms

This suite of publications encompasses: 

• Australian Defence Force Leadership 
• Character 
• Command 
• Culture 
• Military Ethics

Australian Defence Force Leadership distils ideas and principles relevant to leadership in the modern military while drawing from deep shared histories.

Character guides ADF members in developing social and professional practices that represent the highest levels of civilised personal conduct. It guides the behaviour of ADF members in military service, particularly in the legitimate use of lethal force.

Command primarily focuses on how to think about command and includes a discussion on command accountability.

Culture introduces the idea of cultural intelligence as operating on a spectrum, from individual, to team, to organisation. It highlights how the cross-cultural skills, knowledge and mindsets of individual personnel enable healthy team formation and success in the operational environment. It also explains the patterns of culture that underlie human behaviour and explores what drives cultural change.

Military Ethics sets out the importance of leadership standards, stating that ‘ethical leadership is the single most important factor in ensuring the legitimacy of our operations and the support of the Australian people’.

Director General of the Joint Warfare Development Branch, BRIG Grant Chambers, said the ‘Ethos of the Profession of Arms’ suite provides personnel with a guide rail to develop themselves during their careers.

“It establishes standards of conduct and a climate that ensures those standards do not drift or deviate over time,” BRIG Chambers said.

“As such, they are important inputs to our approach to training and education in our schoolhouses, as well as to the day-to-day work in our ships and bases in Australia and abroad.”

Find the ‘Ethos of the Profession of Arms’ doctrine publications on the intranet and on The Forge, where they can be downloaded as a PDF or listened to as an audiobook: theforge.defence.gov.au/doctrine