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what are the shortfalls of mole?
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driven by the acquisition of the ADAS System which will constitute the largest and most
sophisticated amphibious and littoral warfare capability that the ADF has ever had in
its inventory. Failure to address these elements of the fundamental inputs to capability
will result in a high end warfighting capability which can only be used in low end
warfighting scenarios or operations other than war. For this reason a joint littoral warfare
or expeditionary doctrine which underpins the development of training and procedures
for the employment of the ADF’s future amphibious and littoral warfare capabilities is
required. The fundamental tenets of the MOLE could lay the foundations for such doctrine.
Conclusion
While the Army’s MOLE warfighting concept does not break conceptual ground it
has provided a platform for the Army to explore its role in littoral warfare, the ADF’s
maritime strategy and an expeditionary orientation. If MOLE is to become the ‘unifying
warfighting concept’ it aspires to be, it requires further conceptual revision and
development. 41 This will require considerable intellectual rigour, and inter-Service
understanding and dialogue to provide MOLE with some joint conceptual clout. In the
ADF one of the greatest stepping stones to achieving a truly joint operating concept
for littoral operations will be overcoming single Service stove-pipes. This is primarily
because littoral operations necessitate cross-domain planning, training and effects like
no other environment, which requires a joint culture that the ADF has yet to fully attain.
Despite the cultural challenges MOLE has the potential to be the foundations for a
joint littoral warfare doctrine. MOLE accords with the 2009 White Paper and the ADF’s
capstone concepts, however from the operational (and tactical) perspective it lacks
joint depth. In particular, the multidimensional manoeuvre tenets of MOLE fail to fully
exploit joint maritime manoeuvre. From a single Service or joint maritime perspective,
MOLE needs to be reviewed to include the tenets of maritime manoeuvre in the littoral,
STOM, DO and sea basing. These joint maritime manoeuvre concepts could be a major
force multiplier and/or critical enabler to the MOLE concept.
Given the ADF’s strategic focus outlined in the 2009 Defence White Paper and future
capability acquisitions such as the ADAS System there are considerable driving factors
for the development of an ADF littoral warfare or expeditionary concept. The Australian
Army’s MOLE warfighting concept is a good starting point, however, the only future
for such a littoral warfare or expeditionary concept is through joint collaboration,
development and implementation.