Ibid - Australian Army

31
Study Paper No. 301
conduct of land force operations on the Australian mainland. 122
TIB 68 was concerned with the operational level of war, and with
giving guidance to commanders and their staff in low-level
operations. 123 Much of its content was derived from lessons learnt
from the Kangaroo exercises of 1983, 1986 and 1987. 124
Chapter 1 of TIB 68 stated that ‘in conforming with recent Defence
policy, the Army has adopted the concept that its most probable
initial operational commitment will be to low-level conflict’. 125 The
pamphlet defined low-level conflict as ‘conflict in which the
opponent engages in politically motivated hostile acts ranging from
non-violent infringements of, to small scale military actions against,
Australian sovereignty or interests. It is a form of indirect
strategy’. 126 To meet low-level contingencies, the ODF
brigade-sized group would undertake short-notice deployment to
any part of Australia. The parachute battalion group would assist in
securing a point of entry for the ODF and a second brigade would
deploy as a follow-on force. 127
The pamphlet stated that low-level operations against Australia
could include harassment of national shipping, intrusions of
Australian airspace and seaspace, and single or sustained raids on
national soil by enemy forces. 128 Australia might be confronted by
terrorists and saboteurs and possibly a temporary seizure of territory
or installations by small, dispersed groups, or by a larger force
concentrated against specific targets. 129
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
Australian Army, Low-Level Conflict 1988, Training Information
Bulletin No. 68, Headquarters Training Command, Sydney,
September 1988; Formation Tactics 1987, chap. 1.
Low-Level Conflict 1988, para. 2.
Ibid., para. 3.
Ibid., para. 102.
Ibid., para. 103.
Ibid.
Ibid., para. 209.
Ibid., para. 209.