Ibid - Australian Army

49
Study Paper No. 301
operations in defence of Australia and Australian interests’. 196
MLW One 1.3 laid down a general concept for the conduct of land
force operations based on detection, protection and response. 197
Special attention was paid to the problem of low force-to-space
ratios in TAORs in northern Australia and to specific land force
tasks in a joint-force area of operations. 198
Detection, protection and response operations and security in
support areas were described in detail, with response options
grouped according to tactical areas, wide areas and offshore areas
using a range of force elements. 199 The pamphlet dwelt on the
enduring operational problem of reconciling rapid deployment with
combat power in wide-area, dispersed operations across the breadth
of northern Australia using ready deployment and manoeuvre
forces. While airmobile forces at Tindal and Jabiru could deploy
quickly over much of the Top End of northern Australia, they were
limited to foot-mobility and lacked speed once on the ground. The
pamphlet stated that ‘there may be a requirement for airmobile
response forces to marry-up with vehicles in the JFAO’. 200 Finally,
MLW One 1.3 stressed the vital need for integrated logistics in
maximising combat effectiveness across all military levels. 201
A companion pamphlet to MLW One 1.3, MLW One 2.1,
Task Force Operations in Defence of Australia, provided interim
tactical doctrine for a core concept for brigade-style land
operations. This core concept was based on deployment, offensive
response by protective forces and provision of a flexible reserve in
the form of a Theatre Response Force (TRF). 202 The pamphlet
introduced the notion of a layered land defence: an outer layer of
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
Operations in Defence of Australia 1996, p. v.
Ibid., paras 2.2 – 2.6.
Ibid., chaps 2–3.
Ibid., para. 3.26.
Ibid., para. 3.24.
Ibid., chap. 4.
Task Force Operations in Defence of Australia 1996, chap. 1.