In the first two decades of the Cold War, Australia fought in three conflicts and prepared to fight in a possible wider conflagration in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In Korea, Malaya and Borneo, Australian forces encountered new types of warfare, integrated new equipment and ideas, and were part of the longest continual overseas deployments in Australia's history. Working closely with its allies, Australia also trained for a large conventional war in Southeast Asia, while a significant percentage of the defence force guarded the Papua New Guinea-Indonesian border. At home, the Defence organisation grappled with new threats and military expansion, while the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation defended the nation from domestic and foreign threats. This book examines this crucial part of Australia's security history, so often overlooked as merely a precursor to the Vietnam War. It addresses key questions such as how did Australia achieve its security goals at home and in the region in this new Cold War environment? What were the experiences of the services, units and individuals serving in Southeast Asia? How did this period shape Australia's defence for years to come?
Edited by:
Peter Dean,
Tristan Moss
Imprint: Australian National Univ.
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9781760464820
ISBN 10: 1760464821
Publication Date: 30 November 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Maps Acknowledgements Contributors Abbreviations Introduction: Fighting Australia's Cold War Part 1. Strategy and the postwar military Australian strategic policy in the global context of the Cold War, 1945-65 - Stephan Fruhling Australia's military after the Second World War: Legacies and challenges - John Blaxland The 'fourth arm' of Australia's defence: ASIO and the early Cold War - David Horner The Korean War - Thomas Richardson Part 2. Planning for and fighting in Southeast Asia, 1955-65 Planning for war in Southeast Asia: The Far East Strategic Reserve, 1955-66 - Tristan Moss The Malayan Emergency - Thomas Richardson Australia's Confrontation with Indonesia and military commitment to Borneo, 1964-66 - Lachlan Grant and Michael Kelly Defending Australia's land border: The Australian military in Papua New Guinea - Tristan Moss Part 3. Retrospective The Australian way of war and the early Cold War - Peter J Dean Index
