For a long time the Australian military has been very wary about public discussions, so this first book is a welcome change of attitude. This is partly because of the development of a number of think-tanks in the field – Tom Frame is Director of the Centre for the Study of Armed Conflict at UNSW in Canberra, and Albert Palazzo is Director of Research for the Australian Army, for example – but also because the evolving role of the military requires new approaches.