For the last decade Australia has maintained a significant land force in Afghanistan but as the long awaited drawdown looms, there are some interesting decisions to be made. One is the perennial, which has faced every army ending an extended conflict – what the heck do we do now?

One of the great what-ifs of recent defence policy relates to long running plans to acquire a new aircraft carrier to replace HMAS Melbourne.

This may not come as big news to many people but reviews don’t fix issues in government or anywhere else for that matter. They can point out where a process went wrong, assign responsibility and make recommendations but they don’t actually fix anything.

The move for a major expansion of US military training on Australian territory has been interpreted in a variety of ways. US President Barack Obama said it was all part of America renewing its interest in the Asia-Pacific region.

By the time this edition of ADM hits the streets, 2012 will have begun. But before diving into the year ahead, it’s worthwhile looking at the year that was. 2011 saw ups and downs, massive changes in people and over 40 projects approved at either the first or second pass stage.

I could not let this opportunity pass without saying a very special ‘thank you’ to Gregor Ferguson who has been the mainstay of ADM’s editorial team for almost as long as the magazine has been in existence.

This is my last editorial for Australian Defence Magazine. Shortly after this edition is published the incumbent Editor, Katherine Ziesing, will return to her post and I shall be moving on to a new challenge.

There are encouraging signs that Defence is starting to understand more clearly its role in sustaining industry skills and capability.

…they just get cranky about their pensions. Military superannuation is a big moral and emotional issue as well as a financial one, and as a ‘sleeper’ it could erupt before the next election.

The past few weeks have seen a significant change in Defence’s management and governance arrangements for capability development and acquisition.

The price Australia is paying in Afghanistan continues to increase, but the ADF’s commitment is unwavering, as is its support for the troops on the ground. Australia’s approach may offer some lessons to its Coalition partners.

Shortly after the previous edition of ADM closed for press the CEO of the Defence Materiel Organisation, Dr Steve Gumley, retired at short notice from the Australian Public Service.

… or that’s the advice once given to young soldiers. Counter-intuitively, Afghanistan is a counter-insurgency campaign in which many engagements take place at ranges more typical of WW1 and WW2, with interesting implications for marksmanship training.

The news that Defence Minister Stephen Smith had added his own voice to critics of Australia's cricket selectors triggered a number of responses from industry observers.

It was fortuitous (perhaps) that news of delays on the AWD Project broke just before a Senate estimates committee hearing provided the DMO with the chance to tell its story first. But is it really only a capacity issue?

This year’s defence budget is instructive: it highlights the huge difference between the Defence and Industry views of the business environment in which they cohabit.