Australian Contributions to Strategic and Military Geography

Drawing from military geography's  spatial roots, its embrace of dynamic systems, and integration of human and biophysical environments, this book helps in understanding  the value of analyzing patterns, processes and systems, and cross-scale and multi-disciplinary ways of acting in a complex world, while making  the case for a resurgence of strategic and military geography in Australia.  Here, leading experts demonstrate that geography retains its relevance in clarifying the scale and dynamics of defense activities in assessments of the international, regional, national, and site impacts of changes in physical, cyber and human geographies. The cases presented show Australia contributing to a growing strategic and military geography.

Associate Professor Stuart Pearson is co-leader of the Strategic and Military Geography group and is at the University of New South Wales, Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy as a Honorary Associate Professor with over 16 years of experience in teaching Geography.  He has been the Innovations Manager for Land & Water Australia and an active member of the Australian Joint Agency Scanning Network. His teaching or integrated geography and environmental science in Australia's officer cadet University and his research in the fields of long-term and environmental change have shown the power of geography in integration of knowledge to achieve impact.  He has published widely in the fields of natural resource management and environmental science an education.  Ms. Jane Holloway is a Senior Systems Scientist in the Australian Department of Defence with a background in systems agriculture, wool industry, new and emerging Defence technologies with both operational and strategic impacts.  She co-leads a group leading the consideration of environmental and climate change and Defence preparedness. She has worked to bring strategic military geography change into Defence and published a seminal chapter on the concept.  She seeks to ensure that strategy occurs in a geography-aware way. Mr. Richard Thackway is a consulting research scientist implementing ecological frameworks and information systems to improve natural resource decision making. He is the Managing Director of VAST transformations an innovative start-up company.  In his contributions to design and implementation of Australia's National Reserve System and National System of Representative Marine Protected Areas and the Indigenous Protected Areas his work stands out. His frameworks are used in Australia's 2011 State of the Environment and the 2013 State of the Forests Reports and he his experience with Australian and state and territory governments, scientists, academics, Defence and regional non-government groups is outstanding.