This book about the development and operations of the Australian Army in the period from the election of the Whitlam Government in 1972 to the defeat of the Howard Government in 2007 constitutes a significant contribution to Australian military history. Australia’s military history began with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and now stretches over a period of more than two and a quarter centuries. This book deals with more than 35 years of that history.

Australia’s more recent military operations are perhaps the least understood in the nation’s military history, which has always focused heavily on the two world wars. The Australian public’s knowledge and appreciation of the sacrifice, suffering and achievements of its servicemen and women grew out of the experience of the First World War. This knowledge was based on memoirs, unit histories and particularly on Charles Bean’s ground-breaking 15-volume official history series, published in the two decades after the First World War. Many people still believe that Australia’s experience of war began with the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, completely overlooking the activities of the previous century, and Gallipoli is still the dominating episode – the iconic event – of Australia’s military history. The public’s appreciation of the experience of the Second World War built on and matched that of the First World War, with more memoirs, unit histories and Gavin Long’s 22-volume official history.