[October 13, 2016] A few days ago I got an email from a friend of mine in the Australian Army. He and I served together in Iraq fighting insurgents who were good at killing civilians and blowing things up. Often ignored when one is in the “middle of the fight” are those things that bring us together and make us professionals. One of those was the core values of the Australian Army and how similar they are to U.S. Army’s core values … those things we share.
He was writing to ask me to put something in my senior leader blog about the Australian military and to say something “good.” My combat time was spent more with Australian Army engineer personnel than any other allied forces, so there may be a little bias toward that end but I am more than happy to oblige. I still feel honored when he presented me with an issue Australian “slouch hat” as a token of our friendship.
For those who are familiar with wars during the 20th Century, you know about the tremendous contribution the Australian military gave in all the major conflicts. That tradition has carried into the 21st Century and their assistance to the military Coalition fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continued. The legacy of Australians fighting for the freedom of citizens of other nations is one of which they are justifiably proud.
The Australian Army’s cultural and ethical foundation is its core values and the bonds of trust and respect. Those core values are1:
- Courage, moral and physical, to act in the best interests of the nation and the Army.
- Initiative to explore opportunities and embrace innovation to improve Army and service to the nation.
- Respect for themselves, their colleagues, their community, and history of service to the nation.
- Teamwork to support each other, their Australian community, their allies, and regional security partners in striving to achieve the mission.
I found their “contract with Australia” helped me better understand both the culture of their military and their nation (see the contract listed below).2 Perhaps it’s the dedication to duty-honor-country that makes Australian soldiers so successful or perhaps it’s their faith in their country. Either way, I always found each one to be among the best men and women I ever had the honor to serve along side.
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- http://army.gov.au/Our-people/Our-values
- Our contract with Australia:
I’m an Australian soldier who is an expert in close combat I am physically and mentally tough compassionate and courageous I lead by example, I strive to take the initiative I am committed to learning and working for the team I believe in trust, loyalty and respect for my Country, my mates and the Army the Rising Sun is my badge of honour I am an Australian Soldier – always