RO YAL RO U YAL U N I N T E S D E S I L E A R T W V I C H E T E S U O I N S S S D T W I E T N U F T E O E L S E A R W V I H C T E U S O I S N S W T E I T N U F T O E RO YAL U N IT E S D E S L E A R W V I H C T E U S O I N S S W T E I T N U F T O E United Service Journal of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, New South Wales, Incorporated Informing the defence and national security debate since 1947 Volume 71, Number 2, June 2020 – ISSN 1038-1554 CONTENTS NEWS NAVAL HISTORY ESSAY President’s Column – Paul Irving ......................................2 Royal Australian Navy beach commandos of World Institute News ......................................................................4 War II – Petar Djokovic ....................................................18 Starting in 1942, around 1000 Australian sailors were trained in amphibious warfare. In May-July 1945, they participated in the liberation of Borneo, providing landing craft crews, beach parties OPINION and signals teams for amphibious landings at Tarakan, Brunei Bay and Balikpapan. Editorial: The compulsory call-out of Army reservists in January 2020 – David Leece ..............................................3 Letter: The 2019-20 bushfires and COVID-19 crises – Ken Broadhead ....................................................................4 BIOGRAPHY Major-General Premangsu Chowdry, PVSM, FRGS – Joseph Matthews and David Leece .................................21 BACKGROUND BRIEFING Major-General Chowdry, one of the Institute’s few remaining World War II veterans, turned 100-years-old on 1 May 2020. To Recent provision of military assistance to civil mark the occasion, the Board made him a Life Member. authorities in Australia – David Leece...........................5 The Australian Defence Force assisted the Australian community during the major bushfires and then the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2019-20. This briefing explains the difference BOOK REVIEWS between ‘aid to the civil power’ and ‘assistance to the civil Young Hitler: the making of the Führer by Paul Ham – community’; and the constitutional basis for providing such assistance. It then summarises the assistance provided up to mid- reviewed by Marcus Fielding ............................................22 May 2020. Ham considers insufficient weight has been given to the degree to which the Great War shaped Hitler’s character. Ham seeks to solve the riddle behind the enigma of the Nazi leader. INSTITUE PROCEEDINGS Turning point: Battle for Milne Bay 1942 – Japan's Assessing the ambitious reforms of the People’s first land defeat in World War II by Michael Veitch – Liberation Army – Bates Gill.............................................9 reviewed by Bob Treloar ....................................................23 The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has been given a new This is a superb historical account of Australia’s first victory mission focused on 21st century joint deterrent and warfighting against Japan on land. Had Japan captured the eastern tip of operations up to and beyond the second island chain and into the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is being reorganised accordingly with Papua, it could have controlled the northern approaches to the reorganisation to be completed between 2035 and 2049. Australia. Australia’s Pacific policy: COVID-19, China and D-Day: ‘Neptune’, ‘Overlord’ and the Battle of community –Graeme Dobell ............................................13 Normandy: operations manual: insights into how The South Pacific island nation-states and Timor Leste, vital to science, technology and engineering made the Australia’s geostrategic interests, face five strategic challenges (in Normandy invasion possible by Jonathan Falconer – descending priority): human and state security; climate change; reviewed by David Leece ..................................................24 natural disasters; natural resource management; and China. This D-Day ‘operations manual’ focuses primarily on the Australia and its neighbours must build on their already strong science, technology and engineering which underpinned key bonds to develop a stronger, more capable Pacific community. aspects of the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. FRONT COVER: The Background Briefing at p. 5 discusses, inter alia, the provision by military forces of ‘aid to the civil power’, such as assisting police forces counter terrorism; and the Essay at pp. 17 – 19 is about World War II Royal Australian Navy commandos. The cover photo depicts 21st century naval commandos (RAN clearance divers attached to 2nd Commando Regiment) preparing to board a ship underway during maritime counter-terrorism training in Jervis Bay, NSW, on 24 September 2019. [Photo: ABIS Ryan McKenzie, Department of Defence]. United Service 71 (2) June 2020 Page 1 United Service Royal United Services Institute for Journal of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies Defence and Security Studies New South Wales, Incorporated Informing the defence and national security debate since 1947 New South Wales Editor: Dr David Leece, AM, PSM, RFD, ED Promoting understanding of defence and national security Business Manager: Mr Graham Brown, BEc (Sydney), MBus since 1888 (UTS), FFin Patron: Her Excellency, The Honourable Margaret Beasley, Editorial Advisory Committee: AC, QC, Governor of New South Wales Dr David Leece, AM, PSM, RFD, ED – chair President: Mr Paul Irving, AM, PSM, RFD Mr Ken Broadhead, RFD Air Vice-Marshal Bob Treloar, AO, RAAFAR Secretary: Mr Steve Bell Dr Ian Pfennigwerth Treasurer: Mr Graham Brown, BEc (Sydney), MBus (UTS), FFin United Service is published quarterly. It seeks to inform the President’s Column defence and national security debate in Australia and to bring an Australian perspective to that debate internationally. To this end, Welcome to the Winter 2020 issue of the journal publishes papers presented at meetings and seminars United Service, a highly professional journal organised by the Institute. Contributed papers dealing with that is now in its 73rd year of con tinuous defence and national security issues or military history also will be publication. This issue contains a diverse published, together with relevant opinion pieces, letters to the range of topics including: a briefing on editor, biographies, obituaries and book reviews. Before military assistance to the Australian com - acceptance, contributions are refereed and edited. munity during the recent bushfires and the Contributions, which conform to the journal’s style, should be COVID-19 pandemic; an assess ment of the addressed to the Editor at [email protected]. Papers normally reforms of the Chinese People’s Liberation should not exceed 3500 words and may include one or two Army; the strategic challenges facing the South Pacific island illustrations, and a brief biography and photo of the author. Opinion nation-states and Timor Leste; and the role of Royal Australian pieces, biographies, obituaries and book reviews should not Navy beach commandos in World War II. exceed 850 words, guest editorials 400 words and letters 200 Shortly after the bushfire crisis over the Christmas period, words. Submission of an article implies that the article has not we were faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, where, at the been published elsewhere and also implies transfer of the direction of the Federal and State Governments, we were copyright from the author to the publisher. Notes for contributors required to undertake a significant period of social isolation, not are at www.rusinsw.org.au. experienced since the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1919. Copyright: This work is copyright. The Copyright Act 1968 permits Some 2000 Australian Defence Force personnel were fair dealing for study, research, news, reporting, criticism and utilised in Operation COVID-19 Assist in augmenting State review. Selected passages may be reproduced for such purposes, planning and contact tracing teams, assisting police in provided acknowledgement of the source is included. Otherwise, monitoring health orders and running an emergency ward in articles published in this journal may not be reproduced, stored in Tasmania. a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by electronic or Associated with the self-isolation, our cultural institutions mechanical means, photocopying or recording, either in whole or in part, without the written permission of the Editor. closed, including the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park. Whilst this meant that our members were not able to attend our stimulating Publishers: United Service is published by the Royal United programme of lunch-time lectures on defence and security Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, New South issues in the Anzac Memorial Auditorium, we have been able to Wales, Incorporated, ABN 80 724 654 162, PO Box A778, Sydney record a number of presentations and these are accessible on South NSW 1235. the RUSI NSW YouTube channel – Typesetter: Mrs Marilou Carceller; Email: [email protected]. http://www.rusinsw.org.au/YouTube. Subscriptions: United Service is published online on the I am aware that for many of our members, the extended Institute’s website at www.rusinsw.org.au. Members also receive period of self-isolation has been difficult and many have not the journal via email at no additional charge. The subscription for been able to participate in key events including family birthdays non-members to receive the journal by email is $40 per year and and Anzac Day marches. Members that I have spoken