‘History offers us examples of when deterrence has failed but there is still a requirement to deny’. In this week’s episode, we delve into Australia's National Defence Strategy and explore how the concept of Deterrence through Denial has been employed in history. Joined by our regular co-host LTCOL Steve Young, we examine the strategic significance of the Forward Observation Line during World War II, with a focus on three airfields: Laha in Ambon, Kupang in Timor, and Rabaul in New Guinea.

We focus on Gull Force, Sparrow Force, and Lark Force, three Australian military units that faced the Japanese advance in the Pacific—one of the most audacious military advances in human history. These forces were deployed to the island chain to Australia’s north during a time when the nation was not only under threat in the Pacific but also deeply involved in other theatres of war, from Europe to North Africa and the Middle East.

LTCOL Steve Young explains how the Forward Observation Line was intended to act as Australia’s deterrence against the Japanese thrust into the Pacific, and how this strategy was ultimately shaped by the challenges of operating in remote, hostile environments against a much larger enemy. Exercise Shaggy Ridge—a gruelling food and sleep deprivation exercise undertaken by each staff cadet at the Royal Military College – Duntroon—was originally known as Exercise Timor. Exercise Timor was designed to simulate the hardships faced by Sparrow Force as they withdrew under intense pressure from Japanese forces during the campaign in Timor. We set the preconditions to tell this story in detail in a later episode.

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Leading source:

Evans, D., 2010. The Ambon Forward Observation Line Strategy 1941-1942 A Lesson in Military Incompetence (Doctoral dissertation, Murdoch University).