Strategic Cousins

Australia and Canada may have different security strategies, reflecting contrasting domestic circumstances, but John Blaxland shows that common interests have led their forces to work together for over a century. Strategic Cousins examines the role of the professional armed forces of these geographically distant nations through a comparison of their historical experiences with expeditionary land forces. Blaxland traces the shift from ties with the British Empire, which led Canadian and Australian forces to fight in the Boer War, the two World Wars, and Korea, to their contribution alongside the United States in Afghanistan. Using late twentieth-century concepts of policy, military strategy, operations, and tactics, he reveals that Canada and Australia have had remarkably comparable experiences while supporting their key allies. Although the two nations have at times chosen divergent courses, their paths since the end of the Cold War have largely converged - and closer collaboration could increase their influence and effectiveness and benefit their allies.