Peter J. Dean – författare

Lieutenant General Sir Frank Berryman is one of the most important, yet relatively unknown officers in the history of the Australian Army. Despite his reputedly caustic personality and noted conflicts with some senior officers, Berryman was crucial to Australia's success during the Second World War. But did the man known as 'Berry the Bastard' deserve his reputation? Bold, calculating and talented, Berryman was at the forefront of operations that led to the defeat of the Japanese, and his operational planning secured Australia's victories at Bardia, Tobruk and in New Guinea during the Pacific War. With access to rare private papers, Peter Dean charts Berryman's special relationships with senior US and Australian officers such as MacArthur, Chamberlin, Blamey, Lavarack and Morshead, and explains why the man poised to become the next Chief of General Staff would never fulfil his ambition.

Almost half a century ago, the Australian National University's TB Millar penned a seminal book on Australian defence policy in the lead up to the Vietnam War. Today, Australia's defence forces are returning from long conflicts overseas, while the rise of China and the economic integration in the Indo-Pacific presents a complex mix of challenges and opportunities.Drawing inspiration from Millar's original volume, Australia's Defence: Towards a New Era? brings together leading experts to examine the domestic and international context of Australia's defence policy, Australian strategy and the size and state of our armed forces. As the country heads towards a new era, this book provides an in-depth overview and key insights into the past, present and future of Australia's defence.

The Australia-United States Alliance has been critical to Australian foreign and defence policy since the ANZUS Treaty was signed in 1951. For 63 years it has been an enduring feature of Australian defence planning, yet the contemporary alliance is, arguably, in one of the more important phases of reinterpretation in its long history. Despite the critical importance of the Australian-US Alliance and the evolving nature of the regional and global strategic environment there have been few studies that attempt to provide an in-depth understanding of how the Alliance is developing, and what this means for Australian defence policy. Australia’s American Allianceaims to fill this significant gap in order to provide the general public, policy and academic communities a more nuanced understanding of the Alliance and related choices for Australia, that will provide for a better informed debate over the future of Australia’s most significant strategic partnership.

Australian defence policy sits at a crossroads. For over 70 years, Australia's strategic position had been anchored by the US-led international order that has been in place since 1945. But in 2017, 'Australians had to acknowledge that the global order that had shaped the world since the end of World War II was not challenged or changing, but over'. In this new era, beset with rapid strategic and technological change underpinned by increasing US-China contestation in the Indo-Pacific, what does the future hold for the region and Australia's strategic approach?Like its companion volumes, Australia's Defence: Towards a New Era? (2014) and Australia's American Alliance (2016), this book brings together leading experts to examine the future of Australian defence policy in a contested Asia. This thought provoking and challenging volume imagines the future of Australian strategy after American primacy, plotting possible, probable and preferable strategic futures for a country that faces unprecedented strategic challenges.

From 1942–1945 the Allies’ war in the Southwest Pacific was effectively a bilateral coalition between the United States and Australia under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. By charting the evolution of the military effectiveness of the US-Australian alliance, MacArthur’s Coalition puts the relationship between the United States and Australia at the center of the war against Japan.Drawing on new primary source material, Peter J. Dean has written the first substantial book-length treatment of the coalition as a combined military force. This expansive and ambitious book provides a fresh perspective on the Pacific War by providing a close-up, in-depth account of operations in the Southwest Pacific from the Kokoda Trail campaign to the reconquest of the Philippines and Borneo. Dean’s work takes the reader deep into the key military headquarters in the Southwest Pacific and reveals the discussions, debates, and arguments between key commanders and staff officers during the course of planning and waging a monumental conflict. Drawing upon archival records across three continents, Dean brings the qualities of these senior officers to life by exploring the critical importance of personalities and leadership in overcoming cultural, doctrinal, and organizational divides in the largely unequal alliance. Set against the practicalities of fighting a fanatical enemy in some of the most inhospitable terrain in the war, his book shows how, despite these divides and MacArthur’s difficult personality, the US-Australian coalition was able to forge a highly effective and ultimately triumphant fighting machine.With its unprecedented view of the joint nature of operations in the Southwest Pacific and its focus on frontline commanders and units in forging a successful fighting force, MacArthur’s Coalition illuminates a critical aspect of the Allied victory in World War II.

By January 1943, Australia had emerged from the shadow of war in a strong position. The victories in 1942 at Kokoda, Guadalcanal, Buna, Gona and Sanananda had secured the northern coastlines of Papua and Australia. Australian forces were now poised for a full scale offensive to liberate New Guinea from the Japanese, the largest and most complicated operations in their history. Australia 1943 explores the high point of Australia's influence on operations and strategy in the South West Pacific, a campaign that has been traditionally overshadowed by the drama of Kokoda. It investigates critical operations from January 1943 to April 1944, including Salamaua, Lae/Nadzab, Finschhafen, Shaggy Ridge, the Markham Valley and the Huon Peninsula. Australia 1943 is the first detailed single-volume study of Australia's military operations in the Pacific during 1943 - Australia's 'finest hour' in the Second World War.

The years 1944 and 1945 were pivotal in the development of Australia's approach to strategy during the Second World War and beyond. While the main battlefront of the Pacific War had moved further north, Australian air, land and sea forces continued to make a significant contribution to the Allied campaign and towards achieving Australia's strategic interests and objectives. In New Guinea, Australian operations secured territories and released men from service, while in Borneo a highly successful campaign was clouded by uncertain motives and questionable strategy. Australia 1944-45: Victory in the Pacific examines this complex and fascinating period, which has been largely under-represented in Australian military history. Peter Dean leads a team of highly regarded military historians in assessing Australian, Allied and Japanese strategies, the conduct of the campaigns in the Southwest Pacific Area and Australia's significant role in achieving victory.