Wars and conflicts are won by nations with superior defence capabilities, diplomacy, political and military leadership, economic strength, technology, strategies and national cohesion. It is not normally a single item that wins a war, but a combination of all.

The Australian Defence Force has performed credibly in Iraq and Afghanistan, but this isn't a definitive measure of our defence capabilities or military superiority. We have been but one contributor to a large coalition and our role did not call for sustained, large scale manouevre operations.