Fear, fatigue, trauma and killing sit at the heart of The Soldier - Army's new publication.
Deputy Chief of Army Major General Chris Smith said the handbook was created to restore a clear understanding of Army's purpose and prepare soldiers for future conflict.
"The next war the Army might have to fight could be considerably more difficult than the last," Major General Smith said.
The handbook took more than a year to produce and was tested across Army before being refined through feedback to help soldiers better understand the realities of military service and warfare.
Every new recruit at Kapooka will receive a personal copy of the handbook on day one.
Major General Smith said the handbook would form the basis of discussions on topics including fear, fatigue, killing and the psychological demands of combat.
"It should remind officers and soldiers of the seriousness of the purpose of the Army, which is defence of the nation and the seriousness of what it takes to do that," he said.
The publication draws heavily on examples from Australia's military history, including Gallipoli, Kokoda, Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Major General Smith said while the character of war continued to evolve through new technology, the human realities of fear, violence, death and destruction remained unchanged.
"The requirement to seize and hold ground and therefore to kill is the central idea of war, and that never goes away," he said.
However, understanding war was only part of the reason for the handbook's creation.
The publication was shaped by lessons from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the need to better prepare soldiers for war's realities.
"It was in response to the Royal Commission and reflecting on the high rate of psychological injury that came out of our last war," Major General Smith said.
'It should remind officers and soldiers of the seriousness of the purpose of the Army, which is defence of the nation and the seriousness of what it takes to do that.'
The handbook also reinforces Army's "once a soldier, always a soldier" philosophy, recognising that service identity, purpose and belonging continue long after the uniform is taken off.
"There's a recognition that the loss of belonging, the loss of identity and the loss of purpose when someone leaves the Army is one of the biggest challenges," Major General Smith said.
The concept was designed to help soldiers maintain that sense of identity throughout their transition from military to civilian life.
"From day one when you join the Army, you're already on the path to transition," Major General Smith said.
The idea for the handbook had been on his mind since he was a young officer.
While many of the handbook's themes reflected his own views on soldiering, the publication was the result of consultation and development across Army.
"A lot of the hard work for producing The Soldier was done by Colonel Pip Cleary, and she deserves a lot of the credit for it," Major General Smith said.
The handbook is the first release in Army's 13-volume Essentials of Land Warfare series, with further publications expected later this year.
Future volumes will explore topics including the realities of war, leadership in battle, risk in battle, and conditioning the mind, body and spirit for combat.
The series will build on the ideas introduced in The Soldier and examine them in greater depth, with a focus on improving performance in war and battle.
Major General Smith said the publication ultimately sought to reinforce proven ideas that had guided soldiers throughout history.
"For example, the essence of the soldier's ethos is the idea that ultimately the only thing completely in a soldier's control is their attitude or response to any circumstance," he said.
The Soldier is available on the Australian Army website and can be accessed at The Essentials of Land Warfare | Australian Army
