Based around the Pacific Islands Regiment, the Australian Army's units
in Papua New Guinea had a dual identity: integral to Australia's
defence, but also part of its largest colony, and viewed as a foreign
people. The Australian Army in PNG defended Australia from threats to
its north and west, while also managing the force's place within
Australian colonial rule in PNG, occasionally resulting in a tense
relationship with the Australian colonial government during a period of
significant change. In Guarding the Periphery: The Australian Army in
Papua New Guinea, 1951-75, Tristan Moss explores the operational, social
and racial aspects of this unique force during the height of the
colonial era in PNG and during the progression to independence.
Combining the rich detail of both archival material and oral histories,
Guarding the Periphery recounts a part of Australian military history
that is often overlooked by studies of Australia's military past.