Dr Aaron P. Jackson is Senior Lecturer in War Studies at Swedish Defence University in Stockholm, Sweden, where he specialises in researching and teaching operational art, military design thinking, and the ontology of military planning processes. Before commencing this role in February 2025, he was an Australian Public Servant for fifteen years. His public service appointments include Commander State Control Centre – Health in the South Australian Department of Health and Wellbeing, in which role he commanded the out-of-hospital elements of the Department’s COVID-19 pandemic response operations. He has also held a variety of roles in the Australian Department of Defence, including as a doctrine writer, where he was the lead author of the second edition of the Joint Military Appreciation Process doctrine, which is the Australian Defence Force equivalent to the United States’ Joint Publication 5.0 – Joint Planning. In addition to his civilian roles, Aaron is a part time Infantry Officer in the Australian Army Reserve. Holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he is a former Commanding Officer of 10th/27th Battalion, The Royal South Australia Regiment, and he has previously deployed on Operations in Iraq, the Greater Middle East Region, Timor Leste, and domestically within Australia. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are exclusively his own. They do not represent the views of any institution with which he is, or was previously, affiliated.
In this month's episode, I speak with Dr Aaron P. Jackson about his book Military Design Thinking. Military design thinking is an approach to military strategy and problem-solving that emphasises creativity rather than conventional methods, which often rely on linear, analytical approaches that may not adequately address the “wicked problems” encountered in complex and dynamic contemporary conflicts.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Military Design Thinking
02:09 Defining Military Design Thinking
04:59 The Role of AI in Military Design
10:12 Doctrinal Ontology in Military Context
20:51 The Equality of Starting Points in Warfare
28:24 The Impact of the Iraq War on Military Doctrine
40:55 Rethinking Military Problem Solving
44:34 Complex Adaptive Systems vs. Traditional Paradigms
48:58 The Influence of Postmodernism in Military Design
55:56 Wicked Problems and Military Contexts
01:01:06 Challenges in Embedding Design Thinking
01:04:09 Successful Applications of Design Thinking
01:11:46 The Future of Military Design Thinking
Academic publications cited during this podcast:
4.12: Nelson & Stolterman (2014), The Design Way.
6.50: Bovet Emanuel, et al (2025), Comprehensive Shield 2025.
9.31: The Archipelago of Design website.
10.52: Jackson (2013), Doctrine, Strategy and Military Culture.
21.56: Howard (1974), Military Science in an Age of Peace.
27.48: Simpkin (2021), Explaining Labour's Ballistic Missile Defence Policy 1997-2010.
30.08: Naveh (1997), In Pursuit of Military Excellence.
33.42: Ryan (2016), A Personal Reflection on Introducing Design to the U.S. Army.
37.56: Mann (1992), Chaos Theory and Strategic Thought.
56.08: Rittel & Webber (1973), Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning.
57.07: Nelson & Stolterman (2014), The Design Way.
59.11: Builder (1989), The Masks of War.
1.01.22: English (2004), Understanding Military Culture.
1.01.42: Weick (1996), Drop your Tools.
1.06.05: Weizman (2006), Walking Through Walls.
1.06.57: Stanczak et al (2021), Design at the Cutting Edge of Battle.
1.07.37: Martin (2015), Back to Episodes