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Dr Rhys Crawley

Dr Rhys Crawley

Senior Lecturer

BA Hons (University of Wollongong)

PhD (University of New South Wales)

ݮƵ Canberra
School of Humanities & Social Sciences

Dr Rhys Crawley isa senior lecturer in history at ݮƵ Canberra, and the author of the , 2005-2010.

His research interests, broadly defined, are military and intelligence history, with a particular focus on Australian military history, the war in Afghanistan, special operations, First World War operational history, military logistics, espionage, and domestic security intelligence.

In 2024-2025, while contributing to '' project, Rhys was a senior research fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Military History (NIMH), and a visiting scholar at the Netherlands Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (NIOD). From 2016-2023Rhyswas an historianat the Australian War Memorial and a Partner Investigator on ARC Linkage Project 'memorySCAPE: the commemoration of war using a database narrative framework' (LP180100080). This project developed an innovative interactive Afghanistan war archive using an intelligent database narrative framework. Prior to that,from 2010-2016,heworked at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Coral Bell School of Asia-Pacific Affairs, at The Australian National University, where he was the principal researcher and co-author of the multi-volume , and co-author of volume 1 of the .

His books include(2014);(2016);(2018);(2018);(2019); and (2025).

Location
Room 210, Building 28
  • Books | 2019
    Londey P; Crawley R; Horner D, 2019, The long search for peace: Volume 1, The official history of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and post-cold war operations: Observer missions and beyond, 1947-2006,
    Books | 2017
    Blaxland J; Crawley R, 2017, The Secret Cold War The Official History of ASIO, 1975-1989
    Books | 2014
    Crawley R, 2014, Climax at Gallipoli The Failure of the August Offensive, University of Oklahoma Press
  • Book Chapters | 2025
    Crawley R; Pratten G, 2025, '‘Everybody doing their thing’: coalition warfare in southern Afghanistan, 2006–10', in Beaumont J; Pratten G (ed.), Military History Supremo: Essays in Honour of David Horner AM FASSA, ANU Press, Canberra, pp. 217 - 247,
    Book Chapters | 2025
    Crawley R, 2025, 'Organising for operations: case studies from the Australian Defence Force's Afghanistan commitments, 2005-2006', in Blaxland J (ed.), Mobilising the Australian Army: Contingencies and Compromises Over More than a Century, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, pp. 368 - 386,
    Book Chapters | 2021
    Crawley R, 2021, 'Egan, Clyde Joseina (1917–1993)', in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 19 1991-1995 (a-Z), ANU Press,
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'A 'lop-sided' umpire: Australian military observers in Kashmir, 1971-85', in The Long Search for Peace: Volume 1, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations Observer Missions and Beyond, 1947-2006, Cambridge University Press, pp. 424 - 452
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'A sustained commitment: AUSTCIVPOL in Cyprus, 1976-2006', in The Long Search for Peace: Volume 1, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations Observer Missions and Beyond, 1947-2006, Cambridge University Press, pp. 717 - 750
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'An island divided: AUSTCIVPOL in Cyprus, 1974-76', in The Long Search for Peace: Volume 1, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations Observer Missions and Beyond, 1947-2006, Cambridge University Press, pp. 482 - 504
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'Service in the Sinai: Australia and the MFO, 1993-2006', in The Long Search for Peace: Volume 1, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations Observer Missions and Beyond, 1947-2006, Cambridge University Press, pp. 779 - 813
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'Snow Goose and the Milk Run: RAAF transport support for UNMOGIP, 1975-78', in The Long Search for Peace: Volume 1, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations Observer Missions and Beyond, 1947-2006, Cambridge University Press, pp. 453 - 481
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'The first decade: Australian police in Cyprus, 1964-74', in The Long Search for Peace: Volume 1, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations Observer Missions and Beyond, 1947-2006, Cambridge University Press, pp. 347 - 377
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Horner D; Londey P; Crawley R, 2019, ''Tough men wanted': Australian military observers in Kashmir, 1951-71', in The Long Search for Peace: Volume 1, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations Observer Missions and Beyond, 1947-2006, Cambridge University Press, pp. 185 - 218
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Razi W; Goodman J, 2019, 'Afghanistan: Military occupation, violence and ethnocracy', in Violence in South Asia Contemporary Perspectives, pp. 177 - 191,
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Winter C; Crawley R, 2019, 'A reluctant start: The road to Cyprus, 1964', in The Long Search for Peace: Volume 1, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations Observer Missions and Beyond, 1947-2006, Cambridge University Press, pp. 318 - 346
    Book Chapters | 2018
    Blaxland J; Crawley R, 2018, 'A history of the Australian intelligence community', in Intelligence and the Function of Government, Mup Academic, pp. 37 - 58
    Book Chapters | 2018
    Crawley R; Dean P, 2018, 'Strategy and Sustainment: A Century of Australian Amphibious Operations in the Asia-Pacific', in New Interpretations in Naval History Selected Papers from the Eighteenth McMullen Naval History Symposium Held at the United States Naval Academy 19-20 September 2013, Naval War College Press, Newport
    Book Chapters | 2018
    Crawley R; Ford SB, 2018, 'The state of Intelligence Studies: Australia in international context', in Intelligence and the Function of Government, Mup Academic, pp. 13 - 36
    Book Chapters | 2018
    Crawley R, 2018, '‘Shaping Operations: General Headquarters and the Gallipoli Campaign’', in Crawley R; LoCicero M (ed.), Gallipoli New Perspectives on the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, 1915-16, Helion & Company, United Kingdom, pp. 193 - 220
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Crawley R, 2017, 'Marching to the beat of an imperial drum: contextualising Australia’s military effort during the First World War', in The British Empire and the First World War, Routledge, pp. 125 - 141
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Crawley R; Dean PJ, 2016, 'Amphibious Warfare: Training and Logistics, 1942-1945', in Australia 1944-45 Victory in the Pacific, Cambridge University Press, pp. 257 - 277
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Crawley R, 2016, '“Backs to the wall”: Australians on the Western Front, January-June 1918', in The AIF in Battle How the Australian Imperial Force Fought, 1914-1918, Melbourne Univ. Publishing
    Book Chapters | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, 'Australia’s Cold War Frontline: ASIO in Papua New Guinea, 1962-1975', in The Protest Years The Official History of ASIO, 1963-1975, Allen & Unwin, pp. 289 - 314
    Book Chapters | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, 'The Dardanelles as a Joint Operation', in The War at Sea Proceedings of the King-Hall Naval History Conference 2013: 1914-18, Sea Power Centre – Australia, Canberra, pp. 95 - 102
    Book Chapters | 2014
    Crawley R, 2014, 'Eye in the sky: the Royal Naval Air Service', in Gallipoli History, Memory and National Imagination, Istanbul Medeniyet Universitesi, Istanbul, pp. 67 - 78
    Book Chapters | 2014
    Crawley R, 2014, 'Protecting the identity of ASIO agents: The case of Mercia Masson', in The Spy Catchers The Official History of ASIO, 1949-1963, Allen & Unwin, pp. 563 - 580
    Book Chapters | 2013
    Crawley R, 2013, 'Commanding Combined and Joint Operations: The Gallipoli Model', in Joint and combined operations in the history of warfare, Ministry of Defense, Rome, pp. 342 - 348,
    Book Chapters | 2013
    Crawley R, 2013, 'Supplying the offensive: the role of Allied logistics', in Gallipoli A Ridge Too Far, Exisle Publishing, Sydney, pp. 254 - 271
    Book Chapters | 2010
    Crawley R, 2010, 'The myths of August at Gallipoli', in Zombie Myths of Australian Military History, ݮƵ Press, Sydney, pp. 50 - 69
  • Edited Books | 2025
    Crawley R; Chambers S; Brown A, (eds.), 2025, Inside GHQ: The Gallipoli Diary of Captain Orlo Williams, Little Gully Publishing, Mosman,
    Edited Books | 2018
    Baldino D; Crawley R, (ed.), 2018, Intelligence and the Function of Government, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne,
    Edited Books | 2018
    Crawley R; LoCicero M, (ed.), 2018, Gallipoli: New Perspectives on the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, 1915-16, Helion & Company, United Kingdom,
  • Journal articles | 2023
    Crawley R, 2023, 'Supplies Over the Shore', Australian Army Journal, 19,
    Journal articles | 2020
    Crawley R, 2020, 'Australia’s First Spies: The Remarkable Story of Australia’s Intelligence Operations, 1901–45', Australian Historical Studies, 51, pp. 99 - 100,
    Journal articles | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'Australia's Lessons', Parameters, 49, pp. 49 - 63,
    Journal articles | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, 'Marching to the beat of an imperial drum: Contextualising Australia's military effort during the First World War', Australian Historical Studies, 46, pp. 64 - 80,
    Journal articles | 2014
    Crawley R, 2014, 'Sustaining Amphibious Operations in the Asia-Pacific: Logistic Lessons for Australia, 1914-2014', Australian Defence Force Journal: journal of the Australian profession of arms, pp. 28 - 39
  • Conference Presentations | 2025
    Crawley R, 2025, 'Inside GHQ: The Gallipoli Diary of Captain Orlo Williams', presented at Gallipoli Association Online Conference, 12 July 2025
    Reports | 2025
    Dunley R; Moss T; Townsend N; Booth M; Crawley R; Hutchinson M; Richardson T, 2025, Public Attitudes Towards the Australian Defence Force Iterim Report, /content/dam/pdfs/unsw-canberra/hass/Public%20Attitudes%20Towards%20the%20Australian%20Defence%20Force%20Survey%20Interim%20Report%20v3.pdf
    Reports | 2025
    Dunley R; Moss T; Townsend N; Booth M; Crawley R; Hutchison M; Richardson T, 2025, Public Attitudes towards the Australian Defence Force: Final Report, ݮƵ Canberra, Canberra, /content/dam/pdfs/unsw-canberra/hass/Public%20Attitudes%20Towards%20the%20ADF%20Report%20-V3.pdf
    Reports | 2025
    Townsend N; Moss T; Booth M; Richardson T; Hutchison M; Stahel D; Crawley R; Dunley R, 2025, Understanding Attitudes to Australian Military History
    Conference Presentations | 2024
    Crawley R, 2024, 'ASIO and Cold War Counter Espionage', presented at Game of Dominos, Military History and Heritage Victoria, Melbourne, 13 April 2024
    Conference Presentations | 2024
    Crawley R, 2024, 'Navigating the 20 years of US/NATO intervention/war in Afghanistan', presented at NIOD-NIMH Afghanistan Experts meeting, Istanbul, 08 November 2024 - 09 November 2024,
    Conference Presentations | 2024
    Crawley R, 2024, 'Official History in Australia', presented at IHR Seminar Series: Official History, Past, Present and Future, University of London, 11 December 2024,
    Conference Presentations | 2024
    Crawley R, 2024, 'Producing Official History', presented at Leiden University/Netherlands Defence Academy intelligence studies research group, The Hague, 02 December 2024
    Conference Presentations | 2024
    Crawley R, 2024, 'Reflecting on the challenges of writing an official history of Australian operations in Afghanistan', presented at 32nd Annual Conference, British International History Group, London, 05 September 2024 - 06 September 2024
    Other | 2024
    Crawley R, 2024, Seventy-five years of history behind ASIO director-general’s threat assessment, Australian Strategic Policy Institute,
    Reports | 2024
    Stockings C; Crawley R, 2024, Scoping Study: The Official History of Australia on Global Operations, 2001-2023
    Conference Presentations | 2023
    Crawley R, 2023, 'Gallipoli: Sustainment from the Sea', presented at In Brown and Green Waters: Australian Army Operations in the Littoral. Chief of Army History Conference, Canberra, 16 November 2023
    Conference Presentations | 2023
    Crawley R, 2023, 'Lessons from the Australian Official History', presented at NIOD-NIMH Afghanistan Experts meeting, Amsterdam, 28 September 2023 - 29 August 2023,
    Conference Presentations | 2022
    Crawley R, 2022, 'The Gallipoli Campaign: An Australian Perspective', presented at Gallipoli Revisited: International Conference of the United Service Institution of India and the Indian Council of World Affairs, Online, 22 April 2022
    Conference Presentations | 2021
    Crawley R, 2021, 'Mobilising for war: case studies from the ADF’s Afghanistan commitments, 2005-2006', presented at Contingencies and compromises: mobilising the Australian Army, Online, 10 November 2021,
    Conference Presentations | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'Amphibious logistics 1944-45', presented at Royal Australian Navy King-Hall Naval History Conference, Sydney, 08 October 2019
    Conference Presentations | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'Australia and the war in Afghanistan', presented at SDSC War Studies Seminar Series, no. 38, Canberra, 17 June 2019
    Conference Presentations | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'Baptism of fire: CH-47 operations in Afghanistan', presented at Australian Army Aviation Corps conference, Brisbane, 07 August 2019
    Conference Presentations | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'Find, file, write: Working on the Official History of Australian Operations in Afghanistan', presented at The War in Afghanistan as an Historiographical Challenge: An International Survey, Potsdam, 28 November 2019
    Conference Presentations | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, 'Lessons from Australia’s war in Afghanistan', presented at Afghanistan: Lessons Learned conference, Institute for the Study of War and Strategy, University of St Andrews, Scotland, 11 February 2019 - 13 February 2019
    Conference Presentations | 2018
    Crawley R, 2018, 'A unique model? A history of the Australian intelligence community', presented at RAAF Intelligence Conference, Canberra, 20 September 2018
    Conference Presentations | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, 'Australian logistics in the First World War', presented at RAAOC conference: Logistics: Past, Present and Future, Bandiana, 08 October 2015
    Conference Presentations | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, 'Circumnavigating the globe: The Royal Australian Navy during the First World War', presented at The First World War: Local, Global and Imperial Perspectives, University of Newcastle, 26 March 2015
    Conference Presentations | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, 'Logistics and the Oboe operations', presented at Asia-Pacific War, 1931-1945, Canberra, 10 July 2015
    Conference Presentations | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, 'Making the legend? The legacy and influence of the Gallipoli official histories', presented at Exploring the Legacy of the ANZACs: Gallipoli 100 Years On, Deakin University, 16 April 2015
    Curatorial Outputs | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, Journey to the Front Line (audio tour), exhibited at: Australian War Memorial, Canberra, -
    Conference Presentations | 2014
    Crawley R, 2014, 'Logistics at Gallipoli', presented at ANZAC Defence Logistics Conference, Canberra, 17 November 2014
    Conference Presentations | 2013
    Crawley R, 2013, 'Naval command, co-operation and capability during the Dardanelles campaign', presented at Royal Australian Navy King-Hall Naval History Conference, ‘The war at sea: 1914-18, Canberra, 23 May 2013
    Conference Presentations | 2010
    Crawley R, 2010, 'Supplying the offensive: the role of Allied logistics', presented at Australian War Memorial International Conference, Gallipoli: A ridge too far, Australian War Memorial, 05 August 2010 - 06 August 2010
    Conference Presentations | 2009
    Crawley R, 2009, 'The official war historians and their impact on contemporary understandings of Gallipoli', presented at Australian Historical Association Conference: Constructing the Past, University of the Sunshine Coast, 01 July 2009
    Conference Presentations | 2009
    Crawley R, 2009, 'Understanding the August Offensive: An Operational Analysis', presented at Second International Gallipoli Symposium: Gallipoli and National Imagination, Australian National University, 15 April 2009 - 16 April 2009
  • Media | 2021
    Crawley R, 2021, Afghanistan,
    Media | 2020
    Crawley R, 2020, Australia’s War in Afghanistan,
    Media | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, Artillery logistics over the shore,
    Media | 2019
    Crawley R, 2019, Australian artillery at Gallipoli,
    Media | 2018
    Crawley R, 2018, Australia in Afghanistan,
    Media | 2018
    Crawley R, 2018, Tactics and the use of artillery in the Anzac campaign, 1915,
    Media | 2016
    Crawley R; Cook M, 2016, On the climax at Gallipoli,
    Media | 2016
    Crawley R, 2016, Is it time for another intelligence review?,
    Media | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, Changed Forever, WildBear Entertainment
    Media | 2015
    Crawley R, 2015, Lest We Forget What?, ABC2,

(2024-2025)

Project Investigators:Rhys Crawley
Project Title:Netherlands and Afghanistan 2001-2021
Project Funding:NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Supplies over the shore (2023)

Project Investigators:Rhys Crawley
Project Title:Supplies over the shore: logistics and Australian littoral operations
Project Funding:Department of Defence

ARCProject Investigators:,, Baden Pailthorpe, Brian Dawson, , Rhys Crawley and Robyn Van Dyk
ARCProject Title:memorySCAPE: The commemoration of war using a database narrative framework
Project Funding:ARCLP180100080

2018 Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) Best Foreign Intelligence Book of the Year Award for The Secret Cold War: The Official History of ASIO, 1975-1989