Archaeology is the study of human history through excavation and analysis of artefacts, structures and other physical remains.
While it's not obvious, there is a connection to Defence.
Navy combat archaeologist Commander Andrea 'Indy' Argirides said the discipline was used to protect and preserve cultural and archaeological heritage sites in times of war.
"Protecting cultural heritage is a force multiplier. It's very important to the communities that you're operating in," she said.
"If you destroy heritage, you're destroying memories and culture - you're destroying people's identity. We, as a military force, have an obligation to protect it."
From an operational perspective, it's also about winning hearts and minds.
Commander Argirides said showing a local population that you care can foster support, reduce resistance and lead to longer-term stability.
'The minute you destroy ancient sites that are thousands of years old, the damage is done. You can't rebuild it.'
To highlight the gravity of getting it wrong, she gave examples like the Taliban's destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in 2001 and ISIS's 2015 destruction of ancient sites in Iraq and Syria.
She also cited establishment of Camp Alpha by US and Polish military forces on the site of ancient Babylon in 2003, which led to significant damage.
"The Iraqis, of course, were up in arms," Commander Argirides said.
"The minute you destroy ancient sites that are thousands of years old, the damage is done. You can't rebuild it."
Commander Argirides said education, resources and new doctrine was now in development to help the ADF avert this.
Cards are available for deployed personnel, outlining the dos and don'ts of cultural property in areas of operation, along with annexes in operational orders and briefs.
Having a PhD in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, Commander Argirides specialised in ancient history and archaeology of Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq.
In 2008, she deployed to Iraq in an intelligence role and was fortunate enough to walk through the ancient Sumerian city of Ur, a place she studied but never visited.
"It was incredible to walk through these archaeological sites that well-known archaeologists from the 18th and 19th centuries explored, like Sir Leonard Woolley, a British archaeologist and military figure, who excavated those ancient sites," Commander Argirides said.
"To see those places - sites inhabited over 4000 years ago - not just in books I've studied but in real life, was unforgettable."
'Protecting cultural heritage is a force multiplier. It's very important to the communities that you're operating in.'
Cultural heritage protection does not just apply overseas, but within Australia too, with Defence field training areas being full of Indigenous heritage sites.
"We need to liaise with Indigenous communities and say, 'We're planning to do this and this over here - is there anything we should know?'" Commander Argirides said.
She expressed admiration for the efforts people made to protect cultural property, both their own and others.
She cited examples such as the staff at the Kabul Museum in Afghanistan, who hid culturally significant pieces from the Taliban, and the 'Monuments Men' of WW2, an Allied group dedicated to saving art and other cultural treasures from the Nazis.
Australia is also a signatory of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
"That means we have an obligation. When we plan for military operations, abroad or exercise domestically, with our allies and partners, we need to understand the environment we're operating in," Commander Argirides said.
