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Rumours are swirling that the 7th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (7RAR) and 1st Armoured Regiment (1ARMD) of the Australian Army will be moved from Adelaide or disbanded.
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The Australian Army units, which comprise hundreds of soldiers, could be restructured entirely into other units or relocated by the Department of Defence, possibly to northern Australia, in line with the recently released Defence Strategic Review (DSR).
The DSR, released in April, has previously advocated for strengthening Australia’s northern bases against emerging threats in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the optimisation of long-range strike capability and littoral operations for the Australian Army.
7RAR is currently headquartered at Horseshoe Barracks in Edinburgh, South Australia, while the 1ARMD is also based at RAAF Base Edinburgh.
Australian Army Major General (Ret’d) Fergus “Gus” McLachlan, AO, said it seemed likely the units would be disbanded.
“I don’t think this will be the biggest story in Canberra today but it seems 7RAR and 1ARMD will be effectively disbanded,” he stated on social media platform X on 25 September.
“Missile forces were already planned but now taken from hide. Missile force for Adelaide as combat troops go north.
“Speculation around veteran circles suggest 7RAR is to be closed down as part of the Army response to the DSR. In a very small Army with a handful of battalions I hope these rumours are not true. Perhaps a few less headquarters first.”
