Major ‘specialist combat brigades’ restructure unveiled for Australian Army

The Darwin-based Australian Army 1st Brigade is announced to become a light combat brigade, the Townsville-based 3rd Brigade will become an armoured combat brigade, the Brisbane-based 7th Brigade will become a motorised combat brigade, and the Adelaide-based 10th Brigade will be raised as a fires brigade.

The 5th Battalion and the 7th Battalion will be re-linked to become 5th/7th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment based in Darwin. The 1st Armoured Regiment, remaining in Adelaide, will act as an experimental unit to deliver and integrate emerging technologies.

The new changes reportedly align more closely with the recently released Defence Strategic Review, which recommended that the “Army should be structured and postured in accordance with the land domain force structure design priorities outlined in the review”.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the changes follow a shift from a defence force with a broad range of capabilities to a much more focused force directed to maintaining the peace and security in the region.

“These changes to Army are about responding to the recommendations of the Defence Strategic Review to maintain peace, security and prosperity in our region,” he said.

“Our Army has always played a vital role in the defence of our nation and will continue to do so as it adapts to the challenges of our times.

“These changes involve some hard decisions. But these decisions are necessary to build the Army Australia needs.

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“This will mean Army has a concentration of people and capabilities in Australia’s north, making it easier to deploy for training, major exercises or to support our partners and allies in the region.”

Army’s presence in Townsville will grow with it becoming the home of armoured vehicles, army attack, and medium-lift aviation.

Brisbane will be home to a motorised combat brigade with a focus on the ability to uplift and move personnel.

Darwin will see minor changes to the combat brigade, with a focus on light forces that are agile and quick to move. The number of Army personnel posted to Darwin will remain steady over time.

Adelaide will become future-focused, with key future long-range strike capabilities consolidated in South Australia. Accelerated and expanded Long-Range Strike (HIMARS) and Integrated Air and Missile Defence capabilities (NASAMS) will be based in Adelaide along with initially decreasing Army presence in full-time personnel numbers over the short term but is expected to return to current levels from 2028 onwards.

Personnel from 7th Battalion and 1st Armoured Regiment will post to new locations as their planned postings end or earlier if they choose. This will see most personnel posting in the December 2024 and January 2025 period.

To minimise the impact of the changes on soldiers and their families, Army will not move personnel between regions outside of the normal posting cycles.

The 2nd (Australian) Division, the division that commands all security and response brigades in Australia, will maintain largely part-time brigades around Australia. The Regional Force Surveillance Group will remain focused on security in northern Australia.

Army Aviation and Special Operations Commands will continue on their current modernisation pathways. Army’s presence in Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and NSW will be largely unaffected by these changes.

“This is about organising Army to train as we would fight and making the most of the resources we have been assigned,” according to Acting Chief of Army, Major General Richard Vagg.

“These changes will deliver world class, relevant, and credible combat capabilities that are focused and optimised for operating in the littoral environments of our region, on land, at sea, and in the air.

“Our aim is to limit the disruption to our people and their families as we make these important changes. Our people are our Army and I thank each and every one for your service and commitment to adapting our Army.”

Shadow minister for Defence Andrew Hastie called out the announced changes as lacking clarity and support.

“The ADF must have clarity from its elected leaders. Clarity about the threats we face. Clarity about the national strategy. Clarity about the mission. Clarity about capabilities. Clarity about funding. Clarity about resolve,” he said.

“So far, we’ve seen little clarity from the Albanese government. Instead, we’ve seen dithering and indecision.

“The Defence Strategic Review (DSR) painted a deteriorating strategic environment for Australia, yet the Albanese government response was underwhelming. There was no new money. Instead, there was cost-shifting. There was cannibalisation of capability. There were yet more reviews. The DSR hinted at a smaller, shrunken Australian army under Labor.

“Today’s announcement about the relocation of Army units to Darwin, Townsville, and Adelaide confirms that Labor intend to shrink and disperse the Australian Army. This will make us weaker. We need to be investing in Army, our people, and combat power.

“Instead we are shrinking our land forces to one armoured brigade. That means we only have one hand to play in a high-intensity conflict. This decision disintegrates the Adelaide-based 9th Brigade, through the redeployment of the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (7RAR) to Darwin and the removal and consolidation of personnel and armoured equipment to Townsville.

“The shrinking of armour is a consequence of the cuts imposed by the Albanese government to the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) program from 450 to 129. These cuts to Australian armour degrade our land power and weaken our ability to win the close fight. Only fools would rule out the use of armour in future ground wars, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. We ignore military history at our peril.

“The Opposition recognises the strategic importance of Northern Australia. We acknowledge our deteriorating strategic circumstances, as we did in the former Coalition government, through the Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan of 2020. Which is why we disagree with this weak approach by Labor.

“The Australian Army will be impacted by this decision. Our soldiers and their families will face serious disruptions to family life, schooling, local connections, networks, and spousal employment. This will damage morale.

“The ADF is struggling to recruit and retain people. It is clear that Labor has no plan for our personnel and their families. We have no details on how the move will be supported by additional housing and infrastructure, and the impact on the communities affected.

“Questions that need to be answered include: How will the Labor government recruit and retain people for Northern Australia? What incentives will be offered for service in the north? What is the plan to address the chronic housing shortage? What additional funding will be needed for base upgrades? What will the innovation and experimentation unit do? How will we retain our armoured warfare expertise without tanks? Without clear answers to these questions, we can expect to see higher separation rates from the ADF.

“In 2022, ADF numerical strength was 2.7 per cent below guidance. In 2023, that shortfall is expected to double to 5.6 per cent below guidance. We are meant to see the force grow to 62,000 people but under the Albanese government real numbers will be 3,500 short. Our people must come first. They are our greatest asset in national defence. Investing in Army, retaining and bolstering presence in our capital cities, and giving certainty to our serving families should be Labor’s focus.”