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A group of Australian Army veterans has launched a petition to Parliament seeking to restore the 1st Armoured Regiment as the nation’s tank regiment, with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and Chief of Defence Force Admiral David Johnston AC pivotal to the success of the petition.
Formed in 1949 as part of Australia’s post-World War II military restructuring, the 1st Armoured Regiment of the Australian Army is a prestigious and historically significant unit, renowned for its role in mechanised and armoured warfare, with the regiment evolving from the 1st Armoured Car Squadron and other wartime armoured formations.
Throughout its proud history, the regiment has been at the forefront of armoured warfare in the Australian Army. Initially being equipped with British-made Churchill and soon after Centurion tanks, the regiment participated in its first major overseas deployment during the Vietnam War (1968–71), where its tank squadrons provided crucial firepower and mobility in operations against North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces.
The Centurion’s resilience and effectiveness in Vietnam cemented the regiment’s reputation for operational excellence, paving the way for further modernisation following Vietnam, transitioning through vehicles like the Leopard 1 in the 1970s and eventually adopting the advanced M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank in 2007, reflecting the regiment’s commitment to maintaining cutting-edge capability.
However, despite this proud and continuing history stretching back three quarters of a century, as part of the findings of the government’s 2023 Defence Strategic Review, the 1st Armoured Regiment has been relegated to a non-combat role, reprioritised, becoming a smaller experimental-focused unit, focusing on delivering and integrating emerging technologies.
In its place, the Australian Army’s Townsville-based 3rd Brigade would assume the responsibility of the ADF’s armoured capability to be delivered by the Army’s new fleet of M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams main battle tanks, under the operation of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, which would transfer soldiers from the now scaled-back Adelaide-based 1st Armoured Regiment to make up the shortfall of personnel.
In recognising the changes this would result in, a group of Australian Army and regimental veterans, spearheaded by veteran of the 1st Armoured Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Bruce Cameron MC and a collection of former commanding officers have lodged a petition, stating, “We therefore ask the House to urge the Defence Minister, Richard Marles, to reinstate 1st Armoured Regiment as the nation’s tank regiment, overturning the decision of the Department of Defence to remove the Royal Australian Armoured Corps’ oldest and most decorated regular army unit from the ORBAT. We seek this so as to honour the service and sacrifice of tank crews during the past 75 years, creating an inspirational legacy worthy of being passed on to those serving today.”
Speaking to Defence Connect, Cameron explained the importance of keeping the regiment intact to maintain the experience, skills and combat capability, particularly in light of the limited number of tanks to be fielded by the Australian Army, saying, “In 1976, Army had a fleet of 127 Centurion vehicles. These were replaced with a fleet of 103 Leopards, including 90 tanks. In 2007, Army training was restricted by having a fleet of only 59 M1A1 Abrams. This prevented success of the Armoured Cavalry Regiment organisation, as there weren’t sufficient tanks to operate squadrons in dispersed locations.
“The minimum number of tanks required was assessed to be 90. Only 75 M1A2s have been procured, however. These are now being introduced into service. To gain maximum effectiveness, they must be operated by a dedicated tank regiment, not one combined with a reconnaissance unit as per the current arrangement.”
These comments were echoed by a former commanding officer of the 1st Armoured Regiment who explained to Defence Connect, “I was the lieutenant commanding the four tanks in the aftermath of the attack that became the Battle of Firebase Coral, we took part in the battle after the attack and we fought through a battalion or regimental headquarters including 14 bunkers, without a single casualty 15 months after Operation Bribie where an infantry company tried to do the same thing, with major trouble.
“The lessons learned through successive operations and training that have been hard fought and hard-won lessons are passed down through the regiment, from the commanding officer, in this case the lieutenant colonel, through to the majors who run the squadrons and then the lieutenants who command the individual tank troops. This passing down of knowledge, experience and lessons is what kept the regiment at the cutting edge of armoured close combat capabilities and I saw this reflected during my time working with the US, British and South Korean armies, respectively.”
Adding to this, another former regimental commanding officer (1979–81), Colin Toll, told Defence Connect, "1 Armd Regt fought hard and successfully in the Vietnam war. Without its presence and devastating effectiveness, in the battles at Coral and Balmoral, it is my belief that the whole of the 1st Australian Task Force would have been destroyed. In countless other actions, it was the tanks that won the day and prevented vastly increased numbers of Australian KIA and WIA. Many former infantry soldiers returned home on their feet, and not in body bags, due to the presence and successful action of the Regiments tanks.
Going further, Toll said, "This issue is about morale, history and leadership. It is not about force structure or geographic deployments. If the armoured unit in Townsville was the First Armoured Regiment and not 2 Cav Regt, there would be no issue. 1 Armd Regt has a long proud history including significant Battle Honours. It also has a Standard presented by King Charles, the Regiment’s Colonel-in Chief. A Standard is significantly senior to a Guidon. It is also the senior Regiment of the senior Corps in the Army. 2 Cav Regt has a comparatively short history and no Battle Honours. It has a junior Guidon."
In correspondence to the Chief of Defence, Admiral David Johnston AC, the veterans stated rectifying the “injustice” of this reprioritisation of the 1st Armoured Regiment “is simple, split the operational responsibilities in Townsville. Maintain the existing four squadron armoured establishment; but have 1 Armd Regt command the two tank squadrons and 2 Cav Regt, the two reconnaissance squadrons. The cost of relocating 1 Armd Regt command and echelon personnel from Adelaide to Townsville would be completely offset by the morale boost achieved by overturning the decision to remove the RAAC’s oldest and most decorated regular army unit from the ORBAT.”
LTCOL Cameron added, “Heritage and traditions built up as a tank regiment over 75 years result in a very strong esprit-de-corps, at the heart of which are the close ties formed by tank crews facing adversity under armour. This bond reaches into all parts of the unit and is too sacred to sacrifice for a few pennies.”
