Army
The Australian Army Reserve
Origins
From the first white settlement in 1788 until 1800, the defence of Australia (or more accurately, the colony of NSW) relied on British troops — although very early experiments in levying small local forces occurred on Norfolk Island. In September 1800 the British tradition of citizen soldiers was transplanted to Australian soil when the first official local military forces were raised in NSW. These new forces, the Loyal Sydney and Parramatta Associations, were small: each had an establishment of 50 men with officers appointed by the governor. From these small beginnings grew the current Australian Army Reserve of some 16,000 personnel.
These Loyal Associations had a short life and had essentially petered out by 1810. From then until the withdrawal of the last British contingents in 1870, the defence of Australia was basically seen as the responsibility of Britain. However, the idea that the British garrison should be supplemented by local volunteers never really died out and intermittent efforts were made to revive the concept. A variety of defence ‘scares’, such as the fear of Russian invasion during the Crimean War of 1854-56 led to surges in recruiting and it’s true to say that Australia’s Army Reserve has had an almost continuous history since the mid-19th century.
From this point began the Australian tradition of supplying volunteer contingents in support of Britain’s wars, and those of our regional friends. Many Australians served in New Zealand during the Maori Wars (especially 1863-4) and in 1885 NSW sent a contingent of volunteers to fight in the Sudan (in 2010, Australia still has soldiers serving in this region). These men gained our first battle honour: ‘Suakin’, which is still proudly carried by the Royal New South Wales regiment of today’s Army Reserve. In 1899, the various colonies provided soldiers to assist in the Boer War. The very first formed body of troops to arrive in South Africa (beating even the first British soldiers there) was a contingent of the New South Wales Lancers. They were returning home from the UK after taking part in a military visit when war broke out and almost to a man volunteered to disembark in Cape Town.
1901-1947
When Australia became a nation with Federation in 1901, we were in the middle of the Boer war of 1899-1902. This war cost almost 1,000 Australian lives — more than in any conflict other than the two World Wars. The first ‘Australian soldiers’ (as opposed to soldiers form the separate colonies) to be sent overseas comprised the sixth contingent to the Boer War (the Australian Commonwealth Horse). All were volunteers, and many had served in their local colonial militia units. The Regular Army was very small, consisting of staff officers (command was reserved for militia officers) and garrison/artillery troops. The basic philosophy was that detailed staff work and specialist trades such as gunnery required the constant practice which could only come from regulars; everything else was the province of the citizen-soldier. However, one deficiency of the early Defence Acts (and not rectified for 100 years) was that the volunteer (or militia) troops could not be called up for service overseas—their prime role was the defence of Australia. This meant that when large forces were required for overseas service in World War 1 and 2, new forces had to be raised. It was not until 2003 that Australian Reservists could be called up for overseas service.
The 1st Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was raised in 1914 — from raw recruits, Boer war veterans, militia members, and a small sprinkling of Regular soldiers. In total we created five Infantry Divisions (which served predominantly in France and Belgium) and almost two Cavalry Divisions (the famous Light Horse, which served predominantly in Egypt and Palestine). In 1919, the 1st AIF was disbanded (officially ceasing to exist in 1921) and replaced by Citizen Military Forces (CMF) Divisions whose units preserved the battle honours of the 1st AIF units.
The 1920s and 1930s saw a reduction in Reserve activity. By 1922 numbers had dropped to 37,000 and fell even further after 1929 because of the Great Depression—many units only stayed alive because their members were prepared to attend without pay, still training on outdated 1914-18 equipment.
On the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939 CMF members who wanted to serve overseas in the 2nd AIF had to resign from the CMF to do so—although the government restricted the numbers who transferred because of the need to defend Australia. Around 200,000 CMF members transferred to the 2nd AIF during the war and in 1943 whole units were allowed to transfer if 65% of their members had volunteered to do so. Although the CMF was retained largely for home defence this included New Guinea and was later interpreted to include the South West Pacific Area (SWPA). A few CMF formations served overseas, including the 8th and the 11th Brigades (still part of the current Army Reserve), which served in New Guinea and the SWPA. Towards the end of the war, as civilian labour needs became more important, many CMF units were disbanded and their soldiers released.
1947-2003
In 1947/8 the Australian Regular Army (ARA) officially came into being with the formation of the Royal Australian Regiment. In 1948 many of the old CMF units were re-raised as part of a planned total force of 50,000. The new philosophy, based on the view that modern warfare required highly trained full-time soldiers available as a first reaction force, saw the ARA as the ready force with the CMF as the mobilization base for extended operations. From 1951-1959 voluntary enlistment in the CMF was supplemented by conscription.
With the end of conscription, CMF numbers fell to 20,000 and shortly afterwards an ill-conceived major reorganization, based around the Pentropic Division, caused a further decline. The Pentropic concept saw the creation of new CMF infantry Regiments, each consisting of several battalions. The Regiments were named after the states (e.g. the Royal Queensland Regiment, Royal New South Wales Regiment, the Royal Tasmanian Regiment, etc.). These were created through wholesale amalgamations and although many of the battle honours of the old 1st and 2nd AIF battalions were retained, this reform effectively broke the direct link between the CMF and its AIF traditions. The end of the Pentropic system in 1965 saw some attempts to reintroduce local and regional military traditions.
The Vietnam War provided an opportunity to revitalize the CMF and undo some of the damage from the reforms of the 1960s during. However the opportunity was missed and the decision was made not to use CMF units overseas (although several volunteered). Instead, conscription was used to expand the ARA units which did serve on operations. An alternative to the selective conscription scheme was to join the CMF and this led to a reputation for ‘draft dodging’ which also affected morale. The end of conscription in 1972, and the Millar Report of 1973 (although not fully implemented) did a lot to restore morale and provide new direction to the CMF, which was renamed the Army Reserve.
The last third of the 20th century saw numerous reviews of the Army Reserve, several restructures, and intermittent efforts to give it real purpose. However, it was not until Australia’s deployment to East Timor in 1999 that the Reserve was given the chance to demonstrate its very real contribution to capability—not as formed units but in general as individual round-outs and reinforcements and the provision of specialists not available in the ARA.
In 2003, the fact that Army Reserve had moved from being a strategic reserve (intended to provide a longer-term mobilization base) to an operational reserve (to provide capability for current use) was recognized with major changes to the Defence Act. These changes for the first time allowed the government to require Reservists to serve anywhere overseas. This was supplemented by a world-class suite of employment and educational protection legislation, as well as monetary compensation to employers of Reservists. This legislation provided a fundamental change in the way Reservists can be employed.
Today’s Reserve
The Australian Army currently consists of three functional commands: Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Forces Command (FORCOMD), and the 1st Division. Each of these commands contains Reserve soldiers (for example the 1st Commando Regiment is a Reserve organization within SOCOM), but the bulk of the Army Reserve is located in FORCOMD, and most of this is part of the 2nd Division—Australia’s Reserve Division.
The 2nd Division
The 2nd Division comprises around 75% of the Army Reserve. The Division has its Headquarters in Randwick, NSW and commands 6 Brigades. The 4th Brigade is in Victoria, the 5th and the 8th Brigades are in NSW (with part of the 5th located in the ACT). HQ 9th Brigade is in South Australia but the Brigade has significant elements in Tasmania. The 11th Brigade is in Queensland and the 13th in WA. Although each Brigade is different, it generally consists of a HQ, 2 infantry battalions and a combat services support battalion, with (depending on the size of the brigade) an armoured regiment or squadron, an engineer regiment or squadron, and an artillery regiment or battery. Most brigades also have a signals squadron in direct support.
Current Activity
In the period March 2005 to March 2010 almost 6.500 Reservists deployed on operations, both overseas and within Australia. In Australia, Reservists have played a major role in assisting with natural disasters such as the Sydney hailstorms in and the Victorian bushfires in 2009. Reservists have also regularly been called on to assist in smaller, more localized emergencies across the country—predominantly bushfires and floods. Army Reservists provided the bulk of Army’s domestic security contribution to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, the Sydney Olympics, APEC 20xx, and the Pope’s visit in 2008. Army Reservists also take part in the annual Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Programme.
Reservists have also taken part in all major, and most minor, operations outside Australia in recent times. Since 2007 Reservists have provided the bulk of the Australian Army contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands. Over 500 Reservists have served in East Timor over the years and others have served in a variety of capacities in Iraq and Afghanistan and in peacekeeping missions in the Middle East. Reserve commandos have deployed to Afghanistan and armoured (Bushmaster) crewmen to Iraq and Afghanistan. Reserve specialists ranging from mechanics, logisticians, engineers, doctors, nurses and lawyers have deployed everywhere from combat zones to disaster relief efforts around the region. In addition, numerous Reservists have been employed on full-time service contracts on order to support operations, either to facilitate the release of ARA staff, or as part of he planning/enabling process.
Today’s Army Reserve plays an important part in the defence of Australia and Army’s ability to provide military capability to government. Although the Reserve still proudly maintains the best traditions of the citizen soldier, the size of its contribution to the country is far higher than was ever expected of its early 19th century ancestors.
From the first white settlement in 1788 until 1800, the defence of Australia (or more accurately, the colony of NSW) relied on British troops — although very early experiments in levying small local forces occurred on Norfolk Island. In September 1800 the British tradition of citizen soldiers was transplanted to Australian soil when the first official local military forces were raised in NSW. These new forces, the Loyal Sydney and Parramatta Associations, were small: each had an establishment of 50 men with officers appointed by the governor. From these small beginnings grew the current Australian Army Reserve of some 16,000 personnel.
These Loyal Associations had a short life and had essentially petered out by 1810. From then until the withdrawal of the last British contingents in 1870, the defence of Australia was basically seen as the responsibility of Britain. However, the idea that the British garrison should be supplemented by local volunteers never really died out and intermittent efforts were made to revive the concept. A variety of defence ‘scares’, such as the fear of Russian invasion during the Crimean War of 1854-56 led to surges in recruiting and it’s true to say that Australia’s Army Reserve has had an almost continuous history since the mid-19th century.
From this point began the Australian tradition of supplying volunteer contingents in support of Britain’s wars, and those of our regional friends. Many Australians served in New Zealand during the Maori Wars (especially 1863-4) and in 1885 NSW sent a contingent of volunteers to fight in the Sudan (in 2010, Australia still has soldiers serving in this region). These men gained our first battle honour: ‘Suakin’, which is still proudly carried by the Royal New South Wales regiment of today’s Army Reserve. In 1899, the various colonies provided soldiers to assist in the Boer War. The very first formed body of troops to arrive in South Africa (beating even the first British soldiers there) was a contingent of the New South Wales Lancers. They were returning home from the UK after taking part in a military visit when war broke out and almost to a man volunteered to disembark in Cape Town.
1901-1947
When Australia became a nation with Federation in 1901, we were in the middle of the Boer war of 1899-1902. This war cost almost 1,000 Australian lives — more than in any conflict other than the two World Wars. The first ‘Australian soldiers’ (as opposed to soldiers form the separate colonies) to be sent overseas comprised the sixth contingent to the Boer War (the Australian Commonwealth Horse). All were volunteers, and many had served in their local colonial militia units. The Regular Army was very small, consisting of staff officers (command was reserved for militia officers) and garrison/artillery troops. The basic philosophy was that detailed staff work and specialist trades such as gunnery required the constant practice which could only come from regulars; everything else was the province of the citizen-soldier. However, one deficiency of the early Defence Acts (and not rectified for 100 years) was that the volunteer (or militia) troops could not be called up for service overseas—their prime role was the defence of Australia. This meant that when large forces were required for overseas service in World War 1 and 2, new forces had to be raised. It was not until 2003 that Australian Reservists could be called up for overseas service.
The 1st Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was raised in 1914 — from raw recruits, Boer war veterans, militia members, and a small sprinkling of Regular soldiers. In total we created five Infantry Divisions (which served predominantly in France and Belgium) and almost two Cavalry Divisions (the famous Light Horse, which served predominantly in Egypt and Palestine). In 1919, the 1st AIF was disbanded (officially ceasing to exist in 1921) and replaced by Citizen Military Forces (CMF) Divisions whose units preserved the battle honours of the 1st AIF units.
The 1920s and 1930s saw a reduction in Reserve activity. By 1922 numbers had dropped to 37,000 and fell even further after 1929 because of the Great Depression—many units only stayed alive because their members were prepared to attend without pay, still training on outdated 1914-18 equipment.
On the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939 CMF members who wanted to serve overseas in the 2nd AIF had to resign from the CMF to do so—although the government restricted the numbers who transferred because of the need to defend Australia. Around 200,000 CMF members transferred to the 2nd AIF during the war and in 1943 whole units were allowed to transfer if 65% of their members had volunteered to do so. Although the CMF was retained largely for home defence this included New Guinea and was later interpreted to include the South West Pacific Area (SWPA). A few CMF formations served overseas, including the 8th and the 11th Brigades (still part of the current Army Reserve), which served in New Guinea and the SWPA. Towards the end of the war, as civilian labour needs became more important, many CMF units were disbanded and their soldiers released.
1947-2003
In 1947/8 the Australian Regular Army (ARA) officially came into being with the formation of the Royal Australian Regiment. In 1948 many of the old CMF units were re-raised as part of a planned total force of 50,000. The new philosophy, based on the view that modern warfare required highly trained full-time soldiers available as a first reaction force, saw the ARA as the ready force with the CMF as the mobilization base for extended operations. From 1951-1959 voluntary enlistment in the CMF was supplemented by conscription.
With the end of conscription, CMF numbers fell to 20,000 and shortly afterwards an ill-conceived major reorganization, based around the Pentropic Division, caused a further decline. The Pentropic concept saw the creation of new CMF infantry Regiments, each consisting of several battalions. The Regiments were named after the states (e.g. the Royal Queensland Regiment, Royal New South Wales Regiment, the Royal Tasmanian Regiment, etc.). These were created through wholesale amalgamations and although many of the battle honours of the old 1st and 2nd AIF battalions were retained, this reform effectively broke the direct link between the CMF and its AIF traditions. The end of the Pentropic system in 1965 saw some attempts to reintroduce local and regional military traditions.
The Vietnam War provided an opportunity to revitalize the CMF and undo some of the damage from the reforms of the 1960s during. However the opportunity was missed and the decision was made not to use CMF units overseas (although several volunteered). Instead, conscription was used to expand the ARA units which did serve on operations. An alternative to the selective conscription scheme was to join the CMF and this led to a reputation for ‘draft dodging’ which also affected morale. The end of conscription in 1972, and the Millar Report of 1973 (although not fully implemented) did a lot to restore morale and provide new direction to the CMF, which was renamed the Army Reserve.
The last third of the 20th century saw numerous reviews of the Army Reserve, several restructures, and intermittent efforts to give it real purpose. However, it was not until Australia’s deployment to East Timor in 1999 that the Reserve was given the chance to demonstrate its very real contribution to capability—not as formed units but in general as individual round-outs and reinforcements and the provision of specialists not available in the ARA.
In 2003, the fact that Army Reserve had moved from being a strategic reserve (intended to provide a longer-term mobilization base) to an operational reserve (to provide capability for current use) was recognized with major changes to the Defence Act. These changes for the first time allowed the government to require Reservists to serve anywhere overseas. This was supplemented by a world-class suite of employment and educational protection legislation, as well as monetary compensation to employers of Reservists. This legislation provided a fundamental change in the way Reservists can be employed.
Today’s Reserve
The Australian Army currently consists of three functional commands: Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Forces Command (FORCOMD), and the 1st Division. Each of these commands contains Reserve soldiers (for example the 1st Commando Regiment is a Reserve organization within SOCOM), but the bulk of the Army Reserve is located in FORCOMD, and most of this is part of the 2nd Division—Australia’s Reserve Division.
The 2nd Division
The 2nd Division comprises around 75% of the Army Reserve. The Division has its Headquarters in Randwick, NSW and commands 6 Brigades. The 4th Brigade is in Victoria, the 5th and the 8th Brigades are in NSW (with part of the 5th located in the ACT). HQ 9th Brigade is in South Australia but the Brigade has significant elements in Tasmania. The 11th Brigade is in Queensland and the 13th in WA. Although each Brigade is different, it generally consists of a HQ, 2 infantry battalions and a combat services support battalion, with (depending on the size of the brigade) an armoured regiment or squadron, an engineer regiment or squadron, and an artillery regiment or battery. Most brigades also have a signals squadron in direct support.
Current Activity
In the period March 2005 to March 2010 almost 6.500 Reservists deployed on operations, both overseas and within Australia. In Australia, Reservists have played a major role in assisting with natural disasters such as the Sydney hailstorms in and the Victorian bushfires in 2009. Reservists have also regularly been called on to assist in smaller, more localized emergencies across the country—predominantly bushfires and floods. Army Reservists provided the bulk of Army’s domestic security contribution to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, the Sydney Olympics, APEC 20xx, and the Pope’s visit in 2008. Army Reservists also take part in the annual Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Programme.
Reservists have also taken part in all major, and most minor, operations outside Australia in recent times. Since 2007 Reservists have provided the bulk of the Australian Army contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands. Over 500 Reservists have served in East Timor over the years and others have served in a variety of capacities in Iraq and Afghanistan and in peacekeeping missions in the Middle East. Reserve commandos have deployed to Afghanistan and armoured (Bushmaster) crewmen to Iraq and Afghanistan. Reserve specialists ranging from mechanics, logisticians, engineers, doctors, nurses and lawyers have deployed everywhere from combat zones to disaster relief efforts around the region. In addition, numerous Reservists have been employed on full-time service contracts on order to support operations, either to facilitate the release of ARA staff, or as part of he planning/enabling process.
Today’s Army Reserve plays an important part in the defence of Australia and Army’s ability to provide military capability to government. Although the Reserve still proudly maintains the best traditions of the citizen soldier, the size of its contribution to the country is far higher than was ever expected of its early 19th century ancestors.
