Australian Army: Our future - Army modernisation update - April 2014
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Australian Army: Our future Army modernisation update April 2014
© Copyright Commonwealth of Australia This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Department of Defence. Our future: Army modernisation update Version 2, April 2014 Published by Directorate of Plans – Army Army Headquarters Enquiries Director-General Strategic Plans – Army Sponsor Chief of Army Pictures in this document are available from Australian Defence Image Library. Many of the pictures were taken during Exercise TALISMAN SABER 2013.
Australian Army: Our future Army modernisation update April 2014
Contents Foreword................................................................................................................ 5 Background ........................................................................................................... 9 Army’s workforce ................................................................................................. 19 People and culture ............................................................................................... 23 Training ................................................................................................................ 27 Equipment ........................................................................................................... 33 Army’s structure .................................................................................................. 39 Disposition and estate ......................................................................................... 55 Ongoing work ...................................................................................................... 59
Foreword
As the Australian Army emerges from a decade of high-tempo operations, it must
respond to the challenges of the future.
Major reviews and programs guiding the development of the Australian Army’s
capability were announced during 2012 and 2013, including Pathway to Change
and Plan BEERSHEBA. Government and the Department of Defence strategic
guidance and capability advice continues through Defence White Paper and
Defence Capability Plan updates.
At the same time, as major operations draw down, it is essential that the operational
experience of this generation of soldiers is retained and incorporated into the
training and development of the soldiers of the next generation and into the future.
This means that change will again be central to Army life. There is nothing unusual
about change. Army has been adapting to new circumstances on the battlefield
and at home for more than a century. It will continue to do so. Australian Army:
Our future is designed to provide a taste of the major themes of change and some
of the broader detail. It is not intended to be an exhaustive description of every
change occurring within Army.
Page 5
The outcome of Army’s modernisation program will be a modular, adaptive
and increasingly interoperable Australian Army. This will be realised through the
formation of common force structures and the flexible force generation cycle,
leveraging capabilities outside traditional Regular and Reserve capabilities
(the ‘total force’ concept1), increasing digitisation and the development of
training and simulation incorporating recent operational experience and cutting
edge technologies.
But it is foremost the people of the Australian Army, their commitment and their
experiences, who will allow Army to move forward as an agile, adaptable and
world-class organisation.
Lieutenant General David Morrison, AO
Chief of Army
1 Which may be defined as the capabilities resident in joint forces, allies, civilian contractors and/or
other government agencies.
Page 6 Australian Army: Our future
Vision is not enough. It must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must step up the stairs. Vaclav Havel
Background
Changes to the Australian Army’s capabilities are guided by direction from the
Australian Government, by the evolving security environment and by the delivery
of new and replacement equipment and systems.
Army is approaching the end of a period of high-tempo operations and
preparing to refocus on the generation of foundation warfighting capability and
on strengthening a culture based on preparedness and readiness. Army’s present
challenge is to understand how to ‘step up the stairs’ — to modernise within its
available resources, as part of the Australian Defence Force and Department
of Defence, and to do so in a fiscally constrained and increasingly uncertain
security environment.
In response to these challenges, Army is:
• embedding combat brigades as an integral part of the Joint Force;
• controlling the cost of force generation;
• introducing a range of new equipment to enhance networking mobility
and combat capabilities; and
• improving its ability to generate and sustain task-organised combined
arms teams.
Page 9
Army’s force structure must continue to evolve to remain ready and relevant. While force generation and the ability to organise Army’s units into task-specific structures are important functions of force structure, organisational evolution is larger than this. Army capability relies equally on the training and skills of its soldiers, the equipment they employ, and the doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures that determine their actions. Modernisation is a work-in-progress. Regular updates provide opportunities to evaluate progress and future directions. This update provides an overview of the efforts Army has made in every facet of its organisation - from how it generates its forces to incorporating lessons learnt from operations into doctrine and training; how major systems and equipment-based capability will equip Army to face an uncertain strategic future; how to achieve the best possible workforce to confront the challenges of the future, and where best to utilise them. Adaptive Army The evolution of Army’s structure and capability is grounded in changes made over the past few years. From 2009, Army undertook a detailed self-examination to ensure that its command and control, force generation, force preparation and adaptive processes were appropriate for the contemporary and future security environments. While the higher command structure encompasses this evolutionary approach, modernisation of Army’s structure and capability continues to transform and mature in response to the changing strategic environment. Recent developments and operational experience highlighting the ability of soldiers, units and headquarters to share information over the past decade have challenged traditional approaches to command and control. At the same time, developments in Australian Defence Force joint command and control necessitated changes to how Army conducts its force generation and preparation for operations and contingencies. Army Headquarters was restructured in 2009 as part of the Adaptive Army initiative. It now comprises two divisions: Deputy Chief of Army Division which focuses on Army’s current activities, and Modernisation and Strategic Planning – Army (MSP-A) which focuses on Army’s force development and strategic planning. Page 10 Australian Army: Our future
Australian Army higher structure: Adaptive Army command and control
Army Headquarters
Manages Army commitments; synchronises generation and
preparation of land force elements; prepares for future challenges;
informs strategic and operational joint planning and provides strategic
corporate and policy development functions.
Forces Command
Generates Army’s foundation war fighting capability in order to ensure
individuals and force elements are successful in Adaptive Campaigning.
Individual training Combat Brigades 2nd Division
establishments • 1st Brigade • 4th Brigade
• Royal Military College of • 3rd Brigade • 5th Brigade
Australia
• 7th Brigade • 8th Brigade
• Combined Arms Training
• 9th Brigade
Centre Enablling Brigades
• 11th Brigade
• Army LogisticsTraining Centre • 6th Combat
• 13th Brigade
• Army Aviation Training Centre Support Brigade
• Defence Command Support • 16th Aviation
Training Centre Brigade
• University Regiments • 17th Combat Service
(part of 2nd Division) Support Brigade
Headquarters 1st Division
• Combat Training Centre
Prepares Army Force Elements to meet the specific operational and
contingency requirements and provides the Australian Defence Force’s
standing deployable Joint Force Headquarters.
Special Operations Command
Provides ready and relevant forces to conduct special operations
across the operational continuum in a joint, combined or interagency
environment.
Army modernisation update Page 11In 2013, MSP-A was further restructured into:
• Director General Modernisation – Army, supporting the Chief of Army’s role
as a capability manager in the capability development processes;
• Director General Strategic Plans – Army, responsible for advising the Chief
of Army on Army’s future concepts and capability needs; and
• Director General Reserves – Army.
Scientific Advisor – Army also works within MSP-A.
Army retains three functional commands: Forces Command, the 1st Division,
and Special Operations Command.
Forces Command is responsible for the development of Army’s collective
organisations and the individuals who are its soldiers through the force
generation cycle.
Headquarters 1st Division focuses on the preparation of Army’s force elements
for current operations and contingencies. The Army’s Combat Training Centre
continues to evolve in support of this, with expanded capacity to conduct and
evaluate higher level training, mounting, assessment and certification of different
force elements for their operational missions. Headquarters 1st Division also
provides the Australian Defence Force’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters.
Special Operations Command raises, trains, sustains and commands special
operations capability, integrating this into both Army and Australian Defence Force
joint operations command and control.
Army continues to seek ways to improve its delivery of the highest quality training
and preparation for both soldiers and collective organisations to ensure their
success on operations.
Page 12 Australian Army: Our futureForce generation
Army’s force generation cycle ensures that Combat Brigades, specialist
capabilities and part-time forces consistently train together. Army’s conventional
deployable combat forces move through three 12-month phases in a 36-month
cycle. The length of the force generation cycle is driven by an assessment that
12 months is the maximum period a force can be deployed. After 12 months,
soldiers and equipment need to be returned to Australia to allow soldiers to rest
and recuperate and to maintain and upgrade equipment. This time frame is not
absolute and can be modified should the need arise.
The force generation Three-phase Force Generation Cycle
cycle comprises
three primary phases,
known as the
Ready
‘readying’, ‘ready’
• Maintain collective
and ‘reset’ phases. competencies
• Provide forces for current
The ‘readying’ phase operations
is a 12-month period • Provide contingency
forces
of intense training and
certification to ensure Reset Readying
that force elements • Maintain minimum
• Develop collective
are ready to deploy. collective competencies
competencies
• Personal training
• Prepare personnel and
In the ‘ready’ phase • Equipment remediation equipment
these force elements • New system introduction • Train for missions
• Corporate Governance • Corporate Governance
are either deployed or
held at high readiness
in preparation for
deployment. When
force elements return
from an operational deployment, or conclude a period of being held at high
readiness, they enter the ‘reset’ phase which provides time for individual training,
and preparation to begin collective training once returned to the readying phase.
Special Operations, the 1st Division and enabling brigades follow similar force
generation cycles. Variations in some structures and capability types within these
organisations require a more tailored approach focusing primarily on those phases
that see forces held ready for operations or in preparation for this.
Army modernisation update Page 13Plan BEERSHEBA Plan BEERSHEBA is a program of Army modernisation that has been in progress since 2011. It aims to ensure maximum effectiveness of the 36-month force generation cycle while providing the widest range of functional and sustainable Land Force capability to a joint force. Following on from the Adaptive Army initiative, it is responsive to lessons drawn from Army’s experience in generating forces for operations over the last decade. It is also designed to prepare Army for the large scale changes in equipment and systems being delivered under the Defence Capability Plan in coming years. Army’s brigades and their constituent battle groups are the key building blocks of Army’s conventional forces. Each combat brigade is currently designed along functional lines — mechanised, with tanks and M113 AS4 armoured personnel carriers; light, with limited protected mobility for the infantry; and motorised, with protected mobility vehicles for infantry. This structure had its genesis in the mid- 1970s when Defence planners believed that the threat of continental invasion and smaller scale contingencies within the region would take fundamentally different forms requiring brigades designed for specific functions. This functional brigade structure has diminished Army’s ability to consistently develop common foundation warfighting skills through individual and collective training. Page 14 Australian Army: Our future
During the last decade of high-tempo operations, deployments have been drawn
from different parts of Army. This has limited the ability of forces to train together
on an ongoing basis and necessitated the development of a number of practices
to ensure existing brigades manage their operational requirements. Once current
operations draw down, these practices will result in a lower level of collective
capability while at the same time incurring higher costs. Drawing capabilities from
across Army also requires the movement of personnel and equipment between
locations. This is both expensive and inefficient. Common brigade structures will
ensure Army maintains the highest level of capability and ensure it remains an
effective and efficient force into the future.
Plan BEERSHEBA involves four major areas of organisational change: combat
(deployable) brigades, enabling brigades, the Army Reserve, and the Army
contribution to the Australian Defence Force amphibious capability. The effective
and efficient generation of capability requires more than organisational change.
Although this change must be synchronised with other capabilities to be
introduced under the Defence Capability Plan, it is the embedding of the
force generation cycle in its structure that will create maximum benefit.
Joint capability
Australia employs a maritime strategy to deter and defeat attacks on Australia
and Australia’s interests. This requires the Australian Defence Force to be
designed, developed and operated as an integrated Joint Force across all
domains. The employment of joint capability to provide the effects that will
deter and defeat remains a major driver of Defence capability development.
The principle of employing joint capability can be applied at different levels, including:
• shared large-scale capability, such as the amphibious capability;
• individual protective capabilities, such as counter-improvised explosive
device capability;
• the management of a capability by a single service on behalf of the whole
Australian Defence Force; and
• the interoperability gained by the use of common equipment and
procedures.
Army is working with the Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force and the
Vice Chief of the Defence Force to examine options for increasing the level of joint
capability within the Australian Defence Force.
Army modernisation update Page 15Embedding the changes
Structural change is only one part of Army’s modernisation process. Strengthening
the links between the Combat Brigade, enabling brigades, Special Operations
capability and the Joint Force will enhance the Army’s ready forces and reinforce its
role in the Australian Defence Force maritime strategy.2 It will also create the most
efficient and cost effective force structure.
Embedding change through learning, training, practice and operational experience
is the key to Army’s contribution to Australia’s maritime strategy. For example,
employing ready forces in littoral environments will increase Army’s understanding
of joint amphibious operations. And while the exploitation of digital networking
across all capabilities will increase land force lethality, networking in its broader
sense is also a key component of an effective joint maritime strategy. Developing a
joint and networking mindset, including in the conduct of networked simulation,
will underscore the importance of joint aspects of force generation and certification.
The experience of the past decade and the possibilities of the next defy simple
characterisation of warfare as ‘conventional’ or ‘irregular’. Australian forces will
face adversaries willing to use a range of lethal and non-lethal weapons and
approaches to warfare to further their aims, not just against Australian forces,
but also against civilian populations. There is no single organisational solution to
counter this. Instead, the Combat Brigade commander must have the ability to
continually generate different combined arms groups to maintain the initiative and
achieve objectives. Within this framework, the Combat Brigade and related ready
forces will remain the primary contributor to operations, capable of responding
through a range of mutually reinforcing actions. These are summarised in Adaptive
Campaigning’s five ‘lines of operation’:
• Joint Land Combat - actions to defeat organised resistance and secure the
environment in order to set and sustain the conditions required for other
actions.
• Population Protection - actions to provide protection and security to
threatened populations in order to set the conditions to establish order and
the rule of law.
2 For the purpose of this document, ‘ready forces’ comprise all forces across Army that are in a
ready state, regardless of whether they are part of the Combat Brigade, Reserve, 1st Division,
Special Forces or the wider Joint Force.
Page 16 Australian Army: Our future• Information Actions - actions that inform and shape the perceptions,
attitudes, behaviour, and understanding of target population groups and
assure the quality of our own information, while attempting to disrupt or
dislocate enemy command capabilities.
• Population Support - actions to relieve immediate human suffering by
establishing, restoring, or temporarily replacing necessary essential services
in affected communities.
• Indigenous Capacity Building - actions to nurture the establishment of
capacity within civil communities while simultaneously working to establish
longer term governance and socio-economic capacity which meets the
needs of the people.
A force with the ability to adapt in this way will be both modular and networked:
• Modularity requires standard structures and digital networking, allowing the
commander to change the mixture of components of the force to suit the
mission at hand.
• Networking is fundamentally a human activity based on trust, understanding
and knowledge. It is underpinned by development of common training
through the force generation cycle, standard structures and processes and
it utilises the communication equipment delivered by capability projects.
Army places enormous importance on lessons learnt, both operationally and in the
introduction of capability into service. The ability to respond and adapt to these
lessons is an important part of Army’s plans for meeting Government and Defence
capability and corporate requirements within available resources.
Army modernisation update Page 17Army’s workforce
Army can be viewed in two ways: as an Armed Force of the Australian Defence
Force, and as a part of the Department of Defence. This section discusses the
Army’s wider workforce. The next section addresses the role and development of
the soldier as a military professional.
The Director-General Personnel – Army produces the Army Personnel Update –
‘Supporting our People’ which provides information on developments in workforce
management and personnel policy.
The Army employs both military and civilian personnel who are subject to a wide
variety of conditions of employment. They also work in locations throughout
Australia and across the world. To make the best and most effective use of these
people, the Army must modernise its approach to its complex workforce, ensuring
it balances its responsibilities to modern workplace practice with its responsibilities
to the nation.
Military workforce
Military personnel are employed in roles that allow them to develop their military
skills and experience, thereby contributing to Army’s overall capability. Consistently
high levels of vacancy in some employment categories and corps can hamper and
constrain Army’s operational capability. To counter this, Army is seeking to identify
the societal and workforce factors that limit the size of a capability’s workforce,
design alternative policies and introduce procedural or other changes to boost
capacity within these employment categories and corps.
Page 19This review involves a long and complex process, beginning with examining the reasons for long-term vacancies. Any change will require extensive engagement with workforce modelling and capability subject matter experts, corps and training establishments. Part-time military workforce Army Reserve personnel contribute to a range of capabilities across a variety of roles. Reservists contribute to a range of collective capabilities, including the provision of specialist capability not available in the full-time force. Individual reservists may also deploy to embedded positions across a range of operational deployments. Reserve personnel provide a range of commitment levels, from fulltime service through to traditional ‘Tuesday night parading’. The Standby Reserve also provides a pool of skilled personnel who can be called on if required. Reserve training and deployment continues to be a major priority in Army’s modernisation program. Civilian workforce Army’s civilian workforce is generally employed in roles that are not deployable, thereby allowing the military workforce to focus on its primary role. There are some occupational roles for which the Australian Defence Force does not raise, train and sustain. The civilian workforce provides the best solution to fill these roles. Civilians are also essential where greater stability in a particular role is required, ensuring corporate knowledge and experience is retained. Some roles also require a longer tenure to enable staff to develop greater subject matter expertise. In an increasingly constrained fiscal environment, Army needs to examine closely where it employs its civilian workforce. Army is developing principles for the employment and management of its civilian employees, particularly those affected by change, in line with the requirements of Defence civilian employment policy and practice and the Defence Enterprise Collective Agreement. Page 20 Australian Army: Our future
Flexible employment arrangements The Australian Defence Force and Army are continuing to develop and implement a program of reviews of employment arrangements and conditions of service. This will ensure its workforce is optimally balanced between Regulars and Reserves in capability, cost and culture. It will also address levels of retention across the Service. One major area of review involves increased flexible work arrangements. Changes to personnel policy provide support to members who need to balance the demands of Army service with family or other personal responsibilities. Army personnel can apply for a specific type of flexible work arrangement, including part-time leave without pay, job-sharing, temporary work from home, variable working hours and working from a remote locality. Additional leave can also be purchased. The meaning of the term ‘flexibility’ differs according to the various job contexts. There will be roles that can be performed with maximum flexibility and others that cannot. Army will identify positions that can be filled on a flexible basis as part of its regular review of unit establishments. Workforce and budget The size and composition of Army’s workforce is ultimately determined by Government’s allocation of resources to the Department of Defence. Directed workforce guidance provides explicit limitations on the number of full-time military and civilian employees in each category. For the Reserve, the allocation of Reserve Training Salary and related allowances limits the number of personnel who are employed. Army will manage its workforce holistically, balancing any limitations of its component workforces by effective evaluation of their contributions to Army’s capability. Future reviews will consider the priority accorded to each element of the workforce in the establishment as a whole, and how flexible employment arrangements might increase the benefit of each element to Army capability. Army modernisation update Page 21
People and culture
The continued modernisation of Army is not simply achieved by unit restructuring,
the introduction into service of new equipment, and digitisation. The future Army
will demand a future Australian soldier with a disciplined independence, capable of
enhanced cognitive function, and boasting an increasingly robust physical capability.
The implementation of change must support Army’s broader development of
personnel and cultural reforms. Every change Army makes must be firmly anchored
to Army’s values, and mindful of Army as a diverse and inclusive organisation in
which all soldiers have the opportunity to reach their full potential. For example,
as all employment categories become available and women take up opportunities
resulting from recent reforms, they will play an increasingly diverse role in the Army
of the future.
Army’s cultural reform is grounded in the process outlined in the Department of
Defence’s Pathway to Change strategy. The Pathway to Change report provides a
clear commitment to shape Defence’s collective attitudes, systems and behaviours
to improve capability and ensure the continued support of the Australian people.
Page 23Army’s core values
Pathway to Change articulates Defence’s
cultural statement of intent: We are
trusted to defend, proven to deliver and
respectful always.
Army’s core values support this intent
and form the foundation of everything
Army does. Army’s core values are:
• Courage to act in the best interests of the nation and the Army,
including the moral strength and professionalism to balance the will to win
with compassion, and mateship with duty.
• Initiative to explore opportunities and embrace innovation to improve Army
and service to the nation.
• Respect for ourselves, our colleagues, our community and our history of
service to the nation, acknowledging that each one of us has earned the
right to wear the rising sun badge and the responsibility to uphold the values
and traditions it symbolises.
• Teamwork to support one another, the Australian community, our allies
and our regional security partners in striving to achieve our mission. In a
world connected by digital communication, such national and international
‘communities’ exist in both physical and online domains.
These core values are also linked to the complementary behaviours described in
the I’m an Australian Soldier initiative and the Army’s Rules for a Fair Go.
Values, gender and capability
Army’s cultural and ethical foundation is its values and the bonds of trust and
respect between each and every person who joins to serve Australia. Army must
strive to build a more just and inclusive culture that enables the contribution of all its
people to be fully realised. This is essential in generating and sustaining capability.
Defence and Army are developing and implementing a series of actions to support
the achievement of Army’s cultural reform and those changes resulting from the
Pathway to Change report. The formal recognition of respect as a core value
highlights its role in binding the other three values.
Page 24 Australian Army: Our futureThe Women in the Army framework articulates Army’s aim to increase the percentage of women in the Australian Regular Army to 12 per cent by 2014. This framework involves a number of initiatives developed to support this aim, including opening the remaining restricted employment categories to all people regardless of gender. The Women in the Army campaign has been a priority for 2013 and has established the foundation for future work. A series of reviews and changes to recruiting, career management, training and leadership development is currently underway to support diversity and cultural reform. Lieutenant Colonel Markus Ludwig took care of 9 and 6 year-old children, while his wife Lieutenant Colonel Natasha Ludwig spent eight months deployed providing logistic support to Australian troops and helping remediate and redeploy Australian’s forces in Uruzgan Province. Culture and training Values and culture underpin the way Army trains and generates the capability of the individual throughout his or her service. This includes the full range of initial and ongoing training, professional development, career and skills training and also extends to character training. Army modernisation update Page 25
Training
Education, learning and experience will embed the changes introduced into
Army in the coming years. The link between force structure, the force generation
cycle and modernisation is evident in the way Army conducts training.
Converting insights and lessons learnt throughout the force generation cycle
will inform training outcomes.
Conceptual and doctrinal underpinning
Concepts and doctrine are essential to ensure evidence-based and effective
modernisation. Concepts are the driving force behind institutional adaptation,
developing solutions to anticipated or newly identified problems, or offering
different solutions to currently existing problems. Concepts are ideas that require
testing and application. Only by gaining institutional acceptance can concepts
become doctrine and guide military actions. Doctrine sets out best practice based
on enduring principles, validated lessons from experience and operations, existing
policy and constraints.3 It provides authoritative guidance for the current force,
shapes education and training, and influences force development.
Adaptive Campaigning – Army’s Future Land Operating Concept was developed
to offer approaches to overcome the problems Army faces in its ability to fulfil
its dual role: conducting adaptive campaigning to win the joint land battle, while
simultaneously undertaking continuous force modernisation to win the joint
3 Doctrine is defined as the fundamental principles by which military forces or parts thereof guide
their actions. It includes tactics, techniques and procedures ranging from operational to tactical.
Page 27land battle of the future. Foundation warfighting skills is the fundamental force
development principle, and military operations against a credible, technologically
enabled opponent the enduring principle. The concept therefore proposes that
Army’s modernisation program must ensure the mastery of foundation warfighting
skills as a core competency, with operations to centre joint, inter-agency and
whole-of-government principles.
Army is currently developing its concept in how to employ the Combat Brigade.
To assist Army’s transition, commanders at all levels will participate in the testing
and ongoing development of the structures, characteristics and methods of
operations of the new brigades during the developmental stage. The concept will
be modified as the results of test and evaluation are evaluated, and lessons learnt
during the transition are integrated. This first concept of employment will later be
supported by a series of concepts for supporting parts of the Combat Brigade and
enabling capability.
The Army Training Continuum
The Army Training Continuum is the ongoing process through which Army
trains, educates and develops its personnel and component capabilities.
This continuum is structured to integrate the training needs of individuals and the
collective requirements of small and large organisations. It also adapts to changing
requirements emerging from experiences gained from our own forces and those of
allied nations. The Army Training Continuum consists of three training/learning tiers:
• Individual training provides the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for
individual task performance at job standard in the conditions demanded on
operations. Individual proficiency provides the basis for collective training.
Individual training comprises both all-corps and special-to-corps training.
• Collective training involves the training of one or more crews, detachments,
sub-units, units and formations in the conduct of military operations.
• Organisational learning is the review of an activity or experience to extract
the lessons that enable organisations and individuals to adapt to new or
changing circumstances. It includes both operational and non-operational
activities, as well as those of other allies or organisations of interest.
Page 28 Australian Army: Our futureTo respond to Government direction and changing operational requirements,
the Army must be agile. The Army Training Continuum was developed to ensure
Army is prepared to effectively respond to change. The application of the Army
Training Continuum and the process of force generation operate in conjunction
with one another.
The Army Training Continuum
Individual Foundation warfighting training
training
Level 1 Level 2/3 Level 3/4 Level 5/6 Level 5/6/7
Career training
Collective training Continuation
Leave education & Collective training
mission rehearsal training
development
Individual/
Individual Subunit Unit Brigade Formation
team
Foundation warfighting
By developing and reinforcing Army’s foundation warfighting skills, individuals
and force elements will be able to operate with confidence, speed and agility
in environments where operational uncertainty is the enduring characteristic.
These skills, developed by recent experience and enhanced by new technology,
will provide the basis for Army’s individual training.
Army is developing a training management framework for foundational warfighting
that examines the steps necessary to achieve a coordinated and coherent
management regime for foundation warfighting training. This framework will include
simulation and live training and the identification of resources required to meet
force generation training standards across the force generation cycle. The training
management framework standardises force generation in much the same way that
similar brigade structures standardise the organisation of units.
Army modernisation update Page 29SUPPORT FORCES
FORCES DEFENCE AND
SUPPORT TRAINING
TRAINING
STRATEGIC
TRAINING
TRAINING CENTRE
STUDIES
Royal Military College
of Australia CENTRE
CENTRE CENTRE Australian Defence
College
ROYAL MILITARY CAPABILITY
COLLEGE - ADF MANAGEMENT &
ADF and
and JOINT
JOINT TRAINING
TRAINING CENTRES
CENTRES TECHNOLOGY
DUNTROON NATIONAL
NATIONAL EDUCATION
EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
INSTITUTIONS COLLEGE
UNIVERSITY
Western
UNIVERSITY Sydney
University
Melbourne
University
University of New
South Wales
Queensland
University
Adelaide
University Australian
University
REGIMENTS
REGIMENTS
Regiment Regiment Regiment Regiment Regiment Regiment
SENIOR SENIOR
Combined
INDUCTION
INDUCTION arms and interagency
INITIAL
INITIAL && FURTHER
QUALIFICATION
FURTHER
QUALIFICATION TRAINING
TRAINING
operations
OFFICER
OFFICER
TRAINING
TRAINING AND DEVELOP
DEVELOP
AND PROFESSIONAL
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENT -MENT
-MENT
Army must train as it intends to fight, and this necessitates training with the
other Services, regional and international partners and other agencies. Under
the structure of the Combat Brigades, balanced combined arms groupings are
organised to train as a team. The ongoing conduct of Army’s major exercises
such as Hamel and Talisman Sabre will enhance interoperability and collective
professional mastery in combat operations.
Functions of Army and Joint Individual Training Establishments
Initial and further qualification Senior officer
Induction training
training and professional development development
Royal Military College Australian Defence
Australian Defence
of Australia College
College
Combined Arms Land Australian
Australian
Training Centre Warfare Command
Defence Force
Centre and Staff
Academy
College
Army Aviation Army Logistics
Training Centre Training Centre
Australian Defence
Royal Military College
College
of Australia
Centre for
Army Recruit
Defence and
Training
Defence Combat Strategic
Centre Special Forces
Support Training Studies
Training Centre
Centre
Royal Military College Australian Defence
of Australia College
Royal Military Capability
College – ADF and Joint Training Centres Management and
Duntroon National Educational Institutions Technology
College
Sydney Melbourne University of Queensland Adelaide Western
University University University New University University Australian
Regiments Regiment Regiment South Wales
Regiment
Regiment Regiment University
Regiment
Page 30 Australian Army: Our futureSimulation and synthetic training
Army’s goal is to ultimately conduct 25 per cent of all unit training through
simulation. The achievement of this goal will require:
• improvement in the ability to design live, virtual and constructive training;
• acquisition of virtual simulation with platforms acquired through the
Defence Capability Plan; Functions of Army and Joint Individual Training
Establishments
• establishment of brigade simulation centres with the ability to link to other
simulation hubs; and
• ongoing development of training areas in brigade locations to enable local
training rather than movement to interstate training areas.
Simulation capability does not reside in a single project. It requires the coordinated
development of a system over extended periods. The strategic coordination
function for simulation is now a component of Modernisation – Army Branch which
is responsible for linking Army simulation, capability development and Defence
simulation.
Army modernisation update Page 31Equipment
The Defence Capability Plan and Army Minor Projects outline Government’s
investment in the delivery of major systems and equipment-based capability to
the Australian Defence Force and Army. A range of projects is delivering new
equipment and related capability elements (such as training, facilities and support)
to Army. The total effect of these projects amounts to a major re-equipping of Army
over the next 10 to 15 years. The following sections provide information on some
of the equipment and capabilities being introduced.
The timing of the introduction of equipment varies according to their level of
endorsement. At any one time, equipment might be being used on operations,
being introduced at home, or being progressed through Government agreement.
Elements of those projects awaiting final Government endorsement may be subject
to change in the course of that decision-making process in line with Government
and Defence priorities.
Page 33Mounted combat Army’s mounted combat capability will reside within the Armoured Cavalry Regiments and consist of: • combat reconnaissance; • mounted close combat capability; and • specialist manoeuvre support capabilities. Army will continue to operate its M1A1 (AIM) Tank, M113 AS3/4 and ASLAV fleets until the implementation of Project LAND 400. Under Project LAND 400, the M113 and ASLAV fleets will be replaced by land combat vehicle systems which will provide mounted close combat capability to Army for the foreseeable future. Some structural changes to be introduced to the Armoured Cavalry Regiments are designed to minimise disruption as the Land Combat Vehicle System capability is completely integrated into service. Although there will be differences between Regiments employing the current fleets and those with the future systems during the transition, the evolution of Armoured Cavalry Regiments will continue as Project LAND 400 progresses and more is learnt about the Land Combat Vehicle System. Page 34 Australian Army: Our future
Dismounted combat
A series of major capital projects will provide soldiers with effective self-protective
armour, weapons systems, communications equipment and vehicles to ensure
they can fulfil their mission and survive in the field.
The Department of Defence and the Defence Materiel Organisation have adopted
a rigorous approach to the development, adaptation and management of the
integration of soldier combat systems. Diggerworks is a pioneer in this area. It is
a collaborative arrangement between all agencies involved in the soldier combat
system supporting a more responsive and adaptable acquisition approach.
Night fighting and other surveillance equipment will be upgraded and replaced as
current systems reach the end of their life.
Small arms will also be upgraded and replaced under a phased program.
Digitisation and networking
The evolution of digitised and
networking capability within the
Australian Defence Force and
Army is a multi-project activity
that will affect every aspect
of the way Army operates as
part of the Joint Force. These
projects can be summarised in
four groups:
• land network capability
and digitisation to ensure
information passes to all Army organisations;
• communication and information systems, including satellite communications;
• electronic warfare and electronic countermeasures capability; and
• intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, including Army’s and
Defence’s geospatial capability.
Surveillance systems will also be enhanced by the formal introduction of the
operationally proven Shadow 200 Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle system.
Army modernisation update Page 35Mobility
The replacement of Army’s fleet of protected and unprotected trucks under Project
LAND 121 will extend across most of the coming decade. This capability includes:
• light/lightweight capability which will provide an unprotected tactical training
platform for use in the raise, train and sustain cycle;
• medium/heavy capability which will provide protected and unprotected
highly modularised combat service support distribution and troop lift
capability;
• protected mobility vehicle – light which will provide a protected platform
for digitised command and control, forward reconnaissance, liaison, and
combat service support distribution in high threat environments.
The Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle provides ballistic and blast protection
for the movement of soldiers, primarily by road. While it is not an armoured vehicle,
the Bushmaster has filled a gap in Army’s protected mobility capability.
Page 36 Australian Army: Our futureAviation
Army aviation capability will
see the maturity of three new
helicopter platforms:
• Armed Reconnaissance
Helicopter Tiger
optimised for
reconnaissance, attack
and escort missions;
• Multi-role Helicopter-90
used primarily for air
mobile and amphibious
operations; and
• CH-47F Chinook medium/heavy lift helicopter, primarily used for troop
movement, artillery emplacement and battlefield resupply in support of both
conventional and special forces.
Helicopter crew training will also change under the Helicopter Aviation Training
System program.
Engineering capability
All components of Army’s enhanced
counter-mine capability are now
completing introduction into
service, including protected hazard
reduction, route clearance vehicles,
explosive lane clearance systems
and new hand-held detectors.
Provision of gap-crossing
capabilities for wet and dry
conditions is in the early stages of
project development.
This will address shortfalls in
existing systems.
Army modernisation update Page 37Indirect fire support and joint fire control
The M777A2 Lightweight Howitzer is in the final stages of introduction into service.
Indirect fire support systems include access to a new suite of ammunition including
smart munitions.
Fire support and command and control systems currently being introduced include:
• Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System for fully automated fire support
and support for planning, conduct and coordination of all forms of joint
offensive support; and
• digital terminal control and observer systems.
Ground based air defence
The Giraffe sense, warn and locate Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM)
radar is being brought into service as its operational service is completed.
Current systems, including the RBS-70 and C-RAM will be upgraded and/or
replaced in the middle of the next decade.
Combat service support
Combat service support capability changes include:
• material handling equipment, including small mobile crane and larger
container movement in the area of operations;
• beach sheltering, to be employed during logistics over the shore operations;
and
• fuel distribution capabilities upgrades and the introduction of new
capabilities including the Towed Flexible Barge System, tank and pump
assembly upgrades, and fuel and water bladder systems upgrades.
Page 38 Australian Army: Our futureArmy’s structure
If Army is to build a viable organisational structure, it must achieve and maintain a
coherent, consistent, sustainable and affordable establishment. In seeking to shape
its organisational structure, Army is guided by four principles:
• A coherent force structure with the correct number of capability bricks
to meet strategic guidance. Positions in each brick are the correct rank
and skill set for the task required by Army. The functions of headquarters,
training units and support elements are appropriate. Finally, the structure
possesses an appropriate hierarchy of ranks.
• Delivered using a consistent force structure limiting the number of
uniquely designed, one-off units and increasing commonality between units.
Commonality reduces personnel management overheads, simplifies the
basis of provisioning for equipment, and promotes the effective and efficient
operation of the force generation cycle.
• With sustainable force structure where the right number of people are
employed in the right ranks in Army’s trades. Sustainability requires an
understanding of how people historically respond to recruitment and
retention initiatives, and seeks to address the most likely characteristics
of the future workforce in critical areas of the national labour market.
• In an affordable force structure aligning with Army workforce guidance
trials, with salaries and related costs not exceeding the funds allocated.
These principles guide Army’s plans for organisation, personnel establishment
and training.
Page 39Plan BEERSHEBA
Organisational changes under Plan BEERSHEBA are:
• Army’s combat brigades will evolve from current structures to include
brigade headquarters, armoured cavalry regiment, two standard infantry
battalions, artillery regiment, combat engineer regiment, combat service
support battalion and combat signals regiment.
• Army’s three enabling brigades which are 6th Combat Support Brigade;
and16th Aviation Brigade and 17th Combat Service Support Brigade,
which will hold capabilities where there is insufficient mass (i.e., a set of
three cannot be generated) or where a capability can be best generated
from a single large mass.
• Army will organise its Reserve units to resemble Regular units as closely as
possible, pair the six Reserve brigades in the 2nd Division, and align each
pair with a Combat Brigade.
Establishment principals
1. Coherent Capability Requirements
Officer
Numbers
Workforce Guidance
Other
Rank
Numbers
Trainee
Numbers
2. Delivered using 3. With Sustainable Ranks, 4. In Affordable
Consistent Structures Corps and Trades Numbers
Page 40 Australian Army: Our futureArmy is developing a dedicated amphibious capability based on the 2nd Battalion,
The Royal Australian Regiment. An expanded Amphibious capability is crucial to
Australia’s Maritime Strategy. The need for this capability was highlighted by the
rapid deployment of forces to East Timor (1999, 2006), Solomon Islands (2003)
and tsunami relief operations in Sumatra (2005).
In the medium term, the focus of Plan BEERSHEBA will shift to the effect of
changes occurring beyond the initial structural reorganisation. Army will:
• move further towards being a digital, networked force equipped with an
improved fleet of trucks, trailers and related vehicles;
• be ready to execute a comprehensive armoured fighting vehicle upgrade; and
• increase its understanding of joint amphibious operations in international
engagement and coalition frameworks.
The major structural changes will occur between 2013 and 2018, with the first
three years devoted to establishing as alike as possible Combat Brigades and
implementing changes within the 2nd Division.
The Armoured Cavalry Regiments and Combat Service Support Battalions within
the Combat Brigades will evolve over time. Armoured Cavalry Regiments in
particular may not reach full size and maturity until 2018.
Combat Brigade maturity
DIGITISIATION & NETWORKING LAND
COMBAT
2nd Division VEHICLE
SYSTEM
ADF Amphibious Capability
Combat Brigade
Combat Brigade
Combat Brigade
Enabling Formations
MOBILITY
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Army modernisation update Page 41The 1st Division and Special Operations Command
Plan BEERSHEBA will not change the role of Headquarters 1st Division as the
Australian Defence Force’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters and certifying
authority for deploying forces.
In the face of the credible and persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism,
Special Operations capability will remain a critically important and unique
component within Army.
Interoperability between Combat Brigades, enabling brigades, Special Operations
forces and Headquarters 1st Division will evolve as digitisation programs roll out,
modularity increases and force generation processes stabilise.
This will be supported by the evolution of Army’s facilities and training areas
allowing each brigade location to become the hub of instrumented live, virtual and
constructive combined arms training.
Army structures overlaid on 36 month Force Generation Cycle
READY
Headquarters
1st Division
Reserve
Combat Battle
Brigade Group
Special
Operations
Command
Ambhibious
Ready
Enabling Capability Element
Aviation, Logistics,
Health, Support, Reserve
Engineers, Intelligence, Battle
Surveliance, Target Group
Acquisition and
Reconnaissance
Combat
Brigade
Combat
Brigade
RESET READYING
Page 42 Australian Army: Our futureTraining organisations
The structure and organisation of Army’s training establishments depends
principally on the training requirement for employment categories. Some specific
areas of individual training that will undergo change over the next few years include:
• Protected Mobility Vehicle (Bushmaster) training will transfer from the
Combined Arms Training Centre to the Army Logistics Training Centre;
• M113AS3/4 training will be reintroduced into the Royal Australian Armoured
Corps as part of an overarching review of Corps employment category and
training continuums; and
• Battlefield managements system training will transition from introduction into
service to ongoing in-service training.
Training establishments are regularly reviewed and additional changes should be
expected as structural and capability changes are rolled out across Army.
Role of the Army Reserve
The role of the Army Reserve is to deliver specified capability to support and
sustain Australian Defence Force preparedness and operations. The Army Reserve
has four core tasks, each underpinned by several supporting tasks, and one
nonaligned supporting task. The core tasks are to:
• deliver specified warfighting capabilities (as the main effort) by raising,
training and sustaining specified ‘round out’ and reinforcement roles;
• provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and domestic security
as part of a whole-of-government response to local and regional natural
disasters and security issues within Australia, as well as a basic off-shore
capability;
• maintain and supply specialist individual capabilities by providing a place
to hold individuals with specified and/or specialist skills and the ability to
translate this into capability when required; and
• contribute to Army surge capabilities by providing additional capability in
both the operational and enabling forces when the Regular component is
faced with the challenges of concurrent operations.
These roles and tasks underpin the structure of Army Reserve capability within the
wider force and provide a basis for the priorities of their organisations’ training.
Army modernisation update Page 43Australian Army brigade structures
Combat Brigade and paired Army Reserve formations
Combat Brigade units are standing deployable capabilities that are combined
into battle groups and task forces. Formations within the 2nd Division generate
capabilities in standing units that combine to form a Battle Group.
Combat Brigade
1st Brigade [4]
Command Headquarters
Darwin
and Control 1st Brigade
Signals 1st Combat Signal
Darwin
Support Regiment
Mounted
Combat; 1st Armoured Darwin &
Protected Regiment Edinburgh
Mobility [1]
5th Battalion,
The Royal Australian Darwin
Locations are planned Regiment
final locations. Where Dismounted
Combat
a unit is distributed 7th Battalion,
across locations, unit The Royal Australian Edinburgh
headquarters location is Regiment
shown. Notes explained
at page 53. Artillery and 8th/12th
Artillery Regiment, Royal Darwin
Mortars [2] Australian Artillery
Key: Combat 1st Combat
Darwin
Regular Units Engineering Engineer Regiment
Reserve Units Combat 1st Combat
Darwin &
Service Service Support
Support [3] Edinburgh
Integrated Units Battalion
Page 44 Australian Army: Our futurePaired 2nd Division Formations
South Australia &
4th Brigade Victoria 9th Brigade Tasmania
Command Headquarters Headquarters
Macleod Keswick
and Control 4 Brigade 9 Brigade
Signals Part of 8th Signals Regiment
Support
3rd/9th Light
Mounted 4th/19th Prince
Combat; Horse (South Elizabeth North/
of Wales’s Light Macleod
Protected Australian Edinburgh [5]
Mobility [1] Horse
Mounted Rifles)
10th/27th
5th/6th Battalion,
Battalion,
The Royal Victoria Hawthorn Keswick
The Royal South
Regiment
Australia Regiment
Dismounted
Combat 12th/40th
8th/7th Battalion,
Battalion, The
The Royal Victoria Ballarat Glenorchy
Royal Tasmania
Regiment
Regiment
Artillery and 2nd/10th Light 6th/13th Light
Artillery St Kilda Launceston
Mortars [2] Battery Battery
Combat 22nd Engineer 3rd Field
Ringwood Warradale
Engineering Regiment Squadron
Combat 4th Combat 9th Combat
Service Service Support Broadmeadows Service Support Warradale
Support [3] Battalion Battalion
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