| Forces Command | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 July 2009 – present |
| Country | Australia |
| Type | Australian Army |
| Part of | Chief of Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Victoria Barracks, Sydney |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brigadier Nathan Juchniewicz (Acting) |
| Chief of the Army | Lieutenant General Simon Stuart |
Forces Command (FORCOMD) is the largest command within the Australian Army responsible for the combat brigades, the enabling and training formations reporting to the Chief of the Army with approximately 85% of the Army's personnel. [1] [2] [3] The Command was formed on 1 July 2009 with the amalgamation of Land Command and Training Command, [4] and is led by a major general as the Commander Forces Command (COMD FORCOMD).
On 27 September 2008 the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie, announced a restructure of the army command structure named Adaptive Army. [5] The structure had remained nearly the same since the Hassett Review restructure in 1973 of Land Command and Training Command. [6]
In October 2022, the 9th Brigade was placed under the command of Forces Command. [7] In July 2023, the 1st, 3rd and 7th Brigades were placed under the command of the 1st (Australian) Division. [8] The Combat Training Centre and 39th Operational Support Battalion were placed under the command of Forces Command. [8]
The following have held the position of Commander Forces Command or its preceding positions, with the ranks and honours as at the completion of their tenure:
| Rank | Name | Post-nominals | Term began | Term ended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field Force Command | |||||
| Major General | Kenneth Mackay | CB, MBE | 1973 | 1974 [12] | |
| Major General | Donald Dunstan | CB, CBE | 1974 | 1977 | |
| Major General | Mark Bradbury | AO, CBE | 1977 | 1979 | |
| Major General | John Williamson | AO, OBE | 1979 | 1980 | |
| Major General | Ron Grey | AO, DSO | 1980 | 1983 | |
| Major General | John Kelly | AO, DSO | 1983 | 1984 | |
| Major General | Lawrence O'Donnell | AO | 1985 | 1986 | |
| Land Commander Australia | |||||
| Major General | Lawrence O'Donnell | AO | 1986 | 1987 | |
| Major General | Neville Smethurst | AO, MBE | 1987 | 1990 | |
| Major General | Murray Blake | AO, MC | 1990 | 1994 | |
| Major General | Peter Arnison | AO | 1994 | 1996 | |
| Major General | Frank Hickling | AO, CSC | 1996 | 1998 | |
| Major General | John Hartley | AO | 1998 | 2000 | |
| Major General | Peter Cosgrove | AC, MC | March 2000 | July 2000 | |
| Major General | Peter Abigail | AO | July 2000 | December 2002 | |
| Major General | David Hurley | AO, DSC | December 2002 | December 2003 | |
| Major General | Ken Gillespie | AO, DSC, CSM | January 2004 | July 2005 | |
| Major General | Mark Kelly | AO | July 2005 | December 2008 | |
| Major General | David Morrison | AM | December 2008 | July 2009 | |
| Commander Forces Command | |||||
| Major General | David Morrison | AO | July 2009 | June 2011 | |
| Major General | Jeffrey Sengelman | DSC, AM, CSC | June 2011 | November 2011 | |
| Major General | Michael Slater | AO, DSC, CSC | November 2011 | 23 January 2015 | |
| Major General | Gus Gilmore | AO, DSC | 23 January 2015 | December 2016 | |
| Major General | Gus McLachlan | AO | December 2016 | December 2018 | |
| Major General | Greg Bilton | AM, CSC | December 2018 | June 2019 | |
| Major General | Chris Field | AM, CSC | June 2019 | February 2020 | |
| Major General | Matt Pearse | AM | February 2020 | November 2022 | |
| Major General | Susan Coyle | AM , CSC , DSM | November 2022 | 30 June 2024 | |
| Brigadier | Nathan Juchniewicz (Acting) | DSC & Bar , CSC | 30 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
dates
1st Armoured Regiment is an armoured regiment of the Australian Army and is the senior regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. Formed as a tank unit in the new Australian Regular Army on 7 July 1949, the regiment subsequently saw service during the Vietnam War operating Centurion tanks. Currently the unit is based in Edinburgh, South Australia as part of the 9th Brigade. As part of the Plan Beersheba reorganisation, the unit has become one of three Armoured Cavalry Regiments (ACRs) assigned to the Army's multirole combat brigades in Brisbane, Darwin and Townsville. Each ACR is equipped with M1A1 tanks and ASLAV light armoured vehicles.
The Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) is an Australian Defence Force command that was established on 5 May 2003 to unite all of the Australian Army's special forces units and by 2008 was fully operational. Australia's Special Operations Command is of equivalent status to Australia's Fleet, Forces and Air Commands. It is modelled on the equivalent commands in the United States and British military forces, and is led by a major general as Special Operations Commander Australia (SOCAUST).
This article describes the current structure of the Australian Army. It includes the army's order of battle and the headquarters locations of major units. Members of the Australian Army also serve within joint units of the Australian Defence Force which fall outside the direct command of the Australian Army.
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The 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Kapyong Lines, Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR traces its lineage to 1945 and has seen operational service in Japan, Korea, Malaya, Borneo, South Vietnam, Rifle Company Butterworth, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Lavarack Barracks is a major Australian Army base located in the suburb of Murray in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Lavarack Barracks is currently home to the Army's 3rd Brigade and 11th Brigade. Elements of the 3rd Brigade based at the Barracks include the Combat Signals Regiment, 3rd Combat Services Support Battalion, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The barracks are named after Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack, an Australian Army officer during both World Wars and Governor of Queensland from 1946 to 1957.
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The 173rd Special Operations Aviation Squadron is an Australian Army helicopter training squadron that provides support to the Special Operations Command. The squadron is being equipped with UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. The squadron is based at Luscombe Airfield, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney and forms part of the 6th Aviation Regiment.
The 6th Aviation Regiment is one of the Australian Army's three Army Aviation regiments and was raised on 1 March 2008 to provide air mobility for the Australian Army Special Operations Command (SOCOMD).
The 2nd Commando Regiment is a special forces unit of the Australian Army and is part of Special Operations Command. The regiment was established on 19 June 2009 when the 4th Battalion RAR (Commando) was renamed. It is based at Holsworthy, New South Wales. The 2nd Commando Regiment trains and has served with coalition special forces units, and is highly regarded by these units. The regiment has been involved in operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, where it was used in a direct action warfighting role. It has also been involved in domestic security operations including the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 G20 Leaders Summit. The regiment is the Command's capability lead for strike and recovery.
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The Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform (AMCU) is the combat uniform camouflage pattern for the Australian Defence Force, general issued from 2014 onwards. The AMCU is replacing the previously used Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (DPCU) and Australian Multicam Pattern - Operational Combat Uniform (AMP-OCU) camouflage patterns.
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