| 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 | Major General Susan Coyle |
| 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 | ||
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.
The 3rd Brigade is a combined arms brigade of the Australian Army, principally made up of the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment. Initially raised in 1903 as part of the post-Federation Australian Army, it was removed from the order of battle in 1906 following the restructure of the field force. It was re-formed in 1914 for service during World War I, taking part in the fighting at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in Europe. During World War II the brigade was used in a defensive role before it was disbanded in 1944. It was re-raised in 1967 for service during the Vietnam War and later went on to provide the nucleus of the deployment to East Timor during the Australian-led intervention in 1999. The brigade is currently based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, Queensland.
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.
RAAF Base Edinburgh is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located in Edinburgh approximately 28 km (17 mi) north of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia and forms part of the Edinburgh Defence Precinct.
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.
The 8th/9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment is a motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally formed in 1973 by linking together both the 8th and 9th Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment. Over the next twenty-four years the battalion would remain on the Australian Order of Battle based at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane, Queensland, until it was disbanded in 1997 amid a number of Defence-wide cutbacks introduced by the Howard government. In 2006 it was announced that the battalion would be re-raised as part of a plan to expand the size of the Army and since then it established itself as a fully deployable motorised infantry battalion as part of 7th Brigade.
The 171st Special Operations Aviation Squadron is an Australian Army helicopter squadron that provides aviation support to the Special Operations Command. The squadron is equipped with the NHIndustries MRH-90 Taipan helicopter. The squadron is based at Luscombe Airfield, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney and forms part of the 6th Aviation Regiment as the regiment's sole operational squadron.
The 173rd Aviation Squadron is an Australian Army helicopter training squadron equipped with MRH 90 Taipan helicopters and provides support to the Special Operations Command. The squadron is based at Luscombe Airfield, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney and forms part of the 6th Aviation Regiment. The squadron may have been renamed as it does not appear in an Army December 2020 Order of battle.
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 2 Health Battalion (2HB) is an Australian Army unit of the 2nd Health Brigade. It was based at Gallipoli Barracks in Enoggera, Queensland. The battalion was rapidly deployable to provide field medical support for land-based forces. This included initial wound surgery, resuscitation and medium to high intensity nursing care, and medium to high intensity nursing care in the area of operations.
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. In 2019, the regiment was made the Command's capability lead for strategic strike.
The 2nd Health Brigade (2HB) is an Australian Army brigade. The 2nd Brigade was formed in 1903 as a militia infantry formation based in Victoria, the brigade later served during the First World War as part of the Australian Imperial Force, allocated to the 1st Division. During the war, the 2nd Brigade took part in the fighting at Gallipoli, including the Battle of Krithia where it lost almost a third of its strength. Later they took part in the Battle of Lone Pine before being withdrawn back to Egypt in December 1915. Following this the brigade was transferred to the Western Front in France and Belgium where, between March 1916 and the armistice in November 1918, they took part in most of the major Allied operations.
The 17th Sustainment Brigade currently commands the Australian Army's deployable operational level logistics units. Raised on 20 May 2006, the brigade was formerly known as the Logistic Support Force (LSF), and is made up of varied logistic corps and trades. It encompasses both reserve and full-time units, geographically dispersed throughout Australia. Headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales its primary deployable command element is the Force Sustainment Group. The units of the brigade are responsible for providing third line or 'general' support within an area of operations. The brigade was designated the 17th Combat Service Support Brigade until 1 August 2019, when it was renamed the 17th Sustainment Brigade. The brigade traces its origins back to the 1st Australian Logistic Support Group formed during the Vietnam War.
The 16th Aviation Brigade commands all the Australian Army aviation units and has technical control of the Army Aviation Training Centre reporting to Army Aviation Command. The Brigade was formed on 2 April 2002 by combining Headquarters Divisional Aviation and Headquarters Aviation Support Group and is headquartered in Enoggera Barracks, Queensland. It was originally named Headquarters 16th Brigade (Aviation) and was renamed to the 16th Aviation Brigade.
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.
The Australian Defence Force School of Special Operations is an Australian Army training unit part of the Defence Special Operations Training and Education Centre (DSOTEC) responsible for the recruitment, selection, training, education and trade management of all Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) personnel. It is based at Holsworthy Barracks, New South Wales. The school was established on 19 November 2019 following the renaming of the newly formed Special Operations Training and Education Centre.
The Regional Force Surveillance Group (RFSG) was formally established on 4 October 2018 to command the Australian Army Reserve's three Regional Force Surveillance Units and a training unit. The RFSG forms part of the 2nd Division.
