Army’s Tank Numbers: A Revolving Dance Card
In terms of the standard organisation, a tank regiment comprises three sabre (fighting) squadrons, each squadron comprises four troops of tanks, each troop having four tanks.
This was the case when 1st Armoured Regiment fought in Vietnam and it’s the case in the Royal Tank Regiment today.
Changes elsewhere are not uncommon, however.
1 Armd Regt used to be the Australian Army’s only tank regiment.
During the five-year period from 2012, the RAAC reverted to a new Armoured Cavalry Regiment (ACR) organisation.
This involved the Corps’ three ARA units all being structured in the same way; each having armoured mobility, reconnaissance and tank squadrons.
Maintainability had not been a problem when all the tanks were in one location … repair pools were adequate.
That wasn’t the case, when the tank squadrons were located in three different places.
The 59 tanks in the M1A1 fleet were simply not enough.
To compensate, tank squadrons were reduced to three troops of four tanks.
The infantry assumed responsibility for armoured mobility in 2017.
RAAC units reverted to an organisation based on a tank squadron and two cavalry squadrons.
The 2023 Defence Strategic Review stipulated that an armoured brigade was to be located in Townsville, while (paradoxically) also specifying that 1 Armd Regt was to be stripped of its tanks and become an ‘emerging technologies’ test bed.
The direct consequence of this was that 2 Cav Regt (in Townsville) had to command two squadrons of tanks and two squadrons of Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs).
Not only were different roles involved, but also both AFVs were in the process of being introduced into service.
Despite this, tank squadrons in Townsville were increased in size to four troops of four tanks – an increase in combat power, but hardly sufficient to compensate for the loss of two armoured squadrons and a battlegroup HQ.
Of course, the absence of these manoeuvre units also meant the loss of RAAC training and promotion/command opportunities.
But, how could this happen, when the M1A2 SEPv3 fleet had been increased to 75 tanks?
The answer is that span of command limitations mean that a unit HQ, such as 2 Cav Regt, is restricted to commanding a maximum of four squadrons.
So where are the remaining tanks?
Two squadrons of eighteen tanks, plus seven at the School of Armour, two at RAEME Training Centre, and twelve in repair pools, leaves eighteen (equivalent to another squadron) unaccounted for.
Surely, it’s time to re-form 1 Armd Regt in Townsville, to enable it to command three squadrons of tanks and allow 2 Cav Regt to command three cavalry squadrons; thereby restoring the combat power of 3 Brigade.
This was the recommendation of the 2024 RAAC Corps Conference.
Postscript
There’s a rumour doing the rounds that lobbying re 1 Armd Regt has drawn attention to the enormous loss of heritage associated with a unit in its 75th year.
As a result … one of the proposals put to the CA, given the importance of familiarity with emerging technologies, is that arms units should be rotated through the trials role every three years.
The unit to take the place of 1 Armd Regt is scheduled to be 1RAR.
Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Cameron, MC, RAAC (Ret’d)
CAPTION: An M1A2 Abrams tank arrives at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville on 14 November 2024. Photo by Corporal Guy Sadler.
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