How to fix the problems facing RAAC
“The role of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is to locate, identify, capture and destroy the enemy, by day or night, in combination with other arms, using fire and manoeuvre.”
To fulfill its role, the units of the Australian regular Army’s RAAC are being equipped with tanks and combat reconnaissance vehicles (CRVs).
What Problems Exist?
The Chief of Army has stripped 1st Armoured Regiment of its tanks and made it an experimentation unit. The unit no longer operates as a combat arm of the RAAC.
This has meant that the 2nd Cavalry Regiment has had to become a dual-role unit, with two squadrons of tanks and two of CRVs. Such an organisation is incompatible for a single unit and compromises are unavoidable.
Overall, the RAAC has been reduced in size by a tank squadron, a cavalry squadron and a battle-group headquarters. Almost a third of its total strength has been lost. What effect will this have on the Armoured Corps’ ability to train its units and future leaders?
The only RAAC unit retaining its individual unit status and RAAC role is 2/14 LHR (QMI), a recon unit.
Is it Possible to Make it Work?
It is expected that Army units will train as they intend to fight. There is no alternative here.
It’s obviously impossible for 2 Cav Regt to conduct separate operations involving reconnaissance on the one hand, and the provision of close fire support on the other … when the operational areas might be in completely different parts of the combat zone.
As a peacetime training exigency, it can only be acceptable for a very short period. At the earliest opportunity, individual tank and recon units must be re-established. It is these units which must form the basis of training and learning; striving constantly to develop and perfect their operational skills.
1 Armd Regt must be able to focus on the ways and means to destroy the enemy using fire and manoeuvre; while 2 Cav Regt, for its part, focuses on honing its reconnaissance skills and techniques.
These were the recommendations of the 2024 and 2025 RAAC Corps Conferences, however, the CA simply ignored them. The priority for the CA was to establish an experimentation unit. Having done this … the declining state that the RAAC has been left in, bothers him not.
It would seem that, as observers, we are powerless.
The RAAC Representative Honorary Colonel (Maj Gen Michael Krause, AM) might have to threaten to resign in order to make the CA aware of the significance of the impact on the RAAC … of making 1 Armd Regt an experimentation unit.
[Doing this in conjunction with the Honorary Colonel of 1 Armd Regt (Brig Ted Acutt) might be an added spur to bringing about a change.]
And the Answer is …?
NO.
1 Armd Regt and 2 Cav Regt must be returned to their individual unit roles as quickly as possible. Not to do this, jeopardises Australia’s defence responsiveness. How long will it take to return 1 Armd Regt and 2 Cav Regt to ‘combat ready’ status as individual units? Probably months … during which time the nation’s defence capability will be in abeyance.
How utterly stupid it is, to mismanage the nation’s defence in this way!
ieutenant Colonel Bruce Cameron, MC, RAAC (Ret’d)
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FILE PHOTO: 2nd Cavalry Regiment welcome its second tank squadron at the T4 (D Squadron) Raising Ceremony at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville, Queensland. Photo by Private Jessica Gray.
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