Who has the authority to change Army’s order of battle?

Initially, it was thought that the Chief of Army was responsible for all matters within her realm (aka jurisdiction).

This meant that it was thought that she was the right one to approach regarding the abysmal treatment of 1st Armoured Regiment; i.e. being turned, after 75years service as a tank regiment, into a non-combatant experimentation unit (one without even an RAAC role).

Given that previous approaches to the CDF and the then CA had been rebuffed, was this now the right approach?  

The question is: Who has the authority to change Army’s ORBAT?  

Information that came to hand, was a surprise!  

At first, it seemed that the agency with executive authority was a dyarchy shared between the Chief of Personnel (Lieutenant General Natasha Fox AO, CSC) and Ms. Justine Greig, PSM (Deputy Secretary, Defence People).  

Supposedly, the authority needed was that which was involved in “shaping the overarching Defence Strategic Workforce Plan”.  But this proved to be ‘a red herring’.  

It was discovered that the answer lay within Australian Defence Force Headquarters (ADF HQ).  The role of this HQ, somewhat surprisingly, is to integrate the Service headquarters staff and Vice Chief of the Defence Force executive staff.  

This explains why advice was received stating that the emails sent to Lieutenant General Fox’s office and Defence’s Your Customer Service: “have been forwarded to Army as these organisations are not able to assist you”.  

It might seem like one step forward and two steps back, but a colonel with ADF HQ provided a glimmer of hope when he said that he “will endeavour to have a response provided to you”.

The question asked, was:

Dear General Fox,

For some time now, a number of us have been trying to find out how long 1 Armd Regt’s tenure as an experimentation unit was to last.  There have been a number of rumours suggesting that the unit’s combat role was soon to be reinstated.

We understand that responsibility for this is borne by the Defence People Group. 

Could you please advise if any consideration is being given to relocating 1 Armd Regt to Townsville as part of 3 Brigade?

The answer has just come in.  To say that it was a disappointment, would be an understatement:  

“Army continually reviews its organisation, force structure and capabilities to ensure it remains prepared to meet Government direction and the demands of the strategic environment. Adaptation is a normal and necessary feature of any Army, and changes may occur as strategic priorities, technology and operational requirements evolve.

Army does not comment on speculation regarding potential future force structure decisions. Where decisions are made by Government, Army communicates them through appropriate official channels and, where practicable, engages affected serving personnel, families, veterans and regimental communities.”

As they say in the classics …. Persevere!

Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Cameron, MC, RAAC (Ret’d)

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