Is 3 Brigade a Fully Capable and Equipped Armoured Brigade?

A recent radio broadcast emphasised that Australia is fully equipped and prepared to fight from and defend its northern bases, should any defence contingency arise.

I immediately thought of 3 (Armoured) Brigade and was amazed at how the Australian public was being misled.

Was the broadcaster being deliberately misleading, or were they themselves ignorant of the true circumstances. [3 Bde was designated to be an armoured brigade in the 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR).]

To set the record straight … an armoured brigade comprises a tank regiment, a cavalry regiment and a mechanised infantry regiment.

The Chief of Army, however, has stripped 1st Armoured Regiment of its tanks and employed it in a different role as a non-combatant.

This leaves only the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Townsville, with a maximum span of command of two tank squadrons and two cavalry squadrons; the result being that the armoured brigade is missing a tank squadron, a cavalry squadron, and a battlegroup headquarters.

The significant loss of combat power is bad enough, but the brigade’s inability to deploy a third battlegroup means a loss of flexibility and command and control; which many would regard as totally unacceptable as far as manoeuvre warfare is concerned (this being the essence of an armoured brigade).

Public relations gurus are doing everything they can to turn a negative into a positive; as evidenced by the following: “Townsville, already the hub of the Army’s heavy armour capability, is now firmly established as the operational heart of Australia’s modern land combat force”.

Sounds impressive, but conceals the truth.

Initially, it was thought that 1 Armd Regt was being temporarily held back from Townsville until more housing became available. Now, however, it’s apparent that the CA has been responding to pressure to save money in the defence budget, despite the government acknowledging that Australia faces significant challenges in its strategic environment.

It’s a dire strategic outlook by anyone’s standards; a situation exasperated by falling recruitment and retention numbers, as well as shortcomings within our northern infrastructure.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment is making the most of its new-found status within the RAAC, despite this being at the expense of 1 Armd Regt: “Except for a few training platforms, every armoured vehicle in the Australian Army will be allocated to the 3rd Brigade, based in Townsville, making it the most potent fighting formation in the region”.

OC of 2 Cav’s most recent tank squadron is quoted saying: “This platform is more than machinery — it’s a legacy. We’re laying the groundwork not just for today’s soldiers, but for the generations that follow. We owe it to them to get this right”.

What a pity that she didn’t acknowledge the 75-year heritage that once belonged to 1 Armd Regt and the generations who served in it. Just whose shoulders are you standing on, one has to wonder.

In terms of the nation’s defence, the point is that, while 3 Brigade is potent, it is not nearly as potent as it should be (and the authors of the DSR intended it to be).

This is a major concern, given that one of the priorities of the 2024 National Defence Strategy was emphasising “our northern defences and establishing a stronger ADF in northern Australia”.

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

 

FILE PHOTO (23 April 2025): The 2nd Cavalry Regiment welcomes its second tank squadron at a T4 (D Squadron) Raising Ceremony at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville, Queensland. Photo by Private Jessica Gray.

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