Letter to the Minister About 3 Bde Being Incomplete

Dear Minister,

Congratulations on your Government’s return to Office.

As a Vietnam veteran who continues to take an interest in Defence matters, I wonder if you could explain why it is that the 3rd Brigade in Townsville is not fully equipped, when the resources are available to do so. This is a matter which seems especially relevant, given the assessment by Professor Geoffrey Blainey AC, that our “strategic circumstances are the most perilous since the Cold War in 1990”.

The 2024 National Defence Strategy “gave priority to our northern defences and the establishment of a stronger ADF in northern Australia”. In keeping with this, 3 Brigade was designated in the 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR), to be an armoured brigade. Such a brigade would be expected to comprise a tank regiment, a cavalry regiment and a mechanised infantry regiment. All three capabilities are presently being re-equipped with new armoured fighting vehicles.

Army’s present order of battle means that 3 Brigade is under-strength by a tank squadron, a cavalry squadron, and a battle-group 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).

There are rumours circulating that this cut back has been forced on the Chief of Army by pressure to save money in the Defence budget. How could this be the case, given the present strategic circumstances?

Could you please confirm that the Government intends to meet the requirement for a full armoured brigade to be based in Townsville, as called for by His Excellency, Professor the Hon Stephen Smith, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston, AK, AFC (Ret’d), in the DSR.

Yours sincerely, Bruce Cameron

CC. Chief of Staff – Army Headquarters

 

 

FILE PHOTO (Nov 2024): An Australian Army Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 main battle tank during a live-fire serial as part of a qualification course for Royal Australian Armoured Corps soldiers at Puckapunyal Military Area, Victoria. Photo by Corporal Jacob Joseph.

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