The ‘Combat Experimentation Group’

On 29 Aug 24, an article in The Australian Defence Magazine [ADM] stated that:

“The Army has re-roled one squadron of the 1st Armoured Regiment from a combat formation based on the Abrams M1A1 main battle tank into an experimentation unit … C Squadron has taken on the experimentation role and has been conducting trials with new technologies… The Commanding Officer of C Squadron, Major Thomas Fisher, said that Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in the unit’s new role is expected to occur on 1 February 2025. ‘We are moving from an armoured unit focussed on land combat to a dedicated experimentation force,’ Maj Fisher explained.”

Those of us who are observers in terms of the changes being made, knew that the Chief of Army had stripped 1 Armd Regt of its tanks and assumed that the unit had been reduced to a single squadron. Even Wikipedia promoted this impression: “1st Armoured Regiment will now focus on test and evaluation activities to introduce capability into service. While, many members of A and B Squadrons will be posted to other RAAC units, C Squadron of the 1st Armoured Regiment was allocated the experimentation role.”

The truth has now become known, thanks to a soldier serving with 1 Armd Regt in Adelaide: “I know where you’ve got the idea that only C Sqn exists … from an erroneous article published by ADM that misquoted the CO. [It was meant] to say C Sqn was undertaking experimentation duties in the latter part of 2024, before the other SQNs assumed these roles in 2025”.

He explained that the unit organisation is as follows: “C Sqn forms the support sqn, and log experimentation function; A and B [Sqns] form the combat experimentation functions. A is focussed on Human Machine Teams, and B uses the Modular Robotic Vehicle”.

Unfortunately, this information had to be provided anonymously in response to letters (some of which we now know were in error) published in Contact Magazine. It is suspected that no further comments will be allowed by the powers that be. Despite not knowing his name, the 1 Armd Regt veterans group thanks him for putting us straight.

Our informant did us a second favour. We’ve proposed a number of times that 1 Armd Regt be renamed to accord with the unit’s new role. To continue with the existing title is confusing, especially as the unit no longer has an RAAC role (it’s a non-combatant). How long the new name has been in use is unknown – it’s news to us.

Here’s to the new: ‘Combat Experimentation Group’ (CXG).

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

 

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m not so sure that 1st Armoured Regiment is changing its name to Combat Experimentation Group. I suspect this is yet another confusion caused by Defence’s over-zealous use of capital letters. Until formally told otherwise, I’ll hold the view that Combat Experimentation Group is a role description, rather than a name. However, given Bruce’s difficulties in getting anyone official to answer his [justified] questions, I won’t be holding my breath.

 

 

FILE PHOTO (Sept 2024): An Australian Army trooper from the 1st Armoured Regiment remotely controls a weapon system on an optionally crewed armoured vehicle during a demonstration in Puckapunyal, Victoria. Photo by Sergeant Tristan Kennedy.

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