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CONTACT magazine

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor Uncategorized 

The RAAC: No one home (sadly)

27/09/202527/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1682 Views 0 Comments

It’s unbelievable, but true … at first it was thought that 1st Armoured Regiment had been temporarily prevented from joining

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Members of the 1st Armoured Regiment during their Guidon and Standard relocation parade in Adelaide. Photo by Private Sophie Hartley.
Letters to the Editor 

The RAAC: To whom do we owe allegiance?

26/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2150 Views 0 Comments

While serving, our commitment and allegiance is to our Commanding Officer (or immediate superior). After we retire, however, everything changes.

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2 Royal Tank Regiment Challenger 2 tanks on Hohne Ranges, Germany. UK MoD photo by Sergeant Teresa Pickin.
Letters to the Editor 

Being a tank regiment (or not)

23/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1194 Views 0 Comments

1st Armoured Regiment was formed on 7 July 1949. Two years later it affiliated with the British Royal Tank Regiment

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Australian Army soldier Lance Corporal Declan Bowditch from the 1st Armoured Regiment, performs maintenance on an M134D minigun remote weapon station attached to a modular robotic vehicle during Exercise Talisman Sabre at Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland. Photo by Lance Corporal Caitlyn Davill.
Letters to the Editor 

Loyalty or Apathy: Which is Relevant?

20/09/202520/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1988 Views 2 Comments

There was so much public outrage over the cost cutting proposal to merge the Royal Marines with the Parachute Regiment,

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Veterans of the 1st Armoured Regiment during the Cambrai Parade at Edinburgh Defence Precinct. Photo by Corporal Adam Quinn.
Letters to the Editor 

Cambrai Day: Why is a tradition, a tradition?

16/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2305 Views 0 Comments

“SHAME: To make someone feel ashamed; to lose honour and respect; the uncomfortable sensation caused when it seems that we

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Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart addresses the audience at the Chief of Army Symposium 2024 in Melbourne, Victoria. Photo by Corporal Cameron Pegg.
Letters to the Editor 

White Lies, Pork Pies, and Whoppers

15/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2444 Views 0 Comments

How does one get to the truth of a matter when it is constantly hidden behind half-truths? This happens whenever

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M1A1 Abrams tanks during the 1st Armoured Regiment's Cambrai Parade at Edinburgh Defence Precinct. Photo by Corporal Adam Quinn.
Letters to the Editor 

How do you cover up the cover up?

13/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2358 Views 0 Comments

The responses to all the letters written to everyone about 1st Armoured Regiment’s tanks being stripped from it and the

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Letters to the Editor 

Avoiding the Issue and Taking the Easy Option: The RAAC Way?

11/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1579 Views 0 Comments

Will the next Chief of Army (likely to be appointed at the end of 2025) revoke the decision to employ

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An Australian M1A2 SEP v3 main battle tank fires a sabot round during a live fire to confirm the aiming system of the tank at Puckapunyal Military Area, Victoria. Photo by Corporal Michael Currie.
Letters to the Editor 

When Leadership Goes Missing: What do we do?

07/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2503 Views 0 Comments

The following quotes from Major General R N L Hopkins, CBE (author of ‘Australian Armour’), are relevant to the Royal

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Australian Army soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, patrol through Cowley Beach Training Area during the combined arms training activity. Photo by Corporal Brodie Cross.
Letters to the Editor 

Damage to the RAAC: How Much More Can we Possibly Suffer?

05/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1491 Views 0 Comments

The damage so far: 1 Armd Regt stripped of its tanks and made a non-combatant, losing all crew skills and

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A M1A1 Abrams main battle tank puts out a smokescreen at Cowley Beach, Queensland. Photo by Leading Seaman David Cox.
Letters to the Editor 

The Guy With the Microphone is Always the Winner

02/09/202502/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1693 Views 0 Comments

The recent Chief of Army’s symposium introduced a new catchphrase: ‘command accountability’. A bit of research brings up ADF Philosophical

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An Australian Army M1A2 Abrams main battle tank from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment during a live-fire practice in the Townsville Field Training Area during Exercise Eagle March. Photo by Sergeant Matthew Bickerton.
Letters to the Editor 

Demise of 1st Armoured Regiment – Winners and Losers.

30/08/202530/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1980 Views 0 Comments

The recent (2025) Chief of Army Symposium highlighted some of the failings in the Defence space that we’ve been saddled

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An Australian M1A2 Abrams SEP v3 fires sabot rounds during a live-fire to confirm the aiming system of the tank and to qualify crews on the new systems at the Puckapunyal Military Area, Victoria, November 2024. Photo by Corporal Michael Currie.
Letters to the Editor 

When Something Isn’t Right: What do You do?

27/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1578 Views 1 Comment

The Chief of Army can’t explain why 1st Armoured Regiment had to be stripped of its tanks and made a

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Soldiers officers and vehicles of the 1st Armoured Regiment on parade to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai. Photo by Corporal Craig Barrett.
Letters to the Editor 

If There’s no Trust, What’s Left?

23/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2519 Views 0 Comments

Trust: the result of a working environment in which human values are paramount: the dignity of the individual is respected;

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Letters to the Editor Thought provoking 

Anonymous comments and their authors

22/08/202522/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 722 Views 1 Comment

What motivates a person to offer a comment on a topic under a false name, or with no name at

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An Australian M1A2 SEP v3 main battle tank. Photo by Corporal Michael Currie.
Letters to the Editor 

Why Doesn’t Anyone Understand What’s Been Done to the RAAC?

19/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1688 Views 0 Comments

We used to be a Corps focussed solely on developing the skills needed to close with and out-manoeuvre the enemy;

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An Australian Army soldier from the 1st Armoured Regiment controls controls an M134D An Australian Army soldier from the 1st Armoured Regiment controls an M134D minigun remote weapon station attached to a modular robotic vehicle during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 at Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland. Photo by Lance Corporal Caitlyn Davill.minigun remote weapon station attached to a modular robotic vehicle during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 at Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland. Photo by Lance Corporal Caitlyn Davill.
Letters to the Editor 

The questions Chief of Army and his Chief of Staff declined to answer

16/08/202516/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1861 Views 0 Comments

These are the questions that the CA and his Chief of Staff, have been asked to answer (and for which

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An Australian M1 Abrams main battle tank and an M113 AS4 personnel carrier from 2nd Cavalry Regiment during Exercise Brolga Sprint 24 at Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland. Photo by Trooper Dana Millington.
Letters to the Editor 

What is it that the Chief of Army doesn’t want us to know?

15/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1940 Views 2 Comments

On 20 July 25, a letter was posted to Brigadier Matthew Campbell, AM, the Chief of Army’s Chief of Staff.

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Australian soldiers and an Australian Army M1A1 Abrams conduct an amphibious assault during Exercise Keris Woomera 2024 at Banongan Beach, Indonesia. Photo by Corporal Janet Pan.
Letters to the Editor 

All Soldiers are Weapon Bearers, but …

12/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1861 Views 5 Comments

What is it that defines ‘soldiering’? Is it enough to say the life or job of a soldier? The previous

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An Australian Army M1 Abrams Tank from 2nd Cavalry Regiment disembarks at Lucinda as part of their movement to Townsville Field Training Area for Exercise Brolga Run, on May 21 2024, Queensland. Photo by Captain Brittany Evans.
Letters to the Editor 

Are Tanks Needed as Part of a Littoral Optimised Force?

09/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1978 Views 2 Comments

The National Defence Strategy 2024 makes it clear that the Army must have the capacity to respond with credible military

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