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CONTACT magazine

Letters to the Editor

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 2018 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 1927 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 2037 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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Australian Army birthday cupcakes prepared for Army's 121st birthday activities at Russell Offices in Canberra on Tuesday, 01 March 2022. Photo by Corporal Sagi Biderman.
Letters to the Editor 

An Honourable Institution?

06/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 4088 Views 3 Comments

The Chief of Army has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, declaring that the Australian Army is a national

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Letters to the Editor 

Will the Chief of Army’s Chief of Staff Respond?

04/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1556 Views 0 Comments

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

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Family, friends and past members of the 1st Armoured Regiment watch on during a parade to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai. Photo by Corporal Craig Barrett.
Letters to the Editor 

1st Armoured Regiment: The Ethics of Manipulation

01/08/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1446 Views 0 Comments

The Chief of Army wrote to me earlier this year, partly in response to a paper I had submitted advocating

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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 

1st Armoured Regiment: New Unit, New Traditions

30/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 6044 Views 0 Comments

The Commanding Officer and RSM of the Combat Experimentation Group (CXG) have said that they are “committed to upholding the

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Soldiers from 8th/9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, watch on as an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank fires in support during Exercise Diamond Run 2017. Photo by Captain Anna-Lise Brink.
Letters to the Editor 

The Infantry/Tank Partnership: Forgotten Until Needed

29/07/202529/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1001 Views 1 Comment

Perhaps the CA has forgotten what he was taught back in 1990 before he graduated. As the CI Military Training

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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.
Letters to the Editor 

Who Better to Forge a Path?

29/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 908 Views 0 Comments

It wasn’t long ago that the CO, 1st Armoured Regiment, asked: “who better to forge a path through these new

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An Australian Army soldier from 1st Armoured Regiment briefs Chief of Army on some of his units new experimental fighting equipment in Shoalwater Bay training area in Queensland during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025. Photo by Captain Joanne Leca.
Letters to the Editor 

Seniority or Excellence: Does it Have to be One or the Other?

27/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1430 Views 1 Comment

Despite having long ago given up any attempt at trying to convince the Chief of Army to return 1st Armoured

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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 

1 Armd Regt’s Service is Remembered; But, is it Valued?

25/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 839 Views 0 Comments

As part of his ANZAC Day address for 2025, the Chief of Army, Lt Gen Simon Stuart, AO, DSC, said

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Letters to the Editor 

Army’s Transformation: Sadly, It’s Not All Good

23/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 10232 Views 9 Comments

“There are no soldiers, no team, no call signs that won’t be affected by Army’s transformation and future direction, and

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Australian Army soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, conduct a live fire danger close serial in an M1A2 Abrams main battle tank at Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland. Photo by Lance Corporal Caitlyn Davill.
Letters to the Editor 

What CAN be Done to Return 1 Armd Regt to a Combat Role?

21/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 5345 Views 3 Comments

Those who permitted tanks to be stripped from 1 Armd Regt have really got the RAAC into a mess! They

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An Australian Army soldier from 1st Armoured Regiment demonstrates hyper-teaming with uncrewed aerial systems on Project Convergence Capstone 5 at Fort Irwin, California, on 11 March 2025. Photo by Corporal Nakia Chapman.
Letters to the Editor 

RAAC Attributes: What we Stand for

18/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1974 Views 0 Comments

The Role of the RAAC hasn’t been changed to encompass the Combat Experimentation Group (CXG), as yet. It is still,

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A ex-Australian Army Centurion tank bush bashing at South Gippsland Tank Adventures, to promote the tank's launch inside the global PC game World of Tanks. Photo by Brian Hartigan.
Letters to the Editor 

Giving up the Fight: Is This the RAAC Way?

15/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1916 Views 0 Comments

It might be for some. What would you do? You’ve gone to the assistance of an infantry platoon in danger

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Soldiers from the Australian Army's 1st Armoured Regiment and the New Zealand Army's 16 Field Regiment conduct observation of a target at Project Convergence Capstone 5 (PCC5) at Fort Irwin, California on the 11th March 2025. Photo by Corporal Nakia Chapman.
Letters to the Editor 

1 Armd Regt: What it all Comes Down to (3 Cav Again?)

13/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1361 Views 0 Comments

There is no such thing as an RAAC chain of command. Neither the Representative Honorary Colonel nor the RAAC Head

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An Australian Army M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank from the 1st Armoured Regiment, drives through the Cultana Training Area, SA during Exercise Rhino Run 24. Photo by Corporal Johnny Huang.
Letters to the Editor 

The 2025 RAAC Corps Conference: Right Answers?

11/07/202513/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1497 Views 0 Comments

The Jun/Jul 2025 1 Armd Regt Assn newsletter contains a summary of this year’s RAAC Corps Conference, attended by the

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The Standard of the 1st Armoured Regiment is marched onto parade.
Letters to the Editor 

Why bother campaigning for 1 Armd Regt to be returned to a combat role?

06/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 12325 Views 7 Comments

…the answer is easy. Those responsible can’t be allowed to continue detracting from 1st Armoured Regiment’s hard-fought heritage. A unit

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An Australian Army Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 main battle tank fires during a training serial as part of a soldier qualification course at Puckapunyal Military Area, Victoria. Photo by Corporal Jacob Joseph.
Letters to the Editor 

Revisiting the decision to strip the tanks from 1 Armd Regt

04/07/202504/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1810 Views 0 Comments

There is a growing suggestion that the Chief of Army was pressured into finding a unit to manage new and

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Mixed assets of 2nd Cavalry Regiment on Exercise Brolga Sprint at Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland. Photo by Corporal Caitlyn Davill.
Letters to the Editor 

Why 1st Armoured Regiment must become a tank regiment again (quickly)

03/07/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1246 Views 0 Comments

Sometimes one forgets that not all readers have a complete understanding of all the important issues. Rather than emphasising significant

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