Happy birthday Army!

Today we celebrate Army’s 121st birthday — an important occasion and milestone we proudly share with Navy, and to whom we also wish a happy birthday.

As Chief of Army, I also wish to recognise the outstanding work being done by everyone across our Australian Defence Force, our Department and our industry partners. I particularly acknowledge the work currently going on in response to the invasion of Ukraine, and the severe weather events here at home.

Together we have a vital mission to fulfil. Our mission focus is strengthened by the qualities we celebrate today — our proud history of service and sacrifice, our values and rich traditions forged through war, defending Australia’s mainland, and serving the Australian people.

The Australian Army is an amazing national institution. We use this special occasion to recognise and reflect on our accomplishments and to honour the traditions and legacy of the more than two million Australians who have served in our Army. Importantly, we remember and pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of our national interests since 1901.

We have much to be proud of, and much to live up to.

Every day we do what is asked of us, at home and abroad — making a positive difference for others, adding to and strengthening the story of Army in service of our nation. In these past 12 months, we have continued to deliver as an Army in Motion. It hasn’t been easy. Managing personal circumstances in the uneven context of COVID-19 has been challenging, but you have delivered. There has been continued excellence in assistance to domestic crises, including the present, with the floods in Southeast Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Many of you have supported regional partners in Tonga, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, and continued our defence cooperation programs more broadly across the region. Others demonstrated excellence during the evacuation from Kabul.

These are just some of the commitments you have been involved in and excelled at. You have done this while continuing to modernise, introduce new capabilities, resume training and rebuild individual and collective preparedness. Across the Joint Staff and the Defence Enterprise, you have strengthened our alignment, embraced the urgency of transformation, strengthened partnerships and integration with defence industry.

It’s impressive, and I thank you all for your hard work, dedication and professionalism.

The Future

As we celebrate our birthday today, we look ahead to the future.

In these extraordinary times our Army and Defence Force must continue to be Ready Now and Future Ready, with people at the centre of all that we do. Preparing for what we describe as Accelerated Warfare has been and will continue to be our focus. The extensive capability investments announced by Government will dramatically improve our ability to generate land power options for the joint force to Shape, Deter and Respond.

They offer more operational and strategic flexibility and the means to respond to changing circumstances. A versatile and credible combat force that is more potent and connected is increasingly becoming a reality. Based on what is approved and what we might anticipate from the Force Structure Plan, we can expect to field initial elements of our new combined arms capabilities within the next five years.

These include the Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle, Infantry Fighting Vehicles, the new main battle tank, combat engineering vehicles, Apaches, Blackhawks and more Chinook helicopters, as well as air defence systems and protected mobile fires.

We are building these capabilities to ensure our land forces and special operations forces can operate at long-range, up-close, across the spectrum and in all domains.

A Land Combat College

On the occasion of our Army’s 121st birthday, I announce today that we are also establishing a Land Combat College.

The need for our training system to be agile and scalable in the generation of Army’s future warfighting capabilities is clear. A wide-ranging review of Army’s Training Enterprise identified the opportunity to simplify the training system by reorganising its authorities and structures to enhance the focus of professional mastery for our people. Army will take the first steps to establish a new Land Combat College, to provide a single authority for land combat education and training. This will improve the simplicity, agility and capacity within our Army to build and strengthen our warfighting capability.

From today, the Combined Arms Training Centre and subordinate schools will be reorganised and grouped under the Royal Military College - Australia. Underpinned by future-focused industry partnerships, the coherence of our training centres will help us generate capability at a greater scale, focus tactical excellence and enhance personnel development and education to suit Army’s total workforce.

This is exactly what our training system must do to unlock the potential in our people and achieve professional mastery in what is an increasing demanding profession.

Good Soldiering

This will be another year of continuous change, new challenges and opportunities for our Army. We all have a role, and that is to understand the interconnected nature of the many efforts currently underway and to continue to work together, support each other and to deliver new capabilities for the future.

At the centre of all these changes are our people. You, your teams, your families. You enable our future and deliver results today. Continue to live our values: service, courage, respect, integrity, excellence. Do your best every day, and know that you are a valued member of a bigger team with a proud history and a vital future. This is what Good Soldiering is. This is what our Army is.

I remain proud of you all, what you have achieved, and the success you continue to deliver. Happy Birthday Army, and best wishes for the year ahead.

Good Soldiering.

LTGEN Rick Burr

Chief of Army