The Army is currently exploring the implications of the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) directed changes to the roles of our brigades and is actively identifying opportunities to optimise their core roles.

Army has been tasked to explore the smallest achievable command and control (C2) footprint, due to current staff and resource limitations and competing priorities for joint capabilities. The aim of these changes is to preserve as much fighting force as possible whilst simultaneously meeting the personnel demands required to reinforce littoral operational requirements.

It is proposed that within Army there is a need for an amphibious-capable, divisional reconnaissance unit (ACDRU). This element must be able to provide task organised littoral reconnaissance and contribute to amphibious activities including the conduct of a joint pre-landing force, landing site preparation, as well as strike and shaping operations.

ACDRU should retain the ability to re-structure and operate as a battle group (with augmentation). The design of this organisation will be centred around an integrated workforce possessing the skills, knowledge, and attributes to execute mission-specific skills at the point of need.

The unit’s role includes the provision of agile and capable intelligence collection with non-kinetic effects and kinetic strike capabilities to enhance Army’s contribution to the Integrated Force’s tactical, operational, and strategic intelligence requirements while enabled by joint fires.

The provision of reliable, secure, capable, robust intelligence and strike capabilities to ground combat elements will support and enable divisional manoeuvre and warfighting capabilities.

With the framework and identified capability requirements fitting an indicative ‘Future Ready’ organisation, aspirational descriptions and mission sets have been designed. The proposed amphibious-capable divisional reconnaissance unit must have a readiness to succeed in highly complex and contested environments, while continuing to adapt and evolve its mission sets and capabilities to best suit the needs of the Future Integrated Force.

Drivers for change

• Both the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2 CAV) currently conduct Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) roles within the amphibious setting, primarily focused on Phase 1 and 2 of operations. Current structures and processes have limited their agility to respond effectively to diverse mission sets due to a limited workforce and equipment constraints.
• Army’s fundamental inputs to capability (FIC) are increasingly constrained, thus regulating factors aligning resources to capability requiring enhancement relative to Army’s response to the DSR. To enable the changes to Defence inclusive of FIC, Army must control cost of ownership within an organisation by centralising comparable mission sets.
• Evolving threats within Australia’s near region are driving change to how Army operates within a littoral environment and its ability to provide organic support.
• Ongoing workforce alignment initiatives to make best use of our people, both regular and reserve. Army’s Employment Category Modernisation project seeks to describe functional-based reform of workforce structures and categories, enabling them to remain relevant and contemporary to emerging capability demands. These changes must be made while maintaining corps identity and cultural linkages where possible.
• Limited supply of land tactical vehicle variants to meet the requirements of organisations within the standing force structure.
• The Enhanced Force-in-Being is driving change to increase cross corps function and service collaboration, optimising resource usage and creating efficiency of effort.
• A driving focus to increase Army’s autonomous and emerging technology presence. Autonomous and emerging technologies will enhance the Defence organisation’s ability to explore specialist capabilities within resource and workforce restrictions.

Current status

The current corps structure is generally centred on supporting a formation with capability bricks internal to individual unit-level organisations. Traditional infantry and armoured organisational structures no longer possess the necessary span of workforce skill sets and inherit delegation of authority to effectively exercise the range of tasks demanded of them in isolation.

This confluence of complexity restricts a commander’s ability to realise Army’s fundamental responsibility to conduct high-end warfighting and contribute capability to the Integrated Force. Army’s current organisational structure generates forces through augmentation to fulfil required functions, impacting FIC excessively.

Currently Army’s amphibious specialist units in 2 RAR and 2 CAV achieve mission essential task list (METL) independently.

Proposed Model – An integrated workforce organisation.

The proposed model to achieve a ACDRU includes leveraging the existing force structure of 2 RAR and 2 CAV and their fundamental capabilities, through the amalgamation capability and their formation.

The proposed model will see the employment of two Cavalry Squadron’s (Cav Sqn) – one each with a determined air and sea lift/insertion capability and an internally dedicated ISR Platoon. Each Cav Sqn will acquire the traditional structure of an Armoured Sqn Headquarters (HQ) and Combat Service Support (CSS) element.

These Cav Sqns will be integrated with three amphibious-enabled infantry coys; two that are designed as ISR and Strike Sqns that are a structural replica of each other, and one designed to be a specialist combat enabling Sqn. Infantry based Sqns will consist of a traditional infantry company HQ and CSS elements, founded on their capabilities. The five SQNs will be supported by unit CSS elements and a battalion HQ structure.

The amalgamation of these capabilities and force structure will optimise agility, generating high level effects at the right time and place, enabling the reallocation of a complete unit HQ element and partial reallocation of unit CSS elements.

Within a co-located/combined training environment, the ACDRU will be able to train to the full extent of exercise scenarios, including the required experimentation to ensure Tactics Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) are appropriate for phases 1, 2 and 3 within an operation.

The ACDRU structure will be refined during the implementation phases to ensure it is optimised to provide the best working structure for C2 capability and integral combat support. Mission sets, functions, and tasks will be revised through the establishment to develop optimised capability and processes.

Click image for larger size

Key discussion points

Here are some of the points that are likely to require further consideration:

• The type of standing HQ Structure – Rotational (Alternating arms-corps commanding officer and integrated appointments), dedicated HQ (cavalry or infantry, and integrated appointments), or a battlegroup/specialised structure.
• The vehicle type and allocation relevant to each Sqn within proposed force structure. (PMV-L, CRV, LMV-P).
• The training and posting requirements across the organisation.
• The ability/option to add an extra infantry section to each platoon within the ISR and Strike Sqns.
• The inclusion of Joint Fires Team within the ACDRU Force Structure.

The requirement of sustainment and redundancy model built within vehicle and vessel allocation to the organisation.

Consequences of change

The consequences of an augmented workforce will result in surplus sub-unit elements being an additional unit HQ, a Cav Sqn, and components of CSS. This provides Army opportunities with creating approximately 200 positions within Army’s force structure to enhance its workforce, while exploiting known capability gaps within its organisation.

This re-structure likely provides the following key opportunities:

• Harvest workforce savings within the wider Army force structure.
• Enhance the 1st Brigade’s (BDE) capacity to operate as a littoral combat brigade.
• Enrich existing elements of 3 BDE force structure through supplementation to its workforce.

Concept opinions.

This brief has been circulated and feedback has been incorporated throughout the Course of Action (COA) Development and Analysis stages of the concept. This has included dialogue with respective corps – testing the concept of employment and impressions generated by the concept.

These discussions provided support to the concept’s employment as an augmented stand-alone unit delivering capability, while consideration was also given to the implications caused to historical, cultural, and employment category (ECN) factors.

With an appreciation of Army’s shift in posture towards an operational presence, reactions to historical, cultural, and ECN concerns provided positive outputs. All noted that change must be met with maintaining corps identity and cultural linkages where possible. Examples of response included:

“I can understand the [historical and ECN] argument. But on a two-way range who gives a sh*t what colour beret the person supporting you is wearing.”

“Delivering on capability must be at the forefront of Army’s force structure not its history.”

Summary

To respond to direction and constraints on Defence and its workforce, the Army has identified a requirement to modernise through refining roles, mission sets, and functions of organisations and units. Efforts must capture dependencies across Army and the roles of its BDEs and sub organisations to prevent duplication of effort and link outcomes endorsed through the Chief of Army’s direction.

The employment of the ACDRU concept will deliver capability in an agile, integrated, lethal, and innovative manner to complete the tasks essential to its role. Control structures must evolve in support of command while providing a littoral/recon/strike capability as a part of Army’s contribution to the Integrated Force.

The proposed Integrated Combat Organisation presents a strategic opportunity for the Army to optimise its reconnaissance and PLF operations, bridging the gaps and demands within the Enhanced Force-in-Being.

ACDRU, as outlined in Figure 1.0, leverages the existing force structure of 2 RAR and 2 CAV, integrating their capabilities and formations. This model optimises agility and generates high-level effects by re-allocating unit HQ and CSS elements. Through co-located and combined training, the ACDRU will be able to refine its structure, capabilities, and processes – ensuring readiness to succeed in complex and contested environments.

This agile, integrated, and lethal capability will support Army's contribution to the Integrated Force while evolving control structures to meet command requirements. By embracing this concept, the Army can meet the challenges of a rapidly changing and increasingly complex operational environment.