Commanding Officer's Regimental Sitrep 2015

SITREP from 1st Armoured Regiment - January to August 2015

The Regiment continues at the gallop. 2015 commenced with an early deployment over February and March to Cultana to conduct Exercise Predators’ Crawl, Army Training Level 2 and 3 (Stage 4 and 5). For the first time Lancer Trophy was competed for by crews on all platforms in the Regiment. The winning crew will not be announced until Cambrai Day but the competition was fierce as always. A highlight of the exercise was the visit by the Honorary Colonel, Major General Roger Powell and our former RSM of the Regiment, Warrant Officer Class 1 Lou Walker. Major General Powell, as always, provided me and many others a level of mentorship that can never have a dollar figure put on it. Additionally, the attendance of Warrant Officer Class 1 Walker has been an excellent initiative. The benefit of his attendance on the exercise also cannot be understated. The mentorship of all our men and women, but particularly our soldiers, is something that I would like to continue to invest in. Unfortunately we have forgotten many hard learned lessons of the past, so the continued presence of these, dare I say it, old soldiers is pivotal to our development as a unit and as individuals.

May and June saw the Regiment(-) deploy to Mount Bundey Training Area for the conduct of ATL 3 and 4 (Stage 5 and 6). Squadrons focused on the live fire manoeuvre training of each troop in a combined arms setting, including training alongside the US Marine Rotational Force – Darwin. Concurrently, elements of D Squadron (APC) conducted a number of exercises with 7 RAR in Cultana. Also in June, B Squadron (Tank) deployed to the east coast for the Combined Arms Training Activity with the 7th Brigade followed by Army’s pinnacle exercise, Exercise Hamel. B Squadron had the opportunity to put A Squadron (Tank) and Surveillance Troop of C Squadron (ASLAV) in their sights who deployed from Mount Bundey to Shoalwater Bay to join the 3rd Brigade as the Opposing Force for Exercise Hamel. The Squadrons were ably supported as always by Support Squadron.

The Regiment unfortunately lost one of its own, Craftsman Steve Chippendale on the Regiment’s birthday. Steve had fought an 18 month battle with cancer (despite only being given 6 months to live in late 2013). He passed away at the Robertson Barracks Medical Centre with his wife Carla and our previous Chief Clerk, Warrant Officer Class 2 Megan White, at his side. In the finest spirits of the unit and the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Corps, Steve was still working in Support Squadron less than a fortnight before he passed away.

The remainder of the year appears as challenging and rewarding as the past 8 months. The Regiment will soon commence the deployment of all vehicles to South Australia in preparation for a series of exercises in Cultana over the next 11 months concluding in Exercise Hamel in mid 2016. October and November 2015 will see the Regiment deployed on the Brigade exercise, Exercise Predators’ Run, to conduct ATL 5 (Combat Team) live fire training and assessment. On conclusion of the Brigade exercise, all troops will compete for Paratus Cup.

At completion of the exercise in Cultana the Regiment will redeploy to Edinburgh and conduct a mounted Cambrai Parade on Sunday the 15th of November. Arrangements can be made through the Association and the RSM for those that wish to attend. We will be aiming to get as many of the Regiment’s 209 armoured vehicles on parade to appropriately farewell A Squadron. The following day the majority of the vehicles and personnel from A Squadron will commence their movement, as part of Army’s Plan Beersheba, to their new home in the 3rd Brigade. They will become C Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment. At the completion of Cambrai Parade, D Squadron (APC) will be renamed and rebadged as A Squadron and will assume the custodianship of A Squadron 1st Armoured Regiment’s very proud history, which will forever remain with the Regiment.

2016 will see a new command team inherit the best responsibility in Army – the command of this Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gardiner and Warrant Officer Class 1 Jason Robinson will accept the stewardship of the Regiment. The unit will be in very good hands.

Finally, for those that are social media inclined, please be aware that the Regiment maintains a Facebook page. It can be accessed by searching 1st Armoured Regiment – Australian Army.

Paratus!

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