"What is the Sapper?"

"He is a man of all work of the army and the public, astronomer, geologist, surveyor, draughtsman, artist, architect, traveller, explorer, antiquary, mechanic, diver, soldier and sailor; ready to do anything or go anywhere; in short he is a SAPPER"

Major General George Connelly

The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the Army Corps responsible for combat engineering support (tasks supporting mobility, counter-mobility and survivability), construction of vertical and horizontal structures, engineering design, multimedia, emergency response and geomatic support within the ADF.

Sappers can be found in a number of different units:

• The Combat Engineer Regiment
• The Construction Regiment or Squadron
• The Chief Engineer Works
• The Topographical Survey Squadron
• Incident Response Regiment

These units, or detachments, provide engineering support to all levels of Army and the ADF. Sappers' responsibilities are very broad and fall into four main categories:

• Mobility Support - Combat mobility, Tactical Mobility and Explosive Ordnance Clearance.
• Counter-Mobility Support - Construct Obstacles, Conduct Demolitions.
• Survivability Support - Produce water, Combat Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Fire Hazards, Construct Physical Force Protection Measures, Support Deception.
• Sustainability Support - Construct, repair and maintain infrastructure to allow the sustainability of a deployed force including airfields, roads, accommodation buildings, sanitation and electrical systems.
• Geospatial Support - Acquire, manage, analyse and manipulate geospatial data, provide geospatial products and services.

A similar problem with regard to terminology as found within the Royal Australian Artillery exists with the Royal Australian Engineers. Sapper is the rank of the private soldier within the Corps; all members of the Corps are sappers and the Corps as a whole is also referred to as the sappers. The term 'sapper' relates back to the very early days of engineers; to sap was to dig siege trenches, or tunnels, under the enemy's fortifications.

Royal Australian Engineers Website

Royal Australian Engineers - ARMY