Commanding Officer's Welcome

FROM THE COMMANDING OFFICER 3 CSSB

It is a great honour to command the 3rd Combat Service Support Battalion (3 CSSB) and I look forward to leading the Battalion through the next two years. 3 CSSB is the premier unit of its type in the Australian Army with fine men and women delivering specialist capabilities that continually build upon the unit's already proud history.

The soldiers and officers of 3 CSSB serve as part of the 3rd Brigade which is the Australian Army's short-notice and rapidly deployable combat force. They provide the close combat supply, distribution, maintenance and health service support to the Brigade. The soldiers and officers and the Battalion's stores and equipment must be ready at all times to deploy by air, land or sea to provide that critical combat service support which sustains the combat force so that it can achieve its mission. Throughout history Australian 'diggers' have always displayed initiative to win and I expect that our soldiers and officers will equally be prepared to seize and exploit opportunities to win as they arise. To be able to seize those opportunities the soldiers and officers train and focus upon being brilliant at both their basic soldier and trade skills so they are more aware of their environment and therefore they can react and adjust quickly in all types of situations and operations. This leads to my themes for the year, which are: Be Ready; Seize Opportunities; and, Be Brilliant at the Basics.

There is no mistaking that service in 3 CSSB specifically, and 3rd Brigade generally, will be demanding. There will be short-notice and conflicting priorities that will challenge our individual and collective physical and mental toughness. The soldiers and officers need to be robust enough to meet and overcome those challenges. It is not likely to be easy, but it will be rewarding.

I would like to say that I recognise the very important role that families play in the success of the soldiers and officers of the Battalion. Whether you are a spouse, partner, mother, father, sister, brother or friend I know that your support directly contributes to the success of the unit. I thank you for that support. Whether you are living in Townsville or visiting from further a field I invite you to arrange a time to visit or participate in Battalion activities when it is possible.

This internet website has been designed for the families of current serving soldiers and officers as your information source on general Battalion activities, welfare and assistance matters. The website's purpose is to keep you informed of activities so that you can better understand the Battalion, its soldiers and officers and the many activities that it undertakes. For security reasons, you must understand that this website will not contain anything other than general information.

There may be times when it becomes tough on the family. I encourage you to get involved with unit activities, but regardless of your involvement you should know that if you need assistance - you should seek it - no matter how big or small. You are not alone.

Thank you for your support and 2007 should continue to build upon the Battalion's past success.

Administrative Company

Administrative Company 3 CSSB is the hub of the Battalion. Other sub units of 3 CSSB are responsible for providing support to other Brigade Units.Admin Coy (as it is shortened to) manages all the daily functions of the rest of the Battalion. The company has five elements:

Battalion Headquarters

This small group of individuals consists of the Commanding Officer, Battalion Second in Command, Adjutant, Assistant Adjutant the Regimental Sergeant Major and immediate staff.

Battalion Operations

This organisation of approximately 12 personnel is overseen by the Battalion Operations Officer and is responsible for the management of all tasking of the sub units. Operations manage training courses, resource allocation and training area bookings. In most cases, operations personnel are responsible for the planning of unit activities and exercises. Battalion Operations is the entrance gate for any requests for support from 3 CSSB. Battalion Operations must always have a very good understanding of the unit capability at any time in order to plan effectively.

Administrative Company Headquarters

Consists of the Officer Commanding, Admin Company Second in Command and the Company Sergeant Major. This group provides the command structure for the company.

Administrative Platoon

This organisation is usually referred to as the Battalion Orderly Room. Personnel in this organisation number approximately 10 and are responsible to manage all leave within 3 CSSB. They file and register all inwards and outwards correspondence from the unit. The Orderly Room also includes a movement and pay sections. All service related travel by 3 CSSB members and pay enquires are managed by these sections.

Q Platoon

The main Q Store provides all 3 CSSB personnel with field clothing entitlement. The main Q store holds the Battalion armoury. Most stores that might be consumed in daily operations including stationary are supplied through the Q Store. The Q store is staffed by approx 17 individuals. Accounting for equipment on issue to 3 CSSB is the responsibility of the Q store.

Catering Platoon

Catering platoon is responsible for providing catering services to 3 CSSB, in barracks and whilst deployed. The Platoon consists of approx 16 personnel who include cooks and stewards.

Health Company

Health Company is a diverse group of specialist personnel who provide a range of health services to 3 CSSB and 3 Brigade. The Company consists of medical, dental, x-ray, pathology, evacuation, psych, environmental health and physical training staff.

Medical support is provided by a team of medical, x-ray, pathology and evacuation staff. They work together to provide general and emergency medical support to the soldiers of 3 CSSB and 3 Brigade both in barracks and in the field. Support is provided in three specific areas: the Regimental Aid Post, the Resuscitation Team and the Low Dependency Unit.

The Regimental Aid Post (RAP) is a general practice type service that allows soldiers who are sick to see medical assistants and a doctor for a wide range of injuries and illnesses.
The Resuscitation Team provides a higher level of care which is similar to an emergency room.
The Low Dependency Unit is established in the field as a nursing area where soldiers are given 24 hour care to recover from minor injuries and illnesses before returning to their unit. Generally they will not be held in this unit for longer than 3 days.
The X-Ray and Pathology staff support all three of these areas in the field.
The evacuation team consists of an ambulance with driver and medical assistant. They provide a service similar to a paramedic and respond to an injured soldier to treat them and evacuate to either the Resuscitation Team or the RAP.

Field Supply Company

3 Field Supply Company manages the supply chain and warehousing required to support 3 Brigade in barracks, during field exercises and whilst deployed on operations. Soldiers of the company are skilled in their trade and provide accurate and timely support to the dependency. The support provided to 3 Brigade includes:

Food (Fresh and Hard)
Fuel
Ammunition
General Stores
Repair Parts
Pharmaceuticals
Shower facilities

In recent years 3 Field Supply Company has achieved excellent sporting results with success in the Battalion Obstacle Course and Athletics carnival. Soldiers have also achieved recognition for their professionalism and excellent performance with the RAAOC JNCO of the 2005 and RAAOC LT of the 2006 being awarded to members of the company. 3 Field Supply Company has a proud tradition within the ADF which the soldiers of today are continuing to build on with recent deployments to Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Transport Squadron

The 9th Transport Squadron can trace its linage (in one form or another) back to 1912, however it was not until 1967 that the Squadron (then a Company) had a direct link to the Army's Order of Battle. The 9th Transport Company (at the time) was the first Regular Army service corps company. It has been located at Lavarack Barracks and in service to the 3rd Brigade since 1968.
Members of the Squadron have serviced in recent times overseas in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Bougainville, Somalia, Cambodia and Rwanda. Of note was the Squadron's strong support to Innisfail in 2006 after Cyclone Larry ravaged the North Queensland town.

Field Workshops Company

102 Field Workshop was raised at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane on 28 May 1966 to supplement the existing repair resources and to relieve 101 Field Workshop of its support commitment to the Australian Forces in Vietnam.

On 11 May 1967, 102 Field Workshop assumed responsibility for the maintenance support of Australian Forces in South Vietnam. The Unit was disbanded on its return from South Vietnam early in 1972.

The Workshop was re-raised in Townsville in February 1981 and is currently a company within the 3rd Combat Service Support Battalion. Along with the Health, Transport and Supply Companies, 102 Field Workshop provides logistic support to the 3rd Brigade. 102 Field Workshop provides the maintenance aspects of this support and is responsible for the repair and maintenance of a variety of equipment including vehicles, generators, weapons and electronic systems.

In addition to its provision of technical support 102 Field Workshop is also called upon to provide military support to overseas operations or to the local community as shown by its recent efforts in the aftermath of Cyclone Larry.