Ranks and Titles

• The individual who commands a unit is a Lieutenant Colonel.
• He is referred to as the CO or Commanding Officer
• When his name is used he is referred to as Colonel for short (just like Mr. for civilians) (eg. Colonel James is the CO of 2 RAR)
• A unit is often called a regiment or battalion.
• The senior soldier in a unit is the Regimental Sergeant Major or RSM for short. His rank is Warrant Officer Class One.
• When his name is used he is referred to as Warrant Officer (just like Mr for civilians) (eg. Warrant Officer Vandenhurk is RSM of 3 Brigade)
• Every unit has an RSM.

A Guide to Reporting on Army In Townsville

The following is a basic guide for local journalists reporting on the Army in Townsville. It provides guidance on some common mistakes, and includes a list of unit titles, ranks, appointments and abbreviations. The names used in the examples below are fictitious.

The Correct Term for Army and its Personnel

Occasionally, the title "Royal Australian Army" appears in news reports. This is incorrect. It's simply "the Australian Army' or "Australian Army."

The other mistake is the term "army officers," when used as below:

"More than 2000 army officers arrived in Townsville yesterday for the start of Exercise Big Stick."

Unlike the police or emergency services, the correct term for army personnel is "soldiers." To call someone an "army officer" means they have commissioned rank (ie, Second Lieutenant though to General). So you'd have 2000 lieutenants, captains, majors, colonels etc, all gathered in Townsville. While this would no doubt make the junior ranks very happy, it's also highly unlikely. Use "soldiers."

Along the same vein, it's incorrect to call Warrant Officers "officers," in the second mention, as they hold a Warrant, not a Commission. Call them Warrant Officer (see rank abbreviations guide).

Army Officers - Most Junior to Most Senior Rank

The abbreviations below are lower-case, to fit in with your newsroom style-books. In the Australian Defence Force, ranks are always abbreviated in upper case.

2nd Lieutenant - 2Lt

Lieutenant - Lt (pronounced "Left-tenant")

Captain - Capt

Major - Maj

Lieutenant Colonel - Lt Col

Colonel - Col (one you might want to use in full)

Brigadier - Brig

Major General - Maj Gen

Lieutenant General - Lt Gen

General - Gen

Soldier, Non-Commissioned Officer and Warrant Officer Ranks

Private - Pte
(Depending on corps, can also be called a?

Trooper - Tpr
(A private in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, for example B Squadron 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment at Lavarack, or a private in Australian Army Aviation
(eg 5th Aviation Regiment).

Craftsman - Cfn
(A private in the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

Gunner - Gnr
(A private in the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery
eg, 4th Field Regiment at Lavarack)

Signalman - Sig
(A private in the Royal Australian Signals Corps,
eg, 103 Signal Squadron at Lavarack)

Sapper - Spr
(A private in the Royal Australian Engineers,
eg, 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment at Lavarack)

Musician - Msn
A private soldier in the Australian Army Band Corps


Junior Non-Commissioned Officer Ranks

Lance Corporal - LCpl or LBdr
(called 'Lance Bombardier' in artillery)

Corporal - Cpl or Bdr
(called 'Bombardier' in artillery)

Senior Non-Commissioned Officers

Sergeant - Sgt

Staff Sergeant - SSgt


Warrant Officers

Warrant Officer Class Two - WO2
(not "Second or 2nd Class" and not "Warrant Officer Two"


Warrant Officer Class One - WO1
(not Warrant Officer One or Warrant Officer 1st Class)

Some other Appointment Titles in Common Use in the Army

Commander - Comd
Local examples are Commander 3rd Brigade, Commander 11th Brigade and Commander, Combat Training Centre. Other examples are "Commander 1st Division, Major General Bill Smith," or "Land Commander - Australia, Major General Bill Smith."

Please note - 1st and 2nd Divisions are written just like that, never "Division One", "Division Two" or "One Division" etc.


Commandant - Comdt
Usually the senior officer in charge of a training establishment or special facility. A local example is Commandant, Land Warfare Centre - NQ.


Commanding Officer - CO
Used across all three services. In the Army, this appointment is normally held at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, eg, CO 2 RAR, Lt Col Bill Smith.

Please note that although his or her rank is Lieutenant Colonel, in conversation you can address them as just "Colonel," as in "Good Morning Colonel Smith."


Officer Commanding - OC
A common example of the use of "OC" in Army is found within the infantry battalions, such as 1 and 2 RAR. An officer (usually with the rank of Major) commanding a company (100 soldiers) in a battalion is called the Officer Commanding, or "OC." So, the officer in charge of Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, would be abbreviated as OC B Coy 1 RAR, Maj Bill Smith.


Regimental Sergeant Major - RSM
In essence, RSMs are the senior soldiers in major units, commands and formations. They hold the rank of Warrant Officer Class One. This is written as Warrant Officer Class One, not "Warrant Officer One". The abbreviation is WO1, not WO. The RSM represents the soldiers and looks after ceremonial and disciplinary aspects. They are highly experienced, often with 20 or more years of service. Local examples are "RSM 1 RAR, WO1 Bill Smith", RSM 3 CER, WO1 John Smith etc etc.


Company Sergeant Major - CSM
The CSM is the senior soldier in a company or similar unit. They hold the rank of Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2). So Bill Smith, the CSM of Alpha Company 2 RAR would be CSM A Coy 2 RAR, WO2 Bill Smith. Their role is similar to that of an RSM, but on a smaller scale.


Squadron Sergeant Major - SSM
This title depends on the "corps" (in layman's terms, a corps, pronounced "core," is the branch of the Army you belong to as part of your specialist category or trade). Some units/companies of 100 soldiers (and sometimes less) are called "squadrons" depending on the corps. The Royal Australian Armoured Corps is a good example. This corps is represented in Townsville by B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment (B Sqn, ? Cav Regt). The Company Sergeant Major in B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment, is therefore the Squadron Sergeant Major of B Sqn ? Cav Regt - the "SSM". The same goes for 103 Signals Squadron, and the Black Hawk and Chinook squadrons at 5th Aviation Regiment, to name a few. So, in Army, if a unit is a squadron, it will have a Squadron Sergeant Major, not a Company Sergeant Major.


Battery Sergeant Major - BSM
In the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, the Company Sergeant Major is called a Battery Sergeant Major. So, in our local artillery unit, (4th Field Regiment), the Battery Sergeant Major of 107 Field Battery would be known as BSM, 107 Fd Bty, 4 Fd Regt.


Artificer Sergeant Major - ASM
The title given to a Company Sergeant Major in RAEME (Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers).

Unit Titles and Abbreviations - Australian Army

The structure of the Army in North Queensland revolves primarily around two Townsville-based brigades - the 3rd Brigade (3 BDE), based at Lavarack Barracks, and the 11th Brigade (11 BDE), with its headquarters at Jezzine Barracks near The Strand. The 11th Brigade is an Army Reserve brigade. From mid-2008, it will be based at Lavarack Barracks, following the hand-over of Jezzine Barracks.

A brigade is commanded by an officer with the rank of Brigadier. In Townsville, his title is "Commander of the 3rd Brigade, Brigadier......" or "Commander of the 11th Brigade, Brigadier......"

It is important to note that not all Army units in the north belong to these two brigades. However, the Commander of the 3rd Brigade is also the Chief of Army's senior representative in North Queensland.

Units of the 3rd Brigade and their Abbreviations

1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment - (1 RAR)
Note - not "1st Royal Australian Regiment" - please don't drop the word "Battalion" The same goes for 2 RAR, 3 RAR etc

2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment - (2 RAR)

3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment - (3 RAR)
3 RAR is currently based at Holsworthy, NSW, but will move to Townsville approximately 2011

4th Field Regiment - (4 FD REGT)

3rd Combat Engineer Regiment - (3 CER)

B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment - (B SQN 3/4 CAV REGT)

3rd Combat Support Regiment (3 CSR)

3rd Combat Services Support Battalion - (3 CSSB)

Units of the 11th Brigade and Their Abbreviations

The 11th Brigade has barracks or depots in a number of towns in North and Central Queensland. Most Army Reservists in the region serve with 11th Brigade units. In 2007, following a reorganisation of the Reserve command structure, the Townsville-based 11th Brigade also took command of two south-east Queensland reserve infantry battalions. These are:

9th Battalion, The Royal Queensland Regiment - (9 RQR) and

25th/49th Battalion, The Royal Queensland Regiment - (25/49 RQR)

In addition, 11th Brigade comprises the following units:

31st/42nd Battalion, The Royal Queensland Regiment - (31/42 RQR)

11th Combat Services Support Battalion - (11 CSSB)

11th Combat Support Regiment - (11 CSR)

35th Field Squadron - (35 FD SQN)

Some other Army units in Townsville

5th Aviation Regiment - (5 AVN REGT)
An Army Aviation regiment based at RAAF Base Townsville. Operates Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters. Under the command of the Oakey, Qld, based 16th Aviation Brigade. In 2008, the Regiment will also start taking delivery of the MRH-90 helicopter.

10th Force Support Battalion - (10 FSB)
10 FSB is one of the biggest logistic units in the Australian Army. It comes under command of 17 Combat Services Support Brigade in Sydney. Based at both Ross Island Barracks and Lavarack Barracks, 10 FSB operates landing craft and conducts the terminal aspects of maritime operations. It also has a Field Supply Company (procuring, holding and transporting supplies to the soldiers in the field). The Field Supply Company is based at Lavarack Barracks.

Joint Logistics Unit - North Queensland - (JLU-NQ)
JLU-NQ is a Defence unit, under command of Joint Logistics Command. It comprises Navy, Army, Air Force and Defence civilian personnel, and serves all three services in the North. Basically, it supplies stores, supplies and equipment and maintains vehicles and equipment, including supervising a number of contracts for work performed by civilian companies. It occupies the big sheds and warehouses near the Walkabout at Wulguru.

Combat Training Centre - (CTC)
Under command of Land Command in Sydney, this unit trains soldiers and commanders for combat in a range of scenarios. Also prepares them for peacekeeping/peace enforcement duties. However, its key focus is on high-tempo and realistic exercises to assess and assist units about to deploy on overseas operations.

Land Warfare Centre - NQ - (LWC-NQ)
A unit made up of Regular and Reserve personnel which conducts Army Reserve officer promotion training and operates the Flexible Learning Centre at Lavarack. LWC-NQ also operates the Weapons Training Simulation Site (WTSS, nick-named 'the Wets'), which is a computerised indoor weapons range, and the Night Fighting Facility, a blacked-out building where soldiers patrol with night vision equipment to train for operations at night. LWC-NQ is under command of Training Command - Army in Sydney.

Lavarack Barracks Medical Centre - (LBMC)
LBMC is basically a small hospital within Lavarack Barracks. It has a large range of modern facilities, including operating theatres, wards, outpatients, ambulances etc. It is staffed by Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps and civilian medical personnel.

There is also a state-of-the-art Dental Centre at Lavarack Barracks, staffed by Royal Australian Army Dental Corps personnel and civilian dental specialists.

Army Equipment, Vehicles and Aircraft In The North

Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicle - (Bushmaster IMV)
Australian-designed and built, the four-wheeled Bushmaster can carry a section (10 soldiers), affording them protection and mobility on the battlefield It is operated in Townsville by B Squadron 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment

Australian Light Armoured Vehicle - (ASLAV)
Nick-named the "ASLAV" (pronounced AS-LAV), these wheeled armoured vehicles are frequent visitors to Townsville. They are primarily based with Army armoured units in Darwin and Brisbane - the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Darwin, and the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment in Brisbane.

Black Hawk helicopter
Note "army helicopter" - the Air Force does not operate helicopters. Similarly, NOT "Army Caribous" - the Air Force operates Caribou aircraft, namely No 38 Squadron RAAF
Note that Black Hawk is two words, never "Blackhawk." The Sikorsky S70 Black Hawk is a battlefield helicopter, primarily used for troop transportation. It is an important part of the rapid-response capabilities of the 3rd Brigade. It is operated by the Army's 5th Aviation Regiment, based at RAAF Base Townsville.

Chinook helicopter
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a twin-rotor heavy-lift battlefield helicopter. It can carry 30 troops. It can lift a Land Rover and a trailer, and can lift the Army's Hamel gun. Amazing fact - one Chinook can lift another Chinook - they are quite powerful. They are operated by the Army's 5th Aviation Regiment.

Hamel Gun
Used by the batteries of the 4th Field Regiment, the Hamel gun fires a 105 mm round. It is light and portable, but still packs a punch, and is therefore highly suitable for rapid deployment.
Note - it is a gun, not a "howitzer."

Land Rover 110 Series
The Land Rover 4WD is nick-named the "One Ten" due to its designation of 110 Land Rover. It is the most common Defence vehicle seen on the roads. Very occasionally (perhaps to avoid using a brand name) they've been referred to in the local media as "jeeps." This is incorrect, as "Jeep" is a current vehicle brand name. Better to say Army four-wheel drive, if you don't want to say Land Rover (which is also a brand name).

Mercedes-Benz Unimog
The Mercedes-Benz Unimog is the mainstay of the Army's small truck, or medium vehicle fleet. A common battlefield application is their use in towing the 105 mm Hamel gun, plus transporting soldiers and stores.

Mack Truck
Mack prime movers are the mainstay of our heavy vehicles - our "semi-trailers" They proved their worth crossing flooded rivers during the Army's assistance efforts following Cyclone Larry in 2006.

A Few Common Terms and Abbreviations

"Operation" and "Exercise"
When the ADF performs an operation or deploys on an operation, it's for real. An exercise is a training activity, with a fictitious scenario, and in most cases, largely notional occurrences. Therefore, Exercise Swift Eagle is an exercise, not an operation. Exercise Talisman Saber is an exercise, not an operation. However, the ADF deployment to the Solomon Islands was real, so it was called "Operation Anode" when it began in 2003 The current ADF deployment to Afghanistan is very real - it is called "Operation Slipper" And Cyclone Larry was also a very real event for the people of Far North Queensland, therefore the ADF response to help in the aftermath of the cyclone was called "Operation Larry Assist."

As a final note, exercises are not called "manoeuvres," and the word "operations" is often shortened to "ops" by military personnel (eg "we're going on ops.")

"Armed Services" "Armed Forces" and "Australian Defence Forces"
All are wrong. The correct term is the singular Australian Defence Force, as in "Australian Defence Force personnel," or just "defence personnel." "Armed Services" is now a very dated term.

"Dishonourable Discharge"
There is no such term in the Australian Defence Force. Defence personnel are simply "discharged", with no descriptive tag in front of the word.

"Deploy"
When military units go anywhere, they "deploy". You will often hear the term "deployment", meaning a unit going on a particular task, quite often overseas.

"Diggers"
Please advise any UK journalists working over here that Australian soldiers are not called "squaddies." This is a British Army term. Australian soldiers are colloquially called "diggers," a term used proudly by the Army since the First World War.

"Corps" (pronounced "core")
A corps is the branch of the Army that a soldier belongs to, ie, his or her specialist branch. Each soldier does basic training, and then corps-specific training called Initial Employment Training (IET).

"The Field" and "Going Bush"
You may hear the term, "in a field environment" or "we're here to brush up on our field skills." This is short-form for "battlefield." You'll rarely hear a soldier say: "we deploy to the field next week," they'll more likely say: "we're going bush next week." It basically means the same thing.

"AO"
This is the abbreviation for "Area of Operations" - in very basic terms, the geographical area in which operations are conducted. This is a fairly generic term in use throughout the ADF.

"Airmobile" and "Amphibious"
These terms have particular relevance for Townsville journalists covering 3rd Brigade exercises and activities. An airmobile operation involves combat forces manoeuvring about the battlefield in helicopters to engage in ground combat. Amphibious operations are operations launched from the sea by naval and landing forces, against a hostile or potentially hostile shore.
The above descriptions are quite basic, but give a general idea of these types of operations.

"Rat Pack"
This is the nick-name for a 24-hour Combat Ration Pack (CRP). As the name suggests, the basic rat pack contains enough food to sustain a soldier in the field for a day.

"DPCU" and "DPDU"
Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (DPCU) is the field uniform, and day to day dress, worn by soldiers in Townsville. Disruptive Pattern Desert Uniform (DPDU) contains lighter desert-type colours and is worn in the Middle East Area of Operations. These uniforms are both nick-named "cams."

"Comms"
This is a shortened version of the word "communications." There's an Army saying that "comms are everything." This means that modern armies rely heavily on radio and other forms of digital communication to win on the battlefield. The Royal Australian Signals Corps is primarily responsible for providing "comms."

"Webbing"
Webbing is a system of pouches worn by a soldier as his or her basic "belt kit". Webbing carries a basic amount of ammunition, water and sometimes food as the main items (the priority is ammunition and water). A common set-up is a belt with pouches for ammunition and water, and a harness to ensure the weight is distributed on the shoulders and hips. Increasingly more common is "chest webbing," worn like a type of jacket, with pouches across the chest area.

"NVG"
Night Vision Goggles. Need we say more!

Guns, Rifles Pistols, Ammunition, Bombs, Mortars

The military uses the collective "weapons" when describing pistols, rifles, machine-guns, anti-armour weapons etc. The civilian term "firearms," as used by the police, is not used by the military.

In addition, the ADF uses the term "small arms" to describe all man-portable weapons firing ammunition of or below 15 mm in calibre. Therefore, if an Australian patrol was fired upon by persons using rifles and machine-guns, it could be said that the patrol "came under small-arms fire."

The civilian term "bullet" refers to the actual projectile that is fired by small arms, ie, the "lump of lead" that comes out the barrel. Also, in civilian terms, the brass end containing the propellent, together with the "bullet" makes up a "cartridge," hence the police term "spent cartridges were found at the crime scene."

However, the military calls cartridges "rounds". The term ammunition can be used to describe rounds for small arms such as pistols, rifles and machine-guns, through to ammunition for mortars and artillery, eg, a mortar round, an artillery round and so on.

Ammunition can be blank or live. The terms speak for themselves, ie, a live round will kill or wound, a blank round will make a noise, has no projectile or "bullet", and is generally harmless when fired in accordance with safety regulations.

A gun is a machine-gun such as the Minimi machine gun, the MAG 58 machine gun or the .50-calibre machine-gun, to name the main ones. Therefore, to say or write "a soldier armed with a gun" would mean that the soldier is carrying a machine-gun.

A rifle is a weapon such as the Steyr rifle or the M-16 rifle. The majority of Australian soldiers carry the Steyr. In the late 80s/early 90s, it replaced the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, known simply as the "SLR."

The Steyr riifle has two main attachments that can be fitted - a grenade launcher that fires a 40 mm grenade (shaped like a large shotgun round) and a Night Aiming Device, basically a night-sight for the weapon. The Steyr fires a 5.56 mm round.

Reporters occasionally use the word "handgun" when they mean "pistol." The military uses the word "pistol." The current pistol in-service is the Browning pistol. Its nick-name is the "nine-mil," due to the 9 mm calibre of its ammunition.

Rifles and pistols are loaded by fitting a magazine to the weapon. Rounds are first loaded into the magazine, and then the magazine is fitted to the weapon.

Mortars
A mortar is, in very simple terms, a portable weapon consisting of a metal tube mounted on a base-plate and fitted with a sight. The weapon is fired by dropping a round down the tube. Each infantry battalion has a mortar platoon, which gives the battalion its very own fire-support capability. Despite the basic description above, mortars are accurate and very effective weapons.

Anti-Armour Weapons
Reporters have sometimes used the World War Two slang word "bazooka" to describe a man-portable or shoulder-fired anti-armour weapon. The Army prefers the term anti-armour weapon, as in the 84mm Carl Gustav anti-armour weapon, or the Javelin anti-armour weapon.

Bombs
The term "bomb" in the military generally refers to explosive ordnance dropped from aircraft.
Mortar rounds are just that - not "mortar bombs", and artillery rounds are not "artillery bombs", they are called artillery rounds.

Explosive Ordnance, Unexploded Ordnance - NOT "Ordinance."
Reporters will come across this term when covering the discovery of old World War Two ammunition close to towns or built-up areas. The military calls these items "UXO," meaning "Unexploded Ordnance." UXO has either not been fired, or failed to detonate or explode when it was fired.

Trespassing on training areas and ranges is therefore taken very seriously by Defence in North Queensland. Those who choose to illegally enter Townsville Field Training Area (High Range), Mount Stuart Training Area, or any other field-firing range, are placing their lives at risk and may be subject to prosecution. All training areas are fenced and sign-posted.

Fast Facts Booklet

The Fast Facts Booklet provides a summary of Defence Facts and Figures collected from a number of sources including the Portfolio Budget Summary, the Annual Report and each of the Groups and Services. The booklet is published bi-annually with hard copies distributed to the Ministers, Parliamentary Secretary and all Senior Leadership Group members. An electronic version of the booklet can be downloaded from the Resources section of the CPA intranet website.

Any questions in relation to the Fast Facts booklet should be directed to the Coordination contact officer, via email Mark Tanzer or by calling 07 4771 1602