Reserves take lead in Solomons
Volume 11, No. 58, December 14, 2006
By WO2 Graham McBean
and Cpl Mike McSweeney
SOUTH Queensland reservists will undertake the largest independent deployment of Reserves since World War II when they deploy on Operation Anode early next year.
More than 100 soldiers from 25/49RQR and 9RQR have concentrated at Gallipoli Barracks for force preparation and deployment to the Solomon Islands.
CO 25/49RQR Lt-Col Rowan Martin said it was a watershed moment for an Army Reserve operation that would deploy without the overarching command of an ARA unit.
“This is the first time in recent history that we have had a principally Army Reserve sub-unit deploy on operations more or less independently,” Lt-Col Martin said.
“It is a reflection of what the CA has articulated in his recent Hardened and Networked Army initiative that he has a growing expectation of what the Army Reserve will provide to Army’s overall capability.”
The deployment will last about three months but soldiers deploying are, importantly, trialling a six-month full-time contract that will include a “decompression” period at the end of the deployment and time for leave.
Lt-Col Martin said the deployment was breaking new ground in the administration and force preparation for Reserves and that DSTO had been commissioned to apply an “intellectual rigour” to capturing data for future operations.
He said the deployment presented an opportunity to gather what would be comprehensive and objective analytical study on how best to raise, train and sustain a Reserve sub-unit.
“We are learning a lot of new rules about how best to prepare the Army Reserve and how best to train them given their previous training level,” he said.
“We are learning how to deal with employer groups and how to maximise the benefits of the policies that are in place to ensure that Army reservists are able to commit and go away on operations – this is where a number of lessons will be learnt.”
For the soldiers, it is an opportunity to serve the Army and to contribute in a meaningful way that few thought would ever be possible.
Manual arts teacher and Masters of Education student Cpl Tim Lewis said 25/49RQR had worked hard to gain the support of family, employers and universities for the deployment.
“The battalion has done a great job of doing that and getting everyone on side,” Cpl Lewis said. “I’ll just have to defer first semester next year, but it will only put me back six months – it’ll be great.”
Brisbane police sergeant Pte Wayne Bryant will swap the blue uniform for camouflage and said the deployment had given added significance to his training in the Reserves.
“I can’t wait. It is good to do something for the community and Australia. You bust a gut in training doing courses and deploying to the Solomon Islands gives me a chance to put that training into practice,” he said.
