More responsibility for Reserves

Squadron Leader Paul Gallagher has been called in to backfill a position with No. 395 Expeditionary Combat Support Wing.

By Ben Caddaye

The Strategic role for the Reserves has now changed from mobilisation to meet remote threats to that of supporting and sustaining the types of contemporary military operations in which the ADF may be increasingly engaged. – 2000 Defence White Paper

AIR Force Reservists at bases all over the country have been stepping in to fill holes left by the recent deployment of hundreds of our permanent personnel on Operation Bastille and Operation Falconer.

About 20 Reservists are backfilling positions left temporarily vacant as a result of Air Force’s operational commitments in the Middle East.

One Reservist, Squadron Leader Paul Gallagher, was recently called in to backfill a role at RAAF Base Townville’s No. 395 Expeditionary Combat Support Wing.

Normally the Executive Officer at No. 27 (City of Townsville) Squadron for two-days-a-week, SQNLDR Gallagher started at 395ECSW in January following a call from the Executive Officer at Combat Reserve Wing Headquarters, Wing Commander Grant Buggy.

“The new position is going extremely well and we are now breaking new ground in the Reserve-PAF partnership and participating in a real sense,” SQNLDR Gallagher said.

“I feel we are now providing real capability in a real situation, albeit on a small scale.”

He recently spoke to participants at a Combat Reserve Wing conference, stressing to them the need for quick and decisive action on the Reserves’ role in these types of operations.

SQNLDR Gallagher is more qualified than most to explain the role of the Reserves in wartime.

For the past 12 months he has donned another hat to take part in a working group involved in the Reserve Wartime Establishment Project.

“One of the primary outcomes of this project will be the determination of the Reserve wartime establishment needed to bring Air Force to its ideal size to meet tasks in a time of emergency,” he said.

“I believe the intention of the working group is to develop a mature Air Force Reserve that is a viable and integral part of the Air Force in the 21st Century.”

He sees what he’s doing now as one of three main wartime/contingency roles for today’s Air Force Reserves.

He said providing additional manpower to the surge capability of units (augmentation or surge) and becoming part of the rotational pool, depending on the length of operations (sustainment) were two other important roles.

“At this stage we have been able to meet the majority of requests from the permanent forces, both on a full-time basis and on part-time support,” he said.

While he doesn’t anticipate being deployed himself, SQNLDR Gallagher said a limited number of specialist Reserves, including a lawyer and a chaplain, had already been sent to the Middle East because of their background and skills.

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