2014 KRONICLE Third Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment ‘Old Faithful’ 3RD BATTALION, THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN REGIMENT Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Gavin Keating Executive Officer: Major Paul Prickett Operations Officer: Major Judd Finger Adjutant: Captain Adam Seary Regimental Sergeant Major: Warrant Officer Class One Andrew Shore Battle Honours: Alliances: Korea 1950-53 Scots Guards Kapyong Queen’s Royal Hussars Maryang San South Vietnam 1965-72 Coral / Balmoral Affiliations: Long Tan The Royal Australian Regiment Association The Royal Australian Regiment Foundation Awards: The Korea and South East Asian Forces United States of America Association of Australia Presidential Unit Citation The Airborne Association Editors: Captain Joel Waterhouse and Captain Thomas Horne Graphic Design: Defence Publishing Service Printed by: Defence Publishing Service, Laverton Disclaimer: The views expressed in this magazine are the personal views of the authors and, unless otherwise stated, do not in anyway reflect Defence policy CONTENTS p14 p18 p20 p32 p43 p60 COMMANDING OFFICER’S FOREWORD LIEUTENANT COLONEL GAVIN KEATING READINESS, ACCOUNTABILITY, REPUTATION, RESPECT ‘Old Faithful’ continued to add to the Force Generation Cycle’s lexicon in 2014 as we waded our way through the process of ‘readying’ in the ‘Ready Brigade’. The unit’s main focus was preparing to assume Ready Battlegroup (RBG) duties, which was always going to challenge given the lack of unit level training opportunities available in 2013. The ‘learning curve’ for all ranks was spectacularly steep, at least for the first six months, during which 3 RAR completed four major unit or formation level exercises in short succession… The training year proper started live fire activities and company full introducing a mysterious substance in February with the annual basic mission profiles. Highlights included known as hexamine to the vast majority weapons live fire week at High Range. teaching the clerks at Battalion of the unit. EX LONG KHANH, the first Battalion Headquarters the fine art of morning Having started from such high levels level exercise in over 12 months, routine, reacquainting the members of of proficiency our progression onto the followed shortly afterwards and Catering Platoon with the complexities Combat Training Centre’s Battlegroup involved a combination of platoon of the sentry challenge procedure and Warfighter exercise was smooth (sort Kapyong Kronicle 2014 | 4 of). CTC offers the most realistic In June we were back in the field Elastic’). This included one subunit field training available within Forces on the Brigade’s Combined Arms with a 2 RAR Company Headquarters, Command – if operations are similar to Training Activity, again held in our old two 1 RAR Platoons and the odd competing at the Olympics then a CTC stomping grounds at High Range. soldier and vehicle from 3 RAR to glue Warfighter is akin to the Commonwealth Unseasonally wet weather turned the the whole thing together. Surprisingly Games. As such we went into this unit’s motorised advance to its first the ensuing evacuations at Atherton challenge with the equivalent of a local objective into something more akin to and Innisfail went pretty smoothly and fun run under our belts. The ensuing a cross country car rally than a military were certainly more interesting than two weeks certainly tested all ranks operation. One particular highlight was sitting at High Range and waiting for and provided a number of noteworthy the engineer led expedient repair of a the enemy to do something of interest. experiences. These included the routine particularly troublesome culvert which In the interim C Company conducted early morning mortaring of BHQ by the saw the entire convoy dismount and two successful raids on terrorist training enemy, the ‘cleansing’ of DFSW Platoon do a fair impersonation of Egyptian camps at various exotic locations during the ‘Great Garbage Massacre’ slaves building the pyramids. The in North Queensland. The second and the subsequent rapid transition subsequent Battlegroup attacks on included a nice little beach sprint and relocation of Mortar Platoon as two urban objectives, by day and night, several kilometres in length. Meanwhile, the Battalion’s Quick Reaction Force. were easy by comparison. The exercise Admin Coy made itself comfortable at Admin Coy fought its own war and culminated with a 9 hour Battlegroup RAAF Base Garbutt and produced the possibly saw more action than the live fire assault in the Star Sector, greatest intelligence coup of the entire vast majority of the riflemen… all part featuring dismounted, motorised exercise by capturing some enemy of the OPSO’s clever ‘tethered goat’ and mechanised forces and a shed officers who had dropped into the base plan. Overall, despite a few setbacks, load of indirect fire support. LT Hume for a coffee. They probably should not the Battalion performed very credibly distinguished himself as the CO’s Piper have been carrying a complete set of and learnt a great deal. Destroying the during the day. A 25km route march their battle plans on this particular social majority of the enemy force on three to the extraction point followed in the outing. separate occasions in the last 72 hours evening – the fairy lights thoughtfully put August was dominated by the conduct was certainly a great way to finish. out by the reception party were a most of the annual Battalion Military Skills The 63rd anniversary of the Battle of welcome sight. Competition. This year there was a Kapyong was marked with the annual The final activity in 3 RAR’s certification particular emphasis placed on live fire unit open day and ceremonial parade. as the RBG was EX HAMEL, the activities at the individual and section This year the RSM decided to play it first major training activity in recent levels. It was a rather rude introduction safe and stick to a pretty traditional history where the Army’s Intelligence, to the unit for the many riflemen who format, which worked well. He politely Surveillance, Target Acquisition and arrived from Singleton immediately after ignored suggestions about parading in Reconnaissance units were the EX HAMEL. Private Romeo from RSS patrol order and was later commended declared main effort. Luckily for 3 Platoon was the Champion Soldier for his ‘courage’ in electing to include Brigade these ‘enablers’ needed and won the Cave Award. CPL Court’s the standard march past in slow time, someone to actually ‘enable’ so the Section from A Company secured a something strenuously avoided by exercise proved to be interesting narrow win to claim the Opie Trophy. many others. The inclusion of the enough. 3 RAR’s status as the Once again the Subbies’ Section, Star Wars ‘Imperial March’ tune to Brigade’s main effort was reflected in supported by PTE Keiger and LCPL accompany the advance in review order the formation orders to cut the unit Cotton from Admin Coy, performed was appreciated by young and old into three pieces. Support Company credibly. August also saw 3 RAR alike. The Battalion celebrated the end went to work for 3 Combat Engineer participate in the AEIOU Charity 40km of this busy week with the Unit Ball at Regiment for the duration and to this Walk (route march) and the Brigade’s Jupiter’s Casino. MAJ Paul Prickett’s day still struggles with the resulting Freedom of Entry Ceremony at Jezzine various meetings with the Casino’s identity crisis. C Company acted at Park and the Strand. staff, which narrowly averted a financial the Brigade Reserve for most of the The year saw mixed results for the disaster after the aborted attempt to time and the rest formed the ADF’s Battalion in the Brigade’s military skills hold the Ball in late 2013, earned him Noncombatant Evacuation force and sports competitions. No one, the nickname ‘The Negotiator’! (known colloquially as ‘Battlegroup however, could fault the efforts of those 5 | Kapyong Kronicle 20142013 who represented Old Faithful in these Shooting Course in October, which time was spent at an Army Reserve unit events. Highlights included the unit’s helped to usher in an entirely new in New South Wales. He told the QM on AFL victories against 1 and 2 RAR approach to the way we conduct arrival that he wanted to keep his jungle in the Morotai Cup and successful marksmanship training. Adventure greens and SLR because all the new defence of the Hummerston/Sketchley training was conducted late in the stuff is too complex for him. RAR Rugby Cup. The inter-company year and featured a range of different There can be little doubt that 2014 was competition was hard fought across challenges, including whitewater rafting, an action packed 12 months. All ranks a range of disciplines. The arrival of a trekking and caving. Special mention worked exceptionally hard to allow the group of pony tailed personnel with should be made of the sea kayaking unit to successfully achieve certification horned helmets at the very first event, expedition between Townsville and as the RBG. We are well and truly ready the tug-of-war competition, signalled Lucinda, led by LT Priest and LCPL for any challenges that may lie ahead the start of a determined C Company Harvey. The end of the year also during our remaining time online. Well attempt to prevail against the other saw the unit conduct the Brigade done Battalion. companies. Their efforts were ultimately Reconnaissance and DFSW Basic successful in securing a well deserved Courses and a Superviser Infantry win for the Vikings. Operations Course, all of which Faithful succeeded in growing new specialists One of the highlights of the year was GMK Old Faithful’s ongoing engagement and JNCOs (despite the odd fire – B with the PNGDF. Early in the year B Company is now 2 from 2 when it CO Company provided a Mobile Training comes to fires and SIOS).