Quote:
Originally Posted by Legbreaker
Australia Reserve units are not in any shape or form close to combat ready. Yes, there are individuals who may be, but 95% of each unit needs a good 3 months (minimum) additional training.
Added to that most reserve units are staffed at only skeleton levels - the 41st for example (my original unit) could barely scrape together a company plus minimal support elements when it came to the annual exercise, and even then we were usually still operating with about 70-80% strength.
To bring these units up to full manpower will take time, and then more time to train the reinforcements. Mobilisation speed is not exactly a priority in that sort of situation...
What would happen is the unit as a whole would be called up to full time service, a process which would take a few days. The unit would then move to a dedicated training establishment such as the Infantry centre at Singleton just outside Newcastle in NSW. There they would absorb reinforcements and conduct intensive training for several months. Finally it's likely to be sent on a large scale exercise in terrain similar to that where they are expected to deploy, before at last being declared combat ready.
Note that the training establishments do not currently have the facilities to cater for large scale mobilisation of troops with Singleton as an example really only capable of handling about two battalions at a time with a sizeable proportion of the troops housed in tents when not out on the range. The facilities that do exist beyond normal peace time requirements consist mostly of buildings from WWII and Vietnam (ie riddled with asbestos).
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And I would agree with what you said. But I did say the capability to raise three divisions does exist in theory organisationally on full mobilisation, not realistically.
And I wouldn't expect that situation to change any time soon as Australia is just to remote for any potential major power to threaten its borders, excluding strategic nuclear weapons. Even Indonesia lacks the logistical resources to seriously invade and hold any Australian territory. And any move by the Indonesians would be detected and eliminated by the RAAF and RAN before it gets any where near the Australian mainland.
For Australia to fully mobilise three divisions (and that's organisationally only), the Australian government would have to seriously plan to use Australian troops abroad in some expeditionary capacity and to take steps to logistically plan such a mobilisation in advance. Or some major threat to Australia and its regional interests would have to emerge.