Oceania OOB

[Mohoender]

New Zealand Army 2004

By Nick Dowling

Detailed Order of Battle

Army General Staff (Wellington)
Development Branch
Policy and Plans Branch
Resources Branch
Coordination Branch
Inspector General (Army)
HR Executive Branch
Logistics Executive (Trentham Camp)

Base Depot Trentham
5 Base Logistics Group

Army Training Group (Waiouru Camp)
HQ Army Training Group
Land Operations Training Centre
Combat School
School of Artillery, 16 Field Regiment
Logistics Operations School
School of Tactics
School of Signals
Trade Training School
School of Military Intelligence and Security
Joint Catering School
School of Military Engineering, 2 Engineer Regiment
Officer Cadet School
The Army Depot
New Zealand Army Marae
New Zealand Army Band
NZLAV Transition Training Team
New Zealand Army Simulation Centre (Linton Camp)
Waiouru Support Centre

Land Component Commander (HQ NZDF, Trentham Camp)

Force Troops
1 New Zealand SAS Group (Papakura Camp)
Headquarters support wing
Training wing
1 Squadron
Boat Troop
Air Troop
Mountain Troop
2 Squadron
Boat Troop
Air Troop
Mountain Troop
Force Military Police Company (Trentham Camp)

2 Land Force Group (Linton Camp)
HQ 2 Land Force Group
Queen Alexandra’s Squadron (M-113 APC) (Waiouru Camp)
1 Battalion, The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
3 Auckland (Countess of Ranfurly's Own) and Northland Battalion Group (Territorial Force) (Auckland Army Centre)
Ranfurly Company [rifle company]
11/4 Battery
1 Signals Squadron
1 Logistics Company
1 Health Company
Recruit Company
Civil Affairs Company
5 Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Battalion Group (Territorial Force) (Wanganui)
6 Hauraki Battalion Group (Territorial Force) (Tauranga)
7 Wellington (City of Wellington's Own) and Hawke's Bay Battalion Group (Territorial Force) (Napier)
16 Field Regiment
HQ Battery
161 Battery (6 105mm Light Gun)
163 Battery (6 105mm Light Gun)
43 Air Defence Battery (Light) (12 Mistral SAM)
16 Field Regiment Workshops
2 Engineer Regiment (-)
HQ Squadron
2 Field Squadron
25 Engineer Support Squadron
2 Signals Squadron
Force Intelligence Group (Trentham Camp)
2 Logistics Battalion
10 Transport Company
2 Workshop Company
21 Supply Company
IEDD/EOD Team(s?)
2 Health Services Battalion (-)
Operational Welfare Unit
2 MP Platoon


3 Land Force Group (Burnham Camp)
HQ 3 Land Force Group
2/1 Battalion, The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
2 Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough, and West Coast Battalion Group (Territorial Force) (Christchurch)
4 Otago and Southland Battalion Group (Territorial Force) (Dunedin)
3 Field Troop, 2 Engineer Regiment
3 Signals Squadron
3 Logistics Battalion
Medical Treatment Centre, 2 Health Support Battalion
3 MP Platoon
Training units attached to 3 Land Force Group:
Army Adventure Training Centre
3 Regional Training Unit
Health Services School, 2 Health Support Battalion


Major Equipment:
(from Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter 2002-2003 Source book and Rolfe (1999))
APC:
72 M113 (inc variants. To be retired in the near future)
105 LAV III on order (102 LAVs and 3 recovery vehicles. Deliveries began in November 2003 and will finish November 2004. These vehicles are called NZLAVs in NZ service)
Artillery: 24 105mm L118 Light Guns
ATGW: 24 Javelin on order (will all be in service by the end of 2006)
RCL: 63 84mm Carl Gustav
Mortar: 50 81mm
SAM: 12 Mistral (to be upgraded and made fully operational)

Notes:

The New Zealand Army has a personnel strength of 4423 regulars, 1975 reservists and 646 civilians (7044 total). 14% of the Army’s personnel are female.
By 2005 all positions in the New Zealand Army, including infantry, will be open to female soldiers.
The New Zealand Army’s budget for the financial year 2004-2005 is $NZ 560 Million ($US 357 Million).
The Territorial Force (TF) is the reserve component of the New Zealand Army. On mobilisation, the TF units will provide reinforcements and individual replacements to the two regular battalions and combine to form a third battalion, 3/1 RNZIR. The six TF battalions are meant to be able to each field at least one rifle company. On mobilisation, each of the regular battalions will receive a TF company, with the remaining four companies combining to form 3/1 RNZIR.
In the very unlikely event of full mobilisation and simultaneous deployment, the three RNZIR battalions and other army elements will combine into a Brigade Group. This brigade group exists in peacetime as a purely ‘paper’ formation with the designation of 7 Brigade. HQ 7 Brigade would be drawn from HQ 2 Land Force Group, which plays the role of HQ 7 Brigade during large-scale exercises.
New Zealand is planning to establish a dedicated counter Improvised Explosive Device and Chemical and Biological Weapons organisation which will be made up of personnel drawn from all three services and operate under Army command. This unit will be very similar Australia’s Incident Response Regiment. This capacity is currently being filled by three joint IED/CB teams (one each at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch) which are under Army command. These units are not included in the above OOB as I cannot find detailed information on them.
Tactical air transport for the New Zealand Army is provided by the 14 UH-1 Iroquois helicopters operated by the Utility Flight of the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s 3 Squadron. 6 aircraft are maintained on high readiness to support deployed Army units.
Deliveries of New Zealand’s 105 LAV III’s are now underway, and will be completed by November 2004. These LAVs will be sufficient to motorise two battalions (a fully equipped battalion group will have a total of 51 LAVs, with each rifle company group being mounted in 14 LAVs).
The NZ Defence Minister has announced that the LAVs are to be allocated between the Army’s units as follows:
Fifty to 1 RNZIR at Linton Camp
Forty to 2/1 RNZIR at Burnham Camp
Ten to the Army Training Group at Waiouru Camp
Five to the Trade Training School at Trentham Camp
The first LAVs have now been delivered to 1 RNZIR, which was in the process of converting to the vehicles at the time of writing. The first LAV III Platoon will complete their crew training on 25 June 2004, the first LAV III mounted company will be available from December 2004 and 1 RNZIR will be ready for overseas deployment with the vehicles by December 2005.
A full strength New Zealand infantry battalion consists of:
headquarters
three infantry companies
combat support elements
reconnaissance company
The exact names of the Territorial Force units are somewhat unclear. The Army’s official website has this less then clear explanation of the naming convention currently in use: “The six TF regiments are known formally as battalion groups (recognising historical links and relevance) however for ease of communication are referred to as regiments”. Army websites appear to interchangeably refer to these units as numbered battalion groups and as non-numbered regiments. For example, the Auckland (Countess of Ranfurly's Own) and Northland Regiment is called by both this name and by just ‘3rd Battalion Group’ on it’s home site, and an army news article refers to the ‘4th Otago and Southland Battalion Group’.
I’ve chosen to use the apparently formal designation of ‘battalion group’. Readers who can shed more light on this issue are encouraged to contact the author at: nick_dowling@hotmail.com
The organisation of the Territorial Force Battalion Groups/Regiments differs from unit to unit. At minimum, each Battalion Group/Regiment consists of a headquarters, a recruit induction training company, at least one rifle company, and a number of combat support/combat service support companies or platoons.

For example, the website of the Auckland (Countess of Ranfurly's Own) and Northland Battalion Group/Regiment (www.aucknortharmy.mil.nz/index.htm) provides a very complete order of battle for this unit:

3 Auckland (Countess of Ranfurly's Own) and Northland Battalion Group
HQ
Ranfurly Company
1 Rifle Platoon
2 Rifle Platoon
3 Rifle Platoon
11/4 Battery
A Troop
G Troop
1 Signals Squadron
11 Signals Troop
12 CIS Trop
Engineer Troop
1 Logistics Company
Transport Platoon
QT Platoon
EME Platoon
1 Health Company
Recruit Company
1 Platoon
2 Platoon
3 Platoon
Civil Affairs Company
Training Wing
Band