Australia's CT forces

[2RHPZ]

Special forces get training boost

Date: 22/05/04

A new $80 million state-of-the-art training facility for Australia's counter-terrorist forces was to be built in Sydney, Defence Minister Robert Hill announced.
Construction will begin at the Holsworthy barracks in Sydney's south-west in August and is expected to be completed in 2006.
"The new training facilities, which are valued at $80 million, will be one of only four of its kind in the world next to Perth and two in the United States, providing leading edge training to our counter terrorists forces," Senator Hill said.
The new facilities will include indoor and outdoor electronic and live firing ranges, and training and targeting environments for the Tactical Assault Group (East) and 4 RAR Commando.
"The facilities will be used to train for counter terrorist scenarios and other specific special forces roles including snipers, commandos and the Incident Response Regiment," Senator Hill said.
Special forces soldiers will also get new assault rifles, machine guns, anti-tank weapons, mortars, grenade launchers, vehicles, optical equipment such as binoculars, thermal imaging equipment and night vision goggles, radios and communications equipment and generators.
Senator Hill said the new training facilities and equipment will ensure Australia can respond quickly to terrorist threats.
"Australia's special forces are among the best in the world and this is due not only to their skill and professionalism but also their supplies and equipment," he said.
"This project will ensure they remain able to respond rapidly to terrorist threats at home and abroad."
In addition to the new training facilities, new office accommodation will be built and infrastructure upgraded at Holsworthy Barracks.

http://seven.com.au/news/nationalnews/83857

[Flagg]

You know what THAT means don't you?

The Aussies will eventually HAVE to invite their Kiwi cousins over to play......it would be rude not to :roll:

Sort of like having a friend with a boat.......you get to have all the fun....without any of the expense ;)

[n4292936]

Sweet, the facility has been planned for a long time now, and will complement other improvements that are occuring at the Special Forces Training Centre in Singleton and those which are occuring at Holsworthy, the home of the Commandos and their CT force - TAG-East. Its about time Holsworthy got upgraded too, some of the facilities there were shocking!
www.AusSpecialForces.com

[BiZ]

I have seen the plans for the "Holsworthy Defence Project" for some time now and I will simply say that it will be a great facility.
Full 747 (cut wingspan) inside covered area with rappel points, waterborne craft insertion facility....360 and 270 degree firing rooms and stairwells/lifts......etc etc.
Everything away from prying eyes......and Regulars.. ;)

Not as large as the facilities availible to SASR in Perth, but their range encompasses a broader spectrum of roles and have been develpoed over many years. I'd imagine more facilities etc will be built as time goes on if deemed needed (eg: Blackhawk fast rope/rappel/rock climbing tower).



I'd scan and post stuff.....but I'd like to keep my job... :D

[Flagg]

Everything away from prying eyes......and Regulars..

And Reserves..

damn!

It sort of feels like going to the amusement park, but not being able to go on the ride because I'm not as tall as the clown's hand. :oops:

[n4292936]

not all reserves will be excluded. Both 1Coy and 2Coy of the 1st Commando regiment will be afforded the opportunity to train at some of the ranges and at the maritime operations training facility. im fairly sure they will have all access except for the CT stuff which only full time Commandos and their TAG in particular will have access to.
Hell, if 3RAR has rights to some of the facility then 1st CDO sure as hell will.

[BiZ]

The DV OAR/Mock up range will only be of use to 4RAR, specifically those on rotation with TAG.
It is a full-spectrum facility, but with specific focus towards specialist recovery operations (CT).
It will be used by all of those within 4RAR and obviously others from within the SF community from time to time.

1 Commando Regiment (reserve) and State Police Tactical teams will have access to certain things for training as is already the case with current facilities on both coasts, eg Commandoes with MOUT training and PTGs with CT/MOE/CQT etc.

When talking about Reserves, I certainly wouldn't put 1CDO Regt into the same category as any other Reserve unit, they're better equiped and get more "live" training than almost all regular units (non SF obviously).

3RAR will certainly not be spending much time within the confines of the new special operations facilities.
Just like Swanborne, it's SF primarily. (I'm not reffering to general upgrades at Holsworhty, only the 'mock up' and SO facilities for 4RAR)

[n4292936]

Biz, I was under the impression that 3RAR, also at Holsworthy, would have access to some of the facilities when they werent being used by 4RAR. Is that not so?

[BiZ]

3RAR will have potentially have access to MOUT facilities etc, but certainly not the CT/SR Mock up Range building, it's nature/facilities are officially "secret" as are the mock ups/ranges at Swanborne.

The upgrade and provisions for facilites for MOUT etc are completly different to the construction of the DV/OAR Mock up range. The "range" will be purely SF only for CT/SR work and related tasks etc.

You don't see 3RAR playing at Swanborne SR Range do you now? :D

[2RHPZ]

BTW, I don´t remember if this web link was posted before:

http://www.awm.gov.au/iraq/sas.asp

I guess that obviously did, but anyway ... looks good, so I want to share it with those who didn´t see that. ;)

[Dennis G]

cool info

[Kruglerek]

Here are some photos:
http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2004/May/250504.cfm

[2RHPZ]

Australia To Spend More To Fight Terrorism

Larger Defense Budget Also Funds Iraq Support, Joint Strike Fighter
By GREGOR FERGUSON, ADELAIDE

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, as well as to the longer-term war on terrorism, in the nation’s 2004-05 defense budget disclosed May 11.
During the announcement in Canberra, Sen. Robert Hill, minister of defense, also noted the budget’s support of Australia’s participation in the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter program as well as shorter-term enhancements in the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) combat capabilities.
Despite facing a general election later this year, Treasurer Peter Costello resisted the temptation to cut defense spending, instead unveiling a defense budget of 15.9 billion Australian dollars ($11.2 billion), a 4.5 percent increase from last year’s budget of 15.2 billion Australian dollars. The overall federal budget, which was released May 11 as well, totals 192 billion Australian dollars.

The new budget, which goes into effect July 1, allocates 131.6 million Australian dollars over the next three years to support ongoing military operations in Iraq, and 54 million dollars to strengthen the Department of Defence’s intelligence-gathering and analysis capabilities.
“The ADF’s operational tempo is the highest since Vietnam and the strategic environment is far more complex,” Hill said in a May 11 statement. “As well as our commitments to operations in Iraq, East Timor and the Solomon Islands, we have to be prepared for the uncertainty driven by the proponents of terrorism.
“We are playing a crucial role helping to get Iraq back on its feet — providing training for the new Iraqi defense forces, contributing to security and providing air traffic control services at Baghdad airport.”
This will maintain the ADF presence at its present level until at least June 2005, he added.
The budget also allocates an additional 20.1 million and 22.2 million Australian dollars to sustain the ADF’s peacekeeping operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands.
Costello included in the defense budget 755 million dollars during the next five years for non-defense agencies involved in security and counterterrorism operations.
This includes 270 million dollars for Australia’s internal and external intelligence agencies, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and Australian Secret Intelligence Service, and a total of 357 million dollars for the Australian Federal Police, Customs Service, international security cooperation and enhancements to the security of critical infrastructure, such as nuclear reactors and communications centers, and national icons like the Sydney Opera House.

Procurement Plans

The 2004 budget includes 2.8 billion Australian dollars to fund existing and new procurement programs.
The spending plan provides for the purchase of an additional two Boeing Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft from Chicago-based Boeing for 326 million Australian dollars. Australia previously ordered four of the aircraft at a cost of 3.5 billion dollars. The first of the six converted 737 airliners is scheduled to make its maiden flight this week in Seattle.
The budget also calls for buying two new families of stand-off missiles for Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18 Hornet fighters, and further upgrades and logistics support for the Hornets and the RAAF AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, C-130J Hercules transport planes and Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigates.
The RAAF also will call for tenders this year for a new 450 million Australian dollar Follow-On Stand-Off Weapon to arm the Hornets and AP-3C Orions.Contenders include the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile, Boeing’s Standoff Land Attack Missile-Extended Response and the German-Swedish Taurus KEPD missile.
The Air Force’s 75 million Australian dollar Bomb Improvement Program will see Raytheon and Boeing submit tenders for their Enhanced Paveway II and Joint Direct Attack Munition bomb guidance kits, respectively, to enhance the accuracy and lethality of the service’s inventory of conventional munitions. These will arm the Hornets until they are replaced by the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter around 2012, Hill said.
Some 884 million dollars in procurement money was deferred until 2008 and beyond because projects are not moving fast enough.
The deferral is an acknowledgement that the department’s procurement processes cannot keep pace with the aggressive schedule for new equipment acquisition set out in the December 2000 defense white paper published by Hill’s predecessor, John Moore, according to Mark Thomson, a defense budget analyst for the Canberra-based Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
The performance of the department’s procurement arm has improved considerably in recent years, but the schedule challenges procurement officials and the Defence Department’s broader investment, planning and approval processes, Thomson said.