The Australian Defense Force is Australia's armed forces responsible for the country's defense and security. The Australian army is unique in its kind, as it provides the defense of an entire continent. The Australian Armed Forces consist of the Royal Australian Army, navy Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force, which report to a single headquarters. In terms of military spending in 2014, Australia was in 13th place in the world - 25.4 billion US dollars (data from the Stockholm Peace Research Institute). Australia's armed forces are the largest in Oceania, but inferior to almost all the armies of Asian countries.
Despite the fact that the Australian Defense Force provides protection for the entire continent, the island of Tasmania and a number of other islands located in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, its staffing levels are relatively small. The number of Australian armed forces today hardly exceeds 59 thousand people (regular troops), in addition, more than 21 thousand civilian specialists work in the armed forces. There are also approximately 22,000 reservists who can join the armed forces at any given time. IN ground forces While a little more than 30 thousand military personnel serve in the country, almost the same number of military personnel serve in the country’s Air Force and Navy (both there are a little more than 14 thousand people). The Australian armed forces are focused on close cooperation with the United States, giving the Americans the right to use approximately 20 facilities located in Australia.
The Supreme Commander of the Australian Defense Force is the Governor-General. The general leadership of the country's armed forces is exercised by the Prime Minister, with direct control by the Minister of Defense. According to the country's constitution, the armed forces are recruited by hire. All Australian Army personnel are contract soldiers. The duration of the concluded contracts ranges from 3 to 6 years with a subsequent contract extension for 3 years. Preparation officers is carried out at the academy and military command and staff colleges of the armed forces, as well as at higher specialized officer schools and flight schools. You can literally get into the position of private in the Australian Army from the street. Every Australian citizen can sign up as a contract worker. Since 1990, contract service in Australia has been available to women. The number of women in the armed forces is constantly growing. According to some data, today one in five Australian army personnel is a woman.
Serving in the Australian Army is a good option for employment. A Lieutenant (4 years in the Navy) can qualify for a base salary of A$64K per year or over $95K with all possible allowances (both before taxes). A sailor in the navy (2 years of service) can count on a basic salary of 45 thousand Australian dollars per year or 69 thousand dollars with all allowances (also before taxes). For example, allowances include: length of service, costs of uniforms and allowance for sea voyages. The salary is also influenced by: the contract worker’s education, his rank and position. At the same time, sailors are allowed to take personal belongings with them to the army: bicycles, surfboards, musical instruments. During a trip on board the ship, they can play with each other on the console, play cards, chess, read magazines - everything in order to brighten up the hardships of service.
As in other modern armies of the world, Australian military personnel can count on various benefits: full medical insurance, benefits for the purchase of real estate, and an additional pension. Every contractor who has served at least 10 years in the Australian Armed Forces can expect to receive at least three months' annual leave. Women in the military are given 52 weeks of maternity leave, but for some reason only the first 14 weeks of leave are paid.
Australian Ground Forces
The ground forces are the largest part of the Australian Armed Forces. They serve a little over 30 thousand people. The army includes 3 commands: Forces Command, Special Operations Command and 1st Division Headquarters. The headquarters of the 1st Division is used only as an operational organ of military command when the country's ground forces perform combat missions under the general direction of the joint operations command. The division has no permanent units under its command.
Australian ASLAV-25 in Afghanistan
Special Operations Command includes one Special Air Service (SAS) regiment, two commando regiments (one of which is reserve), a damage control regiment emergency situations. All listed regiments are of battalion composition. The commando and special aviation service regiments were additionally assigned communications squadrons. In addition, a training center and a special operations logistics squadron are subordinate to the command.
The majority of units and formations of the Australian ground forces are subordinated to the Forces Command:
1st Mechanized Brigade, which includes a headquarters, a tank regiment (M1A1 Abrams tanks), an armored cavalry regiment (ASLAV-25 armored fighting vehicles), two motorized infantry battalions (M113 armored personnel carriers and Bushmaster armored vehicles), an artillery regiment (105 mm howitzers L119, 155-mm howitzers M198), communications regiment, engineer regiment, combat support battalion.
3rd Light Infantry Brigade, which includes a headquarters, an armored cavalry squadron (Bushmaster armored vehicles for transporting two infantry companies), two light infantry battalions, a parachute battalion, an artillery regiment (105 mm L119 howitzers), a communications regiment, an engineer regiment, combat support battalion.
7th Motorized Infantry Brigade, which includes a headquarters, an armored cavalry regiment (ASLAV-25 armored fighting vehicles), two motorized infantry battalions (Bushmaster armored vehicles), an artillery regiment (105 mm L119 howitzers), a communications squadron, an engineer regiment, a combat battalion provision.
Gunners from the 1st Australian Artillery Regiment take part in direct fire combat training with an M777 howitzer.
The 16th Army Aviation Brigade (aviation), which includes 3 helicopter regiments. The 1st Helicopter Regiment includes two Tiger squadrons (attack helicopters). The 5th Helicopter Regiment includes 3 squadrons (one each of MRH-90, Sikorsky S-70A-9 Blackhawk and Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopters), the 6th Helicopter Regiment consists of two squadrons: one on Bell 206B1 Kiowa helicopters, the other - Sikorsky S-70A-9.
6th combat support brigade (control, reconnaissance, surveillance, target designation and reconnaissance), which includes a headquarters, an engineer regiment, an electronic warfare regiment, a reconnaissance artillery regiment, an anti-aircraft regiment, a reconnaissance battalion, three regional surveillance units in sparsely populated areas, repair unit, aviation interaction group, infantry training group (in Malaysia).
17th Brigade logistics support, which includes a headquarters, a communications regiment, 3 medical battalions, 3 logistics battalions, a military police battalion and one detachment psychological impact on the enemy.
Reserve formations, which are also part of Forces Command, are subordinate to the headquarters of the 2nd Division. They include 6 infantry brigades (4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 13th) and one 8th Signal Regiment. Each of these reserve infantry brigades organizationally includes a headquarters, from two to four infantry battalions, reconnaissance units and logistics and combat support units.
Bushmaster PMV armored vehicle
Considering its small number, the Australian ground forces also have rather modest reserves of weapons and military equipment by the standards of many modern armies. The main battle tank of the Australian army is the M1A1AIM Abrams, all vehicles were supplied from the US armed forces. In total, there are 59 such tanks in Australia; there are no more tanks in service with the Australian Army. It is expected that they will be modernized; it is planned to allocate up to one billion dollars for these purposes.
Other armored vehicles are also represented by samples of American and Canadian production. For example, the ASLAV-25 armored fighting vehicle is an Australian version of the Canadian LAV-25 armored fighting vehicle, armed with a 25 mm automatic gun. In total, the Australian army is armed with 257 ASLAV-25 armored fighting vehicles of various designs (CVS, sanitary, etc.). In addition, 431 American M113 tracked armored personnel carriers continue to serve in the army, all of them have been upgraded to the M113AS3/AS4 level. In addition, there are about 840 Australian-made Bushmaster PMV armored personnel carriers in service, and more than 200 more units have been ordered. The Bushmaster 4x4 armored wheeled vehicle was developed by ADI and is capable of carrying up to 10 crew members (including the driver).
Australian artillery is represented by British 105-mm light towed guns for infantry support L119 (112 pieces), American 155-mm towed howitzers M198 (36 pieces) and American 155-mm lightweight towed howitzers M777A2 (35 units, 19 more on order). In addition, there are about 180 pieces of 82-mm F2 mortars. There are no self-propelled artillery units in the Australian Army.
The only air defense system of the Australian army remains the RBS-70 anti-aircraft missile systems produced by the Swedish company Bofors. There are a total of 45 such systems capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 8 kilometers and an altitude of up to 5 kilometers.
Eurocopter Tiger ARH attack helicopter
Anti-tank weapons are represented by 84-mm M3 Carl Gustav hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers of Swedish production, there are about 577 units. The most advanced are the American FGM-148 Javelin ATGMs; in total, there are at least 92 such systems in service.
Army aviation operates 22 European attack helicopters Eurocopter Tiger ARH (4 assembled in the EU, 18 in Australia). In addition, there are NHI MRH90 transport helicopters manufactured by the EU, 15 vehicles are available (a total of 40 helicopters are ordered), 6 American Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopters, 35 American Sikorsky S-70A-9 Black Hawk. There are also 36 American Bell OH-58A Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters.
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy has about 14,000 personnel. The main striking force of the fleet is 8 modern Aznak-class frigates (all built from 1996 to 2006), 4 Adelaide-class frigates (1983-1993), which are American guided-missile frigates of the Oliver Hazard Perry type, and 6 diesel -Collins-class electric submarines.
Aznak-class frigate
The Aznak frigates are a series of frigates built specifically for Australia and New Zealand. This project was jointly created by Australian Marine Engineering and the German Blohm und Voss based on the latter’s popular export project of the MEKO 200 frigate. The Collins diesel-electric submarines were designed in 1987-1989 by the Swedish company Kockums for the Australian Navy. According to plans, they will remain in service at least until 2025.
The immediate plans for updating the KVMS include the commissioning of three Hobart-class air defense destroyers of our own design (commissioned in 2016, 2017 and 2019). Also, the Australian fleet has recently been replenished with two Canberra-class universal landing ships (UDCs) (put into service in 2014 and 2015). The number of submarines in the fleet is planned to be increased in the future through the construction of 12 diesel submarines according to a new project; it was planned to allocate up to $40 billion for these purposes.
Collins-class submarine
Royal air Force Australia
The Royal Australian Air Force has approximately 14,000 personnel. The main strike force of the RAF is the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 fighter-bombers. In total, up to 54 McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornets and 17 two-seat McDonnell Douglas F/A-18B Hornets are in service. All of them were delivered back in 1886-1990 and are currently not in the best condition. Over time, all these machines are planned to be replaced by the 5th generation F-35A Lightning II fighters. The Australian military was ready to spend approximately $10 billion on the purchase of 100 such fighters; receipt of the first squadron is scheduled for 2019.
Against this backdrop, Australia's most modern combat aircraft are the 24 Boeing F/A-18F+ Super Hornet fighter-bombers that were delivered between 2010 and 2012. In addition, due to the delay in deliveries of the F-35A Lightning II fighter, the Australian Air Force in December 2012 additionally ordered 24 F/A-18F+ Super Hornet fighter-bombers from the United States, 12 of which will be supplied as EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft.
F/A-18F+ Super Hornet fighter-bomber
In addition, the Australian Air Force has 6 DLRO aircraft, which are represented by American Boeing 737 AEW&C. Military transport aviation is represented by 12 Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules and six Boeing C-17A Globemaster III aircraft. There are also 19 Lockheed AP-3C Orion patrol/anti-submarine aircraft.
Information sources:
http://pes76.livejournal.com/4309.html?page=1
http://www.mineaustralia.net/kul/182-vooruzhennye-sily-avstralii.html
http://www.wikiznanie.ru/wikipedia/index.php/Australia
http://lenta.ru/news/2012/07/12/spend
http://www.yakhnov.ru/australian-defence-force
Open source materials
The creation of the Australian armed forces dates back to 1851, when the formation of the first military units from among the settlers began. The need for them arose in connection with the need to compensate for the withdrawal of part of the British troops from the colony involved in participation in the war, as well as to ensure order in the country in the context of the massive influx of immigrants that had begun.
For decades, right up to late XIX century, Australia was an important stronghold in the vast British colonial empire in Asia, which included India, Burma (now Myanmar), large areas of modern Malaysia, Singapore and the Sultanate of Brunei, and actively contributed to the spread of British colonial rule to the island territories of Oceania. By the beginning of the 20th century, Great Britain took possession of part of Papua New Guinea, the New Hybrid Islands, Fiji, Gilbert and Ellis, Takelau (Union), Cook and other island territories in Oceania.
As part of the British Army, Australian units took part in the fighting in Sudan in 1885 and in 1899 - 1902. However, as a single structure, the Australian armed forces were created only in 1901, after the country received the status of a British dominion. Their further development was facilitated by the adoption of the labor law in 1903. In 1911, compulsory non-military military training of men suitable for military service was introduced.
At that time, up to 330 thousand military personnel were sent from Australia to the British troops operating in Europe and Africa. Their total losses in the war amounted to about 215 thousand people.
By the end of the 30s, three types of armed forces had been formed in the Australian army.
During the period, about 960 thousand people were mobilized, which amounted to 13 percent. the entire population of the country. 300 thousand soldiers and officers fought as part of the British army in the Middle East and Europe, and 260 thousand took part in hostilities against Japan in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. The total losses of Australians in the war amounted to 73 thousand people.
In the post-war period, Australia, while maintaining traditional ties with London, began to intensify military-political cooperation with the United States and soon became one of the most reliable allies and partners. During " cold war"and bipolar confrontation, Australia supported all Washington's foreign policy actions aimed at creating military blocs with a view to subsequent formation on their basis unified system collective security of all pro-Western states in the Pacific. In 1951, the United States, Australia and New Zealand formed the military bloc ANZUS (Pacific Security Pact), and in 1971 Canberra became one of the initiators of the creation of the ANZUS bloc (Quinpartite Defense Agreement) consisting of five countries of the British Commonwealth - Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand , Malaysia and Singapore. In 1976, Australia and New Zealand approved the US proposal to include the Indian Ocean in the area of responsibility of the ANZUS bloc and pledged to allocate forces and resources of the national air force and navy for joint patrolling of this area with the United States.
At the same time, since the mid-80s, New Zealand, as a result of the rise of the anti-nuclear movement in the country, introduced a ban on ships entering its ports and combat aircraft with nuclear weapons on board landing on its territory. The United States reacted sharply negatively to this decision and withdrew its obligations “to ensure the security of New Zealand,” which actually led to a crisis in the ANZUS bloc, which has not been overcome to this day.
Within the framework of this bloc, the creation of united armed forces was initially envisaged. However, subsequently the participating countries came to the conclusion that it was inappropriate to maintain them on a permanent basis. It was decided to maintain the joint air defense system of the Malaysian-Singapore zone in the bloc and regularly conduct joint activities for operational and combat training of the armed forces of the participating countries. In accordance with the Australia-Malaysia agreement signed in 1988, Canberra undertook to periodically send up to a squadron of F-18 and F-I P aircraft to the Malaysian Butterworth airbase for combat duty, participation in joint exercises and training, and also maintain on a permanent basis two or three Australian patrol aircraft "Orion" and maintenance personnel. In addition, Australia has committed to sending warships to the waters adjacent to the Malacca Peninsula to patrol and participate in joint maneuvers.
But Australia did not limit its activities to participation in military blocs. During crises and armed conflicts involving the United States and other Western allies, it provided them with direct military support. Australian troops took part in (1950 - 1953), in the colonial war of England against Malaya (1955). From 1965 to 1971, an Australian military contingent of up to 42 thousand people participated in. During the fighting in the Persian Gulf region (1990 - 1991), the Australian government sent two guided missile frigates and a support vessel to the multinational force.
Australia- a federal state within the Commonwealth, headed by Great Britain. Head of the country - British Queen. It is represented by the Governor-General, appointed on the advice of the Australian Government. Legally, he is the supreme bearer of executive and judicial powers, as well as the supreme commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Only the Governor-General has the right to introduce a law on a state of emergency, declare mobilization, award military decorations, and assign officer ranks. military ranks, dismiss officers from the armed forces. But he makes all his decisions after receiving appropriate recommendations from parliament, the prime minister and the minister of defense (a civilian representative of the ruling party). Parliament determines the general tasks of building and financing the armed forces.
The Ministry of Defense manages the development of the armed forces. Under the chairmanship of the minister, there is a defense council, which includes the secretary of the ministry, the commander of the armed forces and the chiefs of staff of the services, as well as the minister for scientific and personnel issues in the field of defense. The Defense Council is directly involved in the development of plans for the combat use of armed forces, their mobilization and operational deployment, recruitment, organization of combat training and logistics support.
The Armed Forces Development Committee is preparing proposals for the Minister of Defense on long-term planning of their construction, development of five-year programs, equipping the ground forces, aviation and naval formations and units with new weapons and military equipment. The committee includes the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense (chairman), senior military leaders, senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Treasury, and, if necessary, other civilian departments.
Operational control in measured and wartime is carried out by the commander through the headquarters - the main leadership body, which develops plans for the use of types of armed forces, their operational and mobilization deployment, the organization of combat training and logistics support. Subordinate to him are the headquarters of the branches of the armed forces, whose chiefs are also the commanders of these branches.
The collegial body of military leadership is the Committee of Chiefs of Staff, which includes the commander and chiefs of staff of the armed forces.
Currently, Australia's armed forces consist of regular and naval forces and their reserve components. According to foreign press data, the personnel number 61.6 thousand people (ground forces - 28.6 thousand, air force - 18.2 thousand, navy - 14.8 thousand), and reserves - 29.4 thousand ( respectively 26.2 thousand, 1.6 thousand, 1.6 thousand).
In addition, there are over 30 thousand civil servants in various positions.
Each type is designed to conduct combat operations independently or jointly with other types, as well as to provide support to the troops and forces of allied states.
The largest branch of the Australian armed forces. The main leadership body is the headquarters, to which three commands (ground operations, logistics, training), seven military regions (military districts) and the Royal Military College are organizationally subordinate.
Ground Operations Command(headquarters in Sydney) was formed on the basis of the former operational command. Subordinate to him are all combat formations, units and units of regular troops and organized reserves, as well as the headquarters of the Northern Command, created to prepare the defense of the northern coast of the mainland.
According to the English reference publication "Military Balance", the combat strength of regular ground forces includes an infantry division, two brigade headquarters, ten regiments (armored, reconnaissance, special purpose, two artillery, anti-aircraft, two army aviation, two engineering).
The organized reserve includes a combat-ready reserve (brigade headquarters, an armored reconnaissance regiment, three infantry battalions, engineer and artillery regiments) and a first-line reserve (division headquarters, seven brigade headquarters, 14 infantry battalions, five artillery and two engineer regiments, combat support units) .
As reported in the Australian military press, infantry division(about 16 thousand people) has the following standard organization: three infantry brigades (two or three infantry battalions each), nine regiments (tank, 155-mm towed howitzers, three - 105-mm towed howitzers, army aviation, communications, anti-aircraft, engineering), military and logistics support units and units. The number of personnel in an infantry brigade reaches 3,000 people, an infantry battalion - 700, a company (battery) - 100, a platoon - up to 30, a squad - from 7 to 12.
These formations and units are armed with Combat vehicles American, English, Canadian, German and Australian production: 103 medium tanks, 47 combat vehicles with heavy weapons (American, on which the turrets of the British light reconnaissance Scorpion tanks with a 76-mm cannon are installed), 724 Ml13 armored personnel carriers (various modifications), 15, 355 towed field artillery guns (34 155 mm Ml98 and 321 105 mm M2A2), 302 81 mm self-propelled and towed mortars, ten launchers, 608 84 mm Carl Gustav RPGs, 67 106 mm recoilless rifles, 19 towed Rapira air defense systems, 19 PBS-70 MANPADS.
In addition, the ground forces have about 150 army aviation aircraft and helicopters (Nomad communications and transport aircraft, UH-1H, OH-58, AS-350 combat helicopters).
The main task rear command(Melbourne) is to ensure the daily activities and combat operations of the ground forces. Subordinate to him are groups of regular troops (logistic support - three, transport - six, engineering and technical - three), as well as units and units of the organized reserve.
Training Command(Sydney) is responsible for training military personnel in special institutions, training centers, training units and units (over 20). Every year they train more than 10 thousand military personnel of various special forces for the ground forces.
In addition to solving problems inherent in a given water of the armed forces, it is entrusted air defense Australia. Organizationally, the Air Force includes three commands (combat aviation, logistics, and training). The foreign press provides the following data on the number of different aviation squadrons and aircraft in the air combat command: two - fighter-bombers (30 F-111 aircraft, four RF-111), three - air defense fighters (52 F-18 Hornets, two basic patrol aircraft (19), six transport aircraft (two have 24 C-130 Hercules, two have 16 DHC-4 Caribou, the remaining two have five Falcon-900 and ten HS-748), one - tanker aircraft (nine Boeing 707), one combat training aircraft (18 F-I8 Hornet).
Logistics Command is responsible for the condition of air bases and airfields, the organization of material and technical support for aviation units.
Training Command(160 combat and training aircraft of various types - RC-9, MV-326N, HS-748) provides training for Air Force flight and technical personnel.
Australia's airfield network includes approximately 500 airfields, 243 of which have permanent runways. In peacetime, military aircraft are constantly based at the airfields of Amberlain, Derby, Darwin, East Sale, Pierce, Richmond, Tindal, and Edinburgh. In addition, they periodically use the airfields of Brisbane, Learmont, Perth, Sydney, Evelon, Alice Springs, Canberra, Corduna and others.
There are 26 air traffic control centers in the country. During the construction of military airfields (the USA and Great Britain provided great assistance), it was envisaged that aircraft not only from the Australian Air Force, but also from other countries, primarily the United States, would be based there.
Naval forces organizationally include two commands (combat, logistics) and six naval regions. IN combat strength The Australian fleet has 22 warships and 25 boats, as well as about 50 auxiliary ships and boats. Submarine fleet represented by four Oberon-class diesel submarines. Surface forces include three Perth-class guided missile destroyers, nine frigates (six Adelaide-class, two Svan, one Pramatta), as well as three landing ships, ten landing boats, 15 patrol and patrol boats.
The fleet aviation is armed with anti-submarine helicopters Sea King Mk50 (seven) and S-70B2 (16), rescue helicopters AS-350B (six) and Bell-20bi (three), as well as two electronic warfare training aircraft VAS-748.
To increase the combat capabilities of the Navy, the Australian command placed orders for the construction of six diesel submarines (Collins class), eight frigates (Anzac), six mine-sweeping ships, and new patrol boats. The issue of purchasing 30 helicopters is being resolved.
Basic naval bases- Sydney (GVMB), Stirling and Melbourne, bases - Brisbane, Darwin, Cairns. To ensure maritime transport on the coast of the continent and the island. Tasmania has over 60 ports. The most convenient bays and bays are located in the eastern and southeastern parts of the country. The largest ports are located here - Port Hadland, Sydney, Fremantle, Melbourne, Newcastle, Dampier, High Point.
In military-administrative terms, the territory of Australia is divided into seven military regions (districts), the boundaries of which largely coincide with the boundaries of the states (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory). The headquarters of each region is subordinate to the commander of the ground forces. This body deals with issues of combat training and logistical support for units and units located in the area, and is also responsible for the implementation of mobilization activities.
The six naval regions are assigned administrative and logistical functions similar to those of the military regions of the ground forces. Each of them includes the Territory of one state and adjacent waters under the jurisdiction of Australia. The headquarters of military and naval regions also organize the recruitment of volunteers for military service and interaction with local authorities.
There are no special military administrative units in the structure of the Air Force. And issues for which district headquarters are responsible are assigned to command commanders or air base commanders.
In 1964, the Australian government introduced selective conscription instead of compulsory conscription. In 1972, the voluntary principle of manning the armed forces became the main one in Australia, which is enshrined in the country's state legislation. Recruitment is carried out through the recruitment of volunteers from among citizens aged 17 to 34 years (in the Navy - from 16 to 27). Upon entering the service, a contract is signed for a period of four years, after which privates and sergeants can extend it, transfer to the reserve or retire. Age limit 55 years of military service for privates and sergeants. For officers and generals it depends on rank: for a lieutenant - 47 years, for a colonel - 55, for a lieutenant general - 63 years. Work to attract people to serve is carried out by recruitment centers located in the most major cities countries. Organizationally, they are subordinate to the headquarters of military areas in the ground forces, naval areas in the Navy, and the corresponding commanders in the Air Force.
The officer corps is recruited from graduates of the academy, colleges, civilian higher and secondary specialized educational institutions, as well as from non-commissioned officers who have undergone appropriate training. Command personnel for all branches of the military are trained by the Armed Forces Academy in Canberra. Cadets study general education subjects according to the university program. The duration of study is four years.
Each branch of the armed forces has its own military educational institutions. Junior officers are trained in military colleges (for the Air Force - in the headquarters), officers for service in command positions or in headquarters - in the command and staff colleges (for the Air Force - in the officers' college, the Navy - in the naval college). At the Royal Military College of the Army (Duntroon), the duration of training is 1.5 years. About 100 people graduate annually, and graduates are awarded the rank of lieutenant. The highest military educational institution of the ground forces - the Command and General Staff College (Queenscliff) - accepts officers with the ranks of captain and major. The duration of training is ten months. The annual graduation rate is 80 people.
Personnel for the Ministry of Defense, the headquarters of the armed forces and the headquarters of the services are trained at the Joint Staff College. Graduates of civilian higher educational institutions enter the armed forces for officer positions in areas for which military academies and colleges do not produce specialists. After completing initial military training, they are awarded the appropriate officer rank. Every year up to 150 people leave for military training educational institutions USA, Canada, UK, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines.
Much attention is paid to the preparation of reserves of the armed forces, on which the scale and timing of military deployment depend. Reservists are divided into two categories - first and second priority. The former are assigned to specific units and units, the latter can be called upon as needed. First-line reservists are regularly involved in combat training. Thus, those assigned to the ground forces annually undergo training for 14 days in their military specialty at one of the training centers (in the evenings or on weekends). Service in the first-line reserve is incentivized financially and gives the right to a number of privileges enjoyed by career military personnel. Units and subunits staffed by reservists have recently increasingly participated in events carried out in the system of operational and combat training of regular troops (forces). Some reservists are sent to training centers abroad.
In recent years, Australia has adjusted its military policy. This was reflected in the publication published at the end of 1994 (for the first time in seven recent years) "White Paper on Defense", in speeches by representatives of the country's top political and military leadership. According to Australian experts, despite the reduction in the threat of large-scale armed conflict in the Asia-Pacific region, there remains the possibility of local conflicts as a result of political and economic contradictions and unresolved territorial disputes. At the same time, the likelihood of direct foreign aggression is considered insignificant. However, Australia, being a member of the ANZUS and ANZUS military blocs, and having also assumed the obligations of the “security guarantor” of the island states of Oceania, in the event of local conflicts, will be forced to fulfill allied obligations, including the use of its armed forces outside the national territory. This would affect Australia's interests and have a direct or indirect effect Negative influence for her safety. For this reason, the country’s leadership continues to consider as a “zone of its direct military interests” the vast maritime areas south of the continental part of Southeast Asia, as well as the waters east of the Australian continent, covering the island states of Oceania.
Considering the limited national military capabilities, Australia in its military policy continues to focus on maintaining a close military-political partnership with the United States, which uses up to 15 facilities on its territory (space reconnaissance center, military communications centers, air bases for intermediate landings of American strategic aircraft aviation, as well as some naval bases and ports for calls and servicing of ships). At the same time, the goal is to gradually reduce dependence on the United States in matters of defense in accordance with the concept of “ensuring security based on own strength" One of the directions for its implementation is the development of comprehensive cooperation, including on issues of ensuring regional security, with the countries of Southeast Asia, and especially those members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In Oceania, Australia intends to maintain a military presence, use its air force and navy to control foreign ships, ensure the protection of maritime communications and economic zones of island states, assist them in training military personnel, and organize joint exercises.
The basis of views on the construction and combat use of national armed forces remains the “containment strategy” adopted in 1987, which provides for repelling “low-level” aggression, which is understood as an attack by a regional enemy without the participation of the armed forces of superpowers.
Long-term plans call for maintaining annual military spending at the level of 2 percent. GNP (in 1995 - about 8 billion US dollars), the gradual improvement of the national armed forces to a level that ensures they can solve defense problems in full - repelling aggression, protecting economic zones, suppressing illegal immigration, combating smuggling and piracy, and others. In the future, it is planned to implement the concept of “forward defense”, the essence of which is to ensure the defeat of the enemy’s main forces on the approaches to the Australian continent and thereby exclude the possibility of his invasion. In this regard, it is planned to implement a program to create an early warning system for a missile and space attack, and to develop an automated integrated control system for the armed forces using satellite and tropospheric communications. In Oceania, it is planned to create a space reconnaissance and communications system (with a control and information processing center in the Solomon Islands), providing communications through satellites and monitoring maritime spaces in the South Pacific Ocean using satellites.
Given the continued potential threat from the “north,” the Australian armed forces will be concentrated mainly in the northern regions of the country, for which it is expected to complete the corresponding redeployment of units and units in the next two to three years. The northern regions will also be given priority in the development of military infrastructure.
Thus, the efforts of the military-political leadership of Australia, aimed at pursuing an independent policy and establishing the role of a leader in the region, are reflected in the issues of improving the armed forces, which will receive quite a lot of attention in the future.
Colonel M. Altsev
What should a professional army be like? It should be compact and mobile, tasty and sporty, smiling and, most importantly, safe. So that money is paid on time and benefits are provided. To have a good pension. I'm talking about the Australian armed forces. Here, for example, a young lieutenant can receive more than ninety thousand dollars a year. After all, only in the Australian army does everything turn into fun, where service seems to be not service, but a game. Not counting, of course, the contingent of Australian troops in the hot spots of the planet, where they play with death, for example, in Afghanistan. But an army at war is a different army.
Are you not a career soldier but want to serve in the Australian Armed Forces? Choose - army, navy or aviation. But you shouldn’t be very old, well, let’s say, if you’re already thirty, then, alas, you’ll have to look for a place in civilian life sad But if you’re planning to send your son or daughter to the Australian army, then, please, you can enroll as early as sixteen and a half years, however, they will be hired, of course, later. You just need to be an Australian citizen, although exceptions are sometimes made for permanent residents. The recruitment of contract soldiers from abroad (not a citizen or a resident) is currently not carried out. There are enough specialists.
For clean military career I can offer you the only one in Australia military academy in Canberra, but don’t think that this institution is similar to the American West Point or the Leningrad High School, where universal soldiers are trained (does everyone remember Van Damme?). Here in Australia, girls and boys are accepted into cadets, study and receive civilian diplomas, having at the same time mastered general military training (and completed a number of special military courses). They then become officers in the Australian Armed Forces.
You can also get into the Australian army from a regular university or even just from the street, that is, without any diploma (for the position of a private). I’m not talking about raids on military registration and enlistment offices, but about the voluntary desire to devote oneself to serving the fatherland. In addition, in the Australian army you can earn money and get some benefits. And even see the world if you choose the fleet.
Initially, the group consisted of at least one and a half thousand troops, but by the end of this year Australia plans to leave no more than five hundred people there. About half of the remainder are Special Forces, where each soldier stationed there costs taxpayers just over $1 million a year. The rest are their provision.
It should be noted that during the two years of Australian military personnel in Afghanistan, Australia lost 49 people killed there. From the point of view of war, this is not much, but for a country that lost its citizens there and left their children without fathers, this is, of course, a drama. As I already said, a real army is where the fighting is going on, where there is death and pain, and not where it is tasty and safe, and you can go home after 16.30
I would like to believe that in the near future, all Australian soldiers will return home to Australia safe and sound. And not only from Afghanistan.
The Australian Armed Forces were founded in 1901. Traditionally they consist of three types: army, air force and navy. The tasks of the Australian armed forces are seen as follows: repelling a possible attack by an external aggressor, protecting territorial waters and airspace, fighting poachers and illegal migrants at sea, deploying temporary (or permanent?) contingents outside Australia, etc.
Of course, as in any country, in the event of severe natural disasters, the army comes to the aid and assists the civilian population.
At the moment, the Australian armed forces (by the way, ADF - Australian Defense Force, that is, “Australian Defense Forces”) number about 80 thousand people, of which more than 22 thousand are reservists, and about 58 thousand are active contract soldiers. Of these active military personnel, more than 29 thousand serve in the ground army and fourteen thousand each in the navy and air force.
Australia's armed forces are very compact, with only six submarines in the fleet, for example. I will not list the technical composition of the military branches, I think everything is clear. The duration of contracts is usually from three to six years, but for officers it can be up to ten. The highest salaries are in the navy - there are cash bonuses for sea voyages. Here are the numbers that recruiting companies lure to serve in the Australian Navy (maximum amounts shown):
Lieutenant (4 years of naval service)
63,977 basic salary
12,431 long service bonus
682 allowance for uniforms
18,679 sea voyage allowance
Total: 95,769 (before taxes, that is gross)
Sailor (two years of naval service)
45,035 base salary
12,431 long service bonus
419 allowance for uniforms
12,052 sea voyage allowance
Total: 69,937 (before taxes, that is gross)
How else can you lure young people into the navy?
It is suggested, for example, to take with you your bicycle (if it’s a ship, not a boat), a surfboard, a musical instrument... On board the ship you can play XBOX (it will work well on a long voyage), play cards (by the way, gambling ) and chess, read magazines. To make the service a pleasure!
In the army and aviation, lieutenants can receive up to 79 thousand per year (there is no allowance for going to sea!), but a private in aviation receives as much as three thousand more than in the ground forces and can receive up to 69 thousand per year (at the expense of the basic salaries up to 56 thousand per year). As you understand, these are numbers for luring, that is, for an initial presentation. Plus or minus it depends on your education, position and rank, length of service, etc.
I am sure that senior officers in the Australian Armed Forces are very wealthy people.
Here we will add full medical insurance, cash bonuses for rent and service, benefits for the purchase of real estate, an additional pension, etc. If you don’t want to live in your own housing, live in public housing. After ten years of service, vacation becomes at least 3 months per year. And so on.
Maternity leave in the army (aviation and navy) is 52 weeks, and only the first 14 weeks are paid. This is probably the only negative of all the benefits.
Since we've gotten to pregnancy, I'll say that every year more women military uniform It's getting bigger and bigger in Australia. That is, the percentage is growing. Let's say that now every fifth Australian soldier is a woman. Maybe that's why serving in the Australian Armed Forces is fun. And it’s the women who serve who say this.
Armed forces of the world
Australian Armed Forces
Australia is ruled in Southern Hemisphere part of the Western and Anglo-Saxon world. Moreover, it demonstrates maximum loyalty to the United States, participating (unlike most NATO countries) in all American wars. For this, Australia receives exclusive American equipment: Abrams tanks, F-111 bombers, and then, to replace them, F-18F fighter-bombers. Convenient geographical position allows Australia to have a small army, which, at the same time, has very good technical equipment and high level combat training. Although the F-18 aircraft were delivered in a land-based version, they can be used from American aircraft carriers, as was demonstrated during the second Iraq War. The country has a not very large, but powerful and balanced ocean-going fleet, the only weakness of which is the lack of aircraft carriers. A Spanish-built Canberra-class UDC should become a partial replacement for aircraft carriers. It is planned to purchase new submarines and frigates equipped with SLCMs. The almost complete identity of the equipment makes it easier for the Australian Armed Forces to fit into the operations of the US Armed Forces than in the case of any other country.
Ground troops, despite their small size, have a fairly complex organizational structure.
The 1st Division does not have combat units; it is a headquarters structure in case of war. It is in this case that combat and reserve brigades from the Combat Command will be transferred to its composition.
The Special Operations Command includes 2 special forces regiments (including 1 engineer), 2 commando regiments.
The combat command includes all combat and reserve units. The combat units are the 1st Mechanized Brigade (headquarters - Darwin), 3rd Light Infantry Brigade (Townsville), 6th Reconnaissance and Control Brigade (Sydney), 7th Motorized Infantry Brigade (Brisbane), 16th Brigade Army Aviation (Brisbane), 17th Combat Support Brigade (Sydney). The Combat Command also includes the 2nd Division (headquarters Sydney). It includes all reserve brigades: 4th (Victoria), 5th and 8th (New South Wales), 9th (southern Australia and Tasmania), 11th (Queensland), 13th ( Western Australia).
The tank fleet includes 59 M1A1 Abrams tanks transferred from the US Army. There may be 92 old Leopard 1 tanks remaining in storage.
Other armored vehicles - up to 186 ASLAV BRM (and up to 90 auxiliary vehicles based on it, including 23 KShM and 25 vehicles with radar), 431 M113AS4 armored personnel carriers (another 336 M113A1, possibly in storage), from 985 to 1006 armored vehicles "Bushmaster" of our own production.
Artillery includes 54 M777 towed guns (155 mm); still up to 35 М198 (155 mm) and up to 111 L118 (105 mm), possibly in storage), 18 М224А1 mortars (60 mm), 176 М32А1 and 185 F2 (81 mm).
Australia's entire ground-based air defense system consists of 19 Swedish RBS-70 MANPADS. There may be 40 English Rapier air defense systems remaining in storage.
Army aviation includes 22 of the latest German-French Tiger combat helicopters and about 80 transport helicopters - 10 CH-47F (another 1-3 CH-47D in storage), 28 NH90TTH, 34 S-70A. Up to 16 UH-1 (1V, 15N) and up to 36 Bell-206s are in storage.
Air Force Australia currently have combat aircraft one type - American carrier-based F/A-18 Hornet in the amount of 93 vehicles (53 A, 16 B, 24 newest F). In addition, there are 11 EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft based on the F/A-18. It is planned to purchase up to 100 5th generation F-35A fighters from the United States. 14 such aircraft have already been manufactured.
Anti-submarine aviation includes 2 AR-3S aircraft (another 3 AR-3S and 3 R-3B are in storage) and 8 R-8A.
There are 7 E-7A AWACS aircraft (based on the Boeing 737), 6 KS-30 tankers (based on the European Airbus A-330), 1 DHC-8 reconnaissance aircraft.
Transport aircraft - 2 Boeing-737, 8 C-17, 3 CL-604, 12 C-130J (3 more C-130N in storage), 12 Beach-350, 1 Beach-200, 1 " Beach-1900", 10 Italian C-27J. There are 6 Boeing 707s in storage.
Training aircraft - 34 English Hawk Mk127, 57 Swiss RS-9 (6 more in storage) and 38 RS-21.
There are 5 S-76 rescue helicopters
Navy countries include 6 Collins-class submarines, 2 Hobart-class destroyers (1 more is under construction), 10 frigates (8 Anzac-class, 2 Adelaide-class, similar to the American Oliver Perry), 13 Armidale-class patrol boats ", 6 Huon-class minesweepers, 2 Canberra-class UDCs, 1 Choles DTD (English Bay-type); another 1 Adelaide-class frigate has been withdrawn from the Navy and is in storage.
Naval aviation includes 43 anti-submarine helicopters (19 NH-90NFH, 24 MH-60R; up to 4 S-70 in storage) and 15 EC135 multi-role helicopters (10 AS350BA and 1 Bell-429 in storage).
Currently, the potential of the Australian Armed Forces is more than enough for the defense of the country and for participation in American military campaigns.
In the future, Australia could become a battleground between the US and China. The PRC is extremely interested in the development of Australia, which in some respects is very similar to Russia (a huge almost empty territory, very a large number of mineral). Chinese economic and demographic expansion into Australia is proceeding extremely intensively, which the United States will do its best to prevent. Whether things will come to a military confrontation is now impossible to predict.
In Australia, it is not necessary to serve in the army, there are no “conscripts” (conscripts), there is no mandatory conscription and summons. If a young man decides to choose to serve in the army, then he needs to go through all the preliminary stages (tests, analyzes, etc.) and sign a contract. Typically, the service life is three to six years. Among Australians, it is believed that serving in the national army is prestigious and honorable.
Australian Army: general information
- The fitness test is the first test for a future fighter (those whose muscle mass index does not go beyond 18.5-30 are allowed). Here you need to run a hundred meters against the clock, do pull-ups on the horizontal bar several times and work out your abs.
- Upon successful completion of the physical assessment, the candidate proceeds to the intelligence test (IQ test, Wartegg test and others).
- Next, the applicant undergoes a psychological examination by specialists.
Upon successful completion of the above requirements, the candidate remains to undergo a medical examination and pass the necessary tests. The ending of the whole story is to wait for a positive result and expected enrollment in the Australian Army.
The gender of the candidate, as a rule, does not matter - both men and women can serve (in some areas there are restrictions on several provisions). It is surprising that a potential soldier can register for service as early as ten years of age. The maximum age directly depends on the type of military position and the duties performed.
Military service in Australia: photos, benefits and guarantees
Members of the Australian Army have a number of advantages:
- Free medicine (including dentistry).
- Benefits for utilities (including government subventions for the purchase of new housing).
- Increased percentage of contributions to the pension fund.
- Opportunity to travel throughout Australia.
- and long vacation (30 to 45 days).
in Australia
Depending on the rank, position and education, the amount of the soldier’s salary is determined. The minimum wage for a contract worker is $2,500 per month. This is the salary of an ordinary private. For example, a soldier with medical education can receive from 4 to 5 thousand dollars (depending on the degree - bachelor's or master's). By Australian standards, these salaries are considered small, however, given that the soldier does not spend money on food and housing (while on base), this is quite normal.