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Australia’s land defense is
led by the indomitable Australian Army, commanded by
its Chief of Army or CA.
Guided by its key doctrine
publication called The Fundamentals of Land Warfare,
the Australian soldiers abides by the Army’s mission
to win the land battle.
Australia has never been
really directly attacked except during the World War
II, but the Australian Army had fought considerable
number of both major and minor battles throughout
the country’s history.
The soldiers had their fair
share of battle scars and memories that they were
able to share to the generations that succeeded
them.
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Although
short, the Australian Army’s history had been
colorful in its own right. From the year 1901 until
1947, majority of the peacetime soldiers were
stationed at the Militia, or Australian Citizens
Military Force (CMF).
They were kept there at its
Reserve Army units while the Australian Imperial
Forces were gathered to serve across the sea.
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In the
years succeeding 1947, the Australian Citizens
Military Force started to lose its importance and
popularity. In 1980, the CMF was better known as the
Army Reserve.
The formation of a standing peacetime
infantry also happened during these times.
Most of the Australian Army’s operations had been
about peacekeeping and most of the time under the
direction of the United Nation.
Its list of peacekeeping operations includes the one
in Solomon Islands, the one in Bougainville and the
one in East Timor.
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The first two are still ongoing up to the
present. They also participated in humanitarian efforts for
the victims of the Indian Ocean earthquake in 2004.
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Australian Army soldiers were
traditionally structured as a light infantry force,
hence the focus on both medium and low-intensity
operations. The soldiers are highly-trained for
close combats, strict and secure patrolling and
other dismounted operations.
But of course, they
also change with the changing times. Today, they are
also branching out into mechanized and motorized
weaponry. They also have plans of upgrading their
military equipment to measure up to the world
standard. They still, however, maintain their
intense training on the basics of physical fighting
that is why they are well-known for their infantry
skills such as ambushing, patrolling, and jungle
warfare. |
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Because the Australian Army play only
small roles in coalition operations due to the country’s
small population, the government make it a point to deploy
highly skilled members of the Australian Defense Force with
specialization. This is to ensure that though small in
number their contribution would still be of great
significance.
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