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Army Reserves
Deployment of army reserve forces to Solomon Islands
Introduction
For the first time since World War Two, a fully formed army reserve unit from Australia's Army Reserve has been deployed overseas to Solomon Islands in 2007, to replace regular troops.
This deployment is in line with the Army's Hardened Networked Army Reserve initiative, which aims to re-focus the Army Reserve and provide approximately 2,800 high readiness Reservists to support the Army's front line deployable units. The Army Reserve will be allocated tasks within Army's front line operational units to improve the Army Reserves relevance. There will be three categories of service within the Hardened Networked Army Reserve. Those categories are:
- The High Readiness Reserve - will provide immediate reinforcement to first and second rotation regular forces.
- The Active Reserve - will provide domestic security capabilities, round out third rotation forces as well as provide strategic depth.
- The Standby Reserve - will provide a pool of individuals who possess critical skills that may be called upon in times of emergency.
New Zealand has also sent reserve Territorial Forces to Solomon Islands.
2007
ADF responses to meet future contingencies, ADF Chief of Army, Lt. General Peter Leahy, Australian Defence Force Journal, No.173, 2007, p76
“For Army, another important change is the use of Reserves. Right now there are over 1000 reservists on continuous full-time service. The 2nd Division, the Reserve Division, has responsibility to maintain the campaign in the Solomon Islands. Right now without the Army Reserve we would be hard pressed to be doing what we are doing. There is an enormous change occurring within the Reserve. Recruiting and retention numbers are up. We have asked them to be both ready and relevant. Ready for the task at hand, this is not three to five years turnout with brigades. This is right now. Relevant to rebuild broken communities. These are the skills that the Reserve can bring to the modern battlefield. They are town planners, they are linguists, they are familiar with culture, they are power, water and sewerage reticulation experts.”
Army reservists farewelled to Solomon Islands, Minister for Defence Brendan Nelson, Media release 49/2006, 4 April 2007
"More than 100 Army Reservists drawn from New South Wales based units will soon deploy overseas to the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) - the largest independent deployment of NSW-based Reservists since World War II. The highly skilled contingent which includes some Regular Army specialists, has been drawn from 8th and 5th Brigades (under the banner of the Royal New South Wales Regiment). It comprises a headquarters and an infantry company, supported by signallers, armoured corps personnel, engineers, drivers and medics.
"In preparation for the deployment, the Reserve soldiers have undergone several weeks of intensive training and preparation such as Force Preparation Course and Mission Rehearsal Exercise at Canungra in Queensland…The Force Preparation Course also covered areas such as environmental awareness, cultural and social traditions and language skills."
They will make us proud”, Minister for Defence Brendan Nelson, North Shore Times, Wednesday, 11 April 2007
"For the first time since the end of World War Two, Australia has deployed a fully formed army reserve unit overseas. Many of those young men and women come from our community. As Defence Minister it was my honour to see them off on behalf of our grateful and proud nation. After six weeks intensive training at Canungra, these soldiers will for the next four months be the front line in Australia’s military commitment to one of our neighbours. Having selflessly joined the Reserves from a wide variety of walks of life, they will now patrol the streets of the Solomon Islands with the Australian flag on their shoulder and the army rising sun above their heads."
More Reserves Deploy To Solomon Islands - Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Peter Lindsay, Media release, Parlsec 084/2007, 3 August 2007
"With their official farewell to the Solomon Islands today, almost 150 part-time soldiers from Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia are ready to join the largest deployment of Army Reservists on operations overseas since World War II. The Reservists, from the Victorian 4th Brigade and South Australian/Tasmanian based 9th Brigade, have been training in North Queensland for the past several weeks….The soldiers will become part of Operation ANODE, the Australian Defence Force contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI)."
2006
Queensland employers to travel to Solomon Islands to see reservists in field, Defence Media Release CPA 005/06 Friday, 13 January 2006
"A group of 16 employers from Southern Queensland will travel to the Solomon Islands next week as part of a Defence program designed to encourage employer support for the Reserves. The employers, from organisations including Myer, Domino’s Pizza, and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, will leave Australia on Tuesday (17 January) and visit the deployed force that includes about 30 Army Reservists from Southern Queensland’s 7th Brigade. The 7th Brigade soldiers are deployed on Operation Anode - the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI)."
Parliamentary secretary visits troops in Solomon Islands, Senator Sandy Macdonald, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Media release 94/2006, 8 December 2006
"Senator Macdonald said the next rotation of soldiers due to deploy to the Solomons in January [2007] will be predominantly Reserve personnel.
“ 'This is acknowledgement of the increasingly important role that the Reserve has to play in supporting the regular force. In the field they are undistinguishable from the regulars, but in-between their training and operational work, they also hold down full-time jobs in our local communities.'”
Territorial Force to take on Solomons, NZDF website, 11 October 2006
"The New Zealand Army’s Territorial Force is getting ready to take a major role in maintaining peace in the Solomon Islands. The Minister of Defence announced today that Territorial Force soldiers will make up the majority of personnel deploying to the troubled region over the next 12 months."
2005
Reserve unit’s largest deployment in 60 years, WO2 Graham McBean, Army – the soldiers’ newspaper, 17 November 2005
"More than 40 reservists deployed to the Solomon Islands on October 30 [2005] as part of 9RQR’s largest collective operation in the 60 years since World War II. The 9RQR and 25/49RQR soldiers deployed as the seventh ADF rotation to RAMSI. Soldiers were relieved that the three months of barrier testing and lead-up training had finally come to a close and were eager to deploy and do the job."