3rd Brigade prioritising littoral operations in shift to armoured combat brigade

The Chief of Army has reiterated the importance of 3rd Brigades shift to amphibious operations in the wake of the PNG landslide. Read why Townsville’s unique location offers so much to the ADF.

From a defence perspective Townsville is the land of opportunities with a training area the same size as the Australian Capital Territory, diverse landscapes and direct access to the Indo-Pacific which is why the Defence Strategic Review has set out to unlock its full potential whether that be on the land, water or in the air.

Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart knows what life is like as a Townsville soldier after spending the first eight years of his career developing his skills at Lavarack Barracks, roaming the hills at high range and ultimately stepping into his first commanding role.

Although today the brigade he once knew looks a whole lot different and is about to undergo even more change as the Army stands on the precipice of a major reshuffle that will see Townsville shift from a combined arms brigade to an armoured combat brigade.

This means an increased focus on littoral zones - the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore.

Lt. Gen. Stuart said that the prioritisation of amphibious operations will help unlock Townsville’s full potential in accessing our Pacific partners in the region such as Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines or Malaysia.

Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell, AO, DSC and Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, AO, DSC visits Townsville Field Training Area during Exercise Brolga Run, on 22 May 2024, Queensland. Photo: CPL Guy Sadler

“The whole idea is littoral manoeuvres and that means being able to unlock the area of the sea that can affect the land and vice versa, the airspace above the littorals and the electromagnetic spectrum that operates within it, so it’s a multidomain approach” he said.

“We will have more capacity, we will have more access and a range of different craft that can either operate in rivers, in the brown water. In the estuaries, the green water, but importantly they can do the blue water transit between Australia and any of our neighbouring allies and partners.”

Abrams battle tank. Photographs from Australian Defence Force (ADF) landings at Lucinda, Hinchinbrook, on Tuesday as part of Brolga Run military exercises in North Queensland. Picture: Cameron Bates

Lt. Gen. Stuart said that to achieve the ability to conduct littoral operations, 3rd Brigade will be refitted with some of the worlds best defence technology including American SEPv3 tanks, British Army Apache helicopters and the Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles.

“This will be an absolute world class brigade and will be able to do a whole lot more than in any of our previous iterations of mechanised brigades and all of it is underpinned by emerging technology, new technology and existing technology,” he said.

After the recent landslide in Papua New Guinea that wiped out a village in the Enga province, the importance of the Army’s focus on amphibious operations has been reiterated as they stand ready to lend a helping hand if called upon.

“Let’s take what is happening in PNG at the moment, so being able to get watercraft up the Sepik River, for example, with supplies or people in a HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) situation gives us a lot more access and a lot more options,” Mr Stuart said.

This handout photo taken and received on May 29, 2024 courtesy of Nickson Pakea, president of Porgera Chamber of Commerce and Industry, shows locals digging at the site of a landslide at Yambali village in the region of Maip Mulitaka, in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province. (Photo by NICKSON PAKEA)

“We will have more capacity, we will have more access and a range of different craft that can either operate in rivers, in the brown water, in the estuaries, the green water but importantly they can do the blue water transit between Australia and any of our neighbouring allies and partners.

“It really just provides more options, more access, more capacity and enables us to better use the capabilities that we have whether that’s HADR or through large scale combat operations.”

“Australia and our army will always support our brothers and sisters in PNG. Our army is always ready to assist. We are ready to assist today. And I’m sure over the coming days and weeks, the shape of that assistance will be more evident.”

Lt. Gen. Stuart said that having soldiers from the 3rd Brigade completing deployments in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Philippines helps maintain and strengthen our relationships in the region.

“It’s about understanding that the key to maintaining stability, therefore security and therefore quality and way of life in our region – in an era of great power competition – is to work together,” he said.

“So there’s what I describe as a land power network throughout the Indo Pacific and the army to Army relationship offers a lot to our joint force, to our integrative force and a lot to our respective governments in terms of demonstrating our own capacity to execute on their collective work.”

Originally published as 3rd Brigade prioritising littoral operations in shift to armoured combat brigade