5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
The 5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5/7 RAR) is an Australian mechanised infantry battalion. The battalion is based in Darwin and forms part of the Australian 1st Brigade.
History
5/7 RAR was formed on 3 December 1973 at Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney by combining the 5th and 7th Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment to form a single light infantry battalion. Throughout the battalion's history 5/7 RAR has formed part of the Australian 1st Brigade.
In January 1975 the battalion deployed to Darwin as part of the clean-up following Cyclone Tracy. Between 1976 and 1978 5/7 RAR trialed a mechanised infantry organisation using M113 armoured personnel carriers . The value of this mechanisation was demonstrated when the battalion was able to quickly respond to the Sydney Hilton bombing in 1978 by guarding the route between Holsworthy and the site of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Bowral. While the mechanisation trial was judged a success, it was decided that only one of 5/7 RAR's companies would be mechanised, with the mechanised role rotating between the battalion's rifle companies every 12 months. The battalion was fully mechanised in 1984.
In 1999 5/7 RAR relocated from Holsworthy to Darwin. Later that year the battalion made its first operational deployment when it deployed to East Timor as part of INTERFET. This deployment proved highly successful, with 5/7 RAR providing the force with a powerful and highly mobile battalion. After a seven-month tour, the Battalion returned to Australia on ANZAC Day 2000. 5/7 RAR served a second tour in East Timor between October 2002 and May 2003, though it operated largely as a light infantry battalion on this deployment.
5/7 RAR's most recent deployments have been to Iraq. In 2004 5/7 RAR provided a rifle company for security duties in Baghdad. Since April 2005 a rifle company from the battalion has formed part of the Al Muthanna Task Group in southern Iraq. 5/7 RAR has provided the headquarters and support elements of the second rotation of the Task Group since November 2005. The rifle company in Iraq is mounted in ASLAVs from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment as it has been judged that these fast and well armed vehicles are better suited to conditions in Iraq than 5/7 RAR's elderly M113s.
Current composition
5/7 RAR currently consists of:
- Battalion Headquarters
- Three mechanised infantry companies
- Support Company
- Administration Company
- Technical Support Company(?)
All elements of the battalion are mechanised with M113 armoured personnel carriers.
Role
5/7 RAR is currently Australia's only mechanised infantry battalion, though the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment will convert from an airborne battalion to a mechanised battalion and become part of the 1st Brigade by 2011. Under the doctrine developed by 1st Brigade, 5/7 RAR combines with 1st Armoured Regiment to form two battle groups (one ‘infantry heavy’ and one ‘armour heavy’).
References
- 5/7 RAR Association Website
- David Horner (Editor) (1990). Duty First. The Royal Australian Regiment in War and Peace. Allen & Unwin. Sydney.
- Ian Kuring (2004). Redcoats to Cams: A History of Australian Infantry 1788 to 2001. Loftus in association with the Australian Army Historical Unit. Sydney.