Corps and principal roles
| Corps or branch | Principal traditions and units | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 1 RAR conventional infantry; regional light infantry and guard units | Territorial defence, expeditionary security and trained infantry reserves |
| Amphibious Infantry | 2 RAR and the 2nd Australian Amphibious Division tradition | Ship-to-shore operations, littoral manoeuvre and island support with Navy lift |
| Armoured Corps | 1st Armoured Regiment and specialist reconnaissance units | Armoured defence and limited expeditionary support; amphibious lift sets practical limits |
| Artillery | Field artillery, coastal defence and air-defence regiments | Period-appropriate guns and missiles, surveillance and fire-support coordination |
| Engineers | Combat engineers, port/airfield construction and territorial engineering units | Bridging, route clearance, disaster response and protected infrastructure |
| Signals and Electronic Warfare | Signals regiments and later EW/cyber support units | Secure communications, electronic support and field networks |
| Intelligence | Army intelligence units linked to joint agencies | Reconnaissance, analysis, language training and counter-intelligence |
| Army Aviation | Utility, reconnaissance and medical helicopters | Land-force aviation; national space and orbital launch remain Air Force duties |
| Medical and Dental | Army medical/dental services and reserve clinicians | Military medicine, field hospitals and evacuation links to public healthcare |
| Transport, Ordnance and Maintenance | Logistics, supply, transport and electrical/mechanical engineering corps | Sustainment, recovery, ammunition safety and national-service technical training |
| Special Operations | Commando and special reconnaissance regiments | Specialist reconnaissance and maritime support under accountable national command |
Amphibious organisation
The 2nd Australian Amphibious Division, established in 1956, preserves the 2 RAR lineage. It groups amphibious infantry, reconnaissance, engineers, artillery, signals, logistics and medical support. The Navy supplies amphibious ships, boats and naval aviation, while the Army commands landed troops. Division establishment does not imply that every member or heavy vehicle can embark simultaneously; task groups are formed around available lift.
1 RAR remains conventional infantry. The 1st Armoured Regiment supplies the armoured tradition, with expeditionary elements selected according to ship capacity, terrain and sustainment. Special operations supplement rather than replace the ordinary infantry and support corps.
Regional regiments and reserves
| Area | Professional or standing cadre | Reserve institutions |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales / ACT / Jervis Bay | 1 RAR tradition, Capital Guard and Eastern logistics/port-support units | State reserve brigades and Canberra/Jervis support battalions |
| North Queensland / Northern Territory | 2 RAR amphibious tradition, Townsville command, northern reconnaissance and tropical engineers | North Queensland reserve brigades; Northern Territory ranger and infrastructure units |
| South Queensland | Brisbane regional support, infantry, logistics and medical formations | South Queensland reserve brigades and specialist training units |
| Victoria | Southern logistics, medical and engineering formations | Victorian infantry, medical and transport reserves |
| Western Australia | Western maritime-support, reconnaissance and coastal-artillery units | Western Australian reserve regiments and dispersed port-defence detachments |
| South Australia | Artillery, test-range, electronic and technical-support formations | South Australian engineering, signals and logistics reserves |
| Tasmania | Southern Ocean ranger, engineering and cold-weather support cadre | Tasmanian reserve regiment and remote support units |
| North Island | North Island Regiment, Whangārei command and Auckland logistics | North Island territorial battalions and Māori-language liaison/support cadres |
| South Island | South Island Regiment, Christchurch command and mountain engineers | South Island territorial battalions, medical and cold-weather reserves |
| Papua New Guinea | Pacific Islands/Papuan Regiment tradition and tropical engineers | PNG district reserve battalions with local language and customary-community liaison |
| West Papua | West Papua Ranger Regiment and local engineering/medical formations | Separate West Papuan reserve district, not merged with PNG |
| Fiji | Fiji Regiment and Pacific amphibious-support units | Fijian reserve battalions with equal service access for established communities |
| Singapore | Singapore Guards and port/air-defence support command | Recognised equivalent-service reserve, technical and medical units |
| East Timor / Bougainville | Timor Territorial Regiment and Bougainville Territorial Battalion | Distinct local reserves and community-language cadres |
| Solomon Islands / Vanuatu / Nauru | Solomon and Vanuatu territorial battalions; Nauru support company | Maritime-support, engineers, medical and civil-defence reserves sized to local needs |
| Federal Pacific District / Norfolk / Christmas / Cocos | Pacific territorial support cadre and separate inhabited-island reserve companies | Local reserve liaison and visiting engineering/medical teams; district secretariat at Wellington |
| Ashmore/Cartier / Coral Sea / Heard/McDonald / Antarctic sector | Remote observation and support detachments supplied from established national hubs | No invented resident combat regiments in uninhabited island groups or Antarctic stations |
Command and mobilisation
Eastern, Western and Pacific territorial commands coordinate regional units with fleet and air commands. They are Army administrative and operational commands, not additional sovereign armies. State and territorial units share national pay, qualification, equipment and legal standards while preserving local languages, community identities and recruiting traditions.
The 2026 permanent establishment is 130,000. Full-time national-service personnel add 800,000 and trained Army reserves total five million. Much of that service structure is technical, medical, training, logistics and civil-defence capacity. A reserve unit needs current training and issued equipment to count as ready; the register does not equate nominal reserve strength with immediately deployable brigades.
Period development
The late 1940s retain wartime infantry, artillery and engineering experience. The 1950s introduce the dedicated amphibious division and stronger technical education. The 1960s–1980s expand northern and Pacific regional forces and air-defence/EW support. PNG, Fiji and West Papua statehood regularises their state reserve commands in 1975, 1980 and 1990. The 1996 New Zealand division creates distinct North/South Island commands. Singapore’s 2020 admission recognises equivalent prior service rather than requiring every adult to start from zero.
Postwar equipment blocks
The Army equipment register details infantry weapons, Centurion and Leopard armour, M113 variants, artillery, helicopters, field radios and amphibious support from 1945 through 1989. Production and refit blocks connect those model choices to the existing corps and regional regiments.