3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment

3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Para)
Badge of the Royal Australian Regiment
Active	12 October 1945 – Present
Country	Australia
Branch	Army
Type	Line Infantry
Role	Parachute Infantry
Part of	3rd Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Holsworthy Barracks
Nickname(s)	Old Faithful
Motto(s)	Duty First
March	Our Director (Band); Heilan Laddie (Pipes and Drums)
Engagements	Korean War Battle of Yongju Battle of Kujin Battle of Chongju Battle of Uijeongbu Operation Killer Operation Ripper Battle of Kapyong Battle of Maryang San Malayan Emergency Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation Vietnam War International Force for East Timor Iraq War Operation Astute
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	HM The Queen (Australian Infantry Corps)
Notable commanders	Charles Hercules Green Francis Hassett
Insignia
Unit Colour Patch
Tartan	Royal Stewart (Pipers kilts and plaids)

Members of 3 RAR move forward during the Korean War in 1951

The 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (PARA) 3 RAR is Australia's elite Parachute Battalion based in Sydney. 3 RAR was initially formed in 1945 as the Australian 67th Battalion and has seen active service in Japan, Korea, Malaya, South Vietnam, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and Iraq. Similar to US Army Rangers or the Parachute Regiment of Britain the Battalion is a rapid deployment light infantry unit which makes up the major part of Australia's Airborne Battle Group.

History

Formation

3 RAR was initially formed on 20 October 1945 as the 67th Battalion. The Battalion was intended for occupation duties in Japan and was formed from volunteers from the 3rd, 6th, 7th and 11th Australian Divisions. The battalion was redesignated the 3rd Battalion of the Australian Regiment upon the Regiment's formation in November 1948. The 'Royal' prefix was appended in March 1949.

The 67th Battalion arrived in Japan as part of the Australian 34th Brigade in February 1946. As with the rest of the occupation force, the Battalion did not encounter any significant resistance or civil unrest. The Australian force in Japan was gradually downsized, with 3 RAR being the only Australian battalion left in the country at the outbreak of the Korean War.

Korea

3 RAR was rapidly committed as Australia's main land force contribution to the United Nations forces in the Korean War. After a period of intensive training and reinforcement in Japan, the battalion arrived in South Korea in late September 1950. The battalion formed part of the 27th Commonwealth Brigade and took part in the United Nations offensive into North Korea and the subsequent retreat into South Korea following the Chinese offensive in the winter of 1950–1951. It was one of three units to receive the Presidential Unit Citation (US) after the Battle of Kapyong. In October 1950 the battalion again distinguished itself during the engagement at Chong Ju where in North Korea the battalion, supported by tanks and artillery, attacked and captured a large North Korean defensive line during their northward advance to the Yalu River. Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Green, it attacked and captured a large North Korean defensive line in a combined arms operation with tanks and artillery. Green was later killed in action. 3RAR remained in Korea until the end of the war on 27 July 1953.

U.S. General James Van Fleet inspects members of 3 RAR after awarding a Presidential Unit Citation to the Battalion in December 1952

Confrontation

3RAR also served in Malaysia and Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation and was involved in a series of highly successful cross-border missions under Operation Claret. During these operations the battalion had four major contacts with Indonesian forces on the Sungei Koemba river, at Kindau and again at Babang between May and July 1965.

South Vietnam

3 RAR served 2 tours in Vietnam, the first 1967 to 1968 saw the battalion stationed in Phuoc Tuy Province. The battalion took part in several operations and was involved in mine clearing, counter mortar and rocket tasks and reconnaissance in force operations. During 26–28 May 1968, 3 RAR, while stationed at FSPB Balmoral in a battalion defensive position, withstood two determined assaults by regimental sized units of the North Vietnamese Army. In 1971 the battalion returned to Phuoc Tuy Province. During the second tour the battalion took part in several minor actions. The battalion returned home by the end of 1971.

East Timor

Soldiers from 3 RAR conducting a parachute jump from a C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft in 2005

3 RAR played a key role in the Australian-lead intervention into East Timor in 1999. The Battalion arrived in Dili by sea and was initially responsible for the city. The battalion later secured the enclave of Oecussi. 3 RAR returned to Australia in February 2000 and served a second 6-month tour of East Timor in 2002. In May 2006 the 3 RAR Battalion Group was deployed to restore order to East Timor as part of Operation Astute. An online company group was deployed at short notice in Feb 2007 for 4 months and replaced by a second company group in June 2007 for 7 weeks. 3 RAR deployed again to East Timor in 2008 as the Timor Leste Battle Group. A main objective of TLBG 4 was to apprehend the rebles that attempted to assassinate President Horta.

Solomon Islands

3RAR deployed to the Solomon Islands on Monday 24 January 2004 to reinforce the military component of RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands) RAMSI. The 3RAR company of Soldiers consisted of approximately 100 personnel to provide added support to the local and Australian Federal Police in enforcing the rule of law and restoring order in the Solomon Islands. [1]. The soldiers tent lines at RAMSI base were named the "PTE Jamie Clark Lines" in March 2007 after the accidental death of PTE Clark in March 2005.

Iraq

3 RAR was brought into the Australian media as it contained the first Australian soldier to be killed in Iraq. PTE Jake Kovco died in April 2006 while deployed to Baghdad in Iraq when he accidentally shot himself while handling his pistol.[2]

Current composition

3 RAR currently consists of:

• Battalion Headquarters
• Three basic parachute infantry companies
• Support Company
• Administration Company

3 RAR forms the main element of the Australian Army's Airborne Battle Group. This battle group consists of:

• 3rd Brigade Command Elements
• 3 RAR
• A Battery, 4th Field Regiment
• Parachute Surgical Team, 1 Health Support Battalion
• Signals Element, 3rd Command Support Regiment and 7 Signals Regiment
• Engineer Troop, 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment
• RAAF Mobile Air Control Elements

Under the 'Hardened and Networked Army' initiative announced in December 2005, 3 RAR was to convert to a mechanised structure. However, in August 2006 it was announced that 3 RAR would instead convert to a pure light infantry structure and the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment would be reformed as a mechanised infantry battalion.

Role

3 RAR is currently Australia's only parachute infantry battalion. With the rest of the Parachute Battalion Group the battalion is responsible for providing a rapid reaction capability. One company from the battalion is maintained on high readiness to deploy at 48 hours notice. In addition to its specialised parachute role, 3 RAR is also capable of operating as a conventional light infantry battalion. If required, 4 RAR (CDO) can provide Commandos to assist or do the role of 3 RAR, however due to their commitments this is not currently a preferred option. Internationally 3 RAR could be compared to the Parachute Regiment of Britain and the U.S. Army Rangers.

3 RAR is poised to move to Lavarak Brracks as a conventional light infantry unit in 2011. However strong arguments remain to maintain 3 RAR's parachute status given the reality of the size of troops needed for the type of missions that Australian Special Forces could then undertake. In fact, given Australia's large area to defend some would question why all modern Australian light infantry units (1 RAR, 2 RAR and 3 RAR) aren't all airborne capable. Therefore irrespective of army "restructuring" talk, the airborne capability of 3 RAR will probably be intact for years to come.

Alliances

• United Kingdom - Scots Guards
• United Kingdom - The Queen's Royal Hussars (Queen's Own and Royal Irish)

References

• 3 RAR Official Website
• Lt Simone Heyer Showcase of Skills
• 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.
• Coulthard-Clark, Chris (2001). The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles (Second ed.). Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 1865086347.