9th Brigade (Australia)

The 9th Brigade is an Army Reserve formation of the Australian Army headquartered at Keswick Barracks in Keswick, South Australia, incorporating units from Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales.

In September 1939 it was a Citizens Military Force (CMF) brigade, part of the 2nd Infantry Division in New South Wales.

Since the end of the Second World War it has been a reserve formation, designated from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s 9th Task Force. The current 9th Brigade was raised on 1 February 1988 in Land Command. On 1 September 1994 the Brigade moved from under command of Land Headquarters to form part of the 2nd Division.

It is currently commanded by Brigadier Steve L. Smith, CSC, RFD. (Jan 2008 -)His RSM is WO1 Robert Hawton. (2007-2008)

It now consists of:
*HQ 9 Brigade
*10th/27th Battalion, Royal South Australia Regiment
*12th/40th Battalion, Royal Tasmania Regiment
*3rd/9th Light Horse (South Australia Mounted Rifles)
*16th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery
*48 Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery
*3 Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers
*144 Signals Squadron
*9th Combat Service Support Battalion

The Brigade is currently mounting an infantry company rotation to the Solomon Islands in support of Anode Rotation 17.

It also provides Land Command with a emergency response company of 150 soldiers and approximately 100 High Readiness Reserve Soldiers who are capable of deployment at short notice with Regular Army Units.

Soldiers from the Brigade are currently serving in the Solomon Islands, East Timor, as observers in the Sinai and in the Middle East.

External links

* [http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-army-today/brigades/09bde.htm 9th Brigade at DiggerHistory]
* http://www.army.gov.au/hq9bde/index.htm - Official site