ArMy PreSence in South AuStrAliA - Defence SA

M1A1 Abrams tanks from the 1st Armoured Regiment patrol through the Cultana Training Area, South Australia, in preparation for a live-fire heavy
battle group activity during Exercise Southern Reach in 2007.
2012
• Minor Retail Facility. A new 500 Explosive
Pallet Space Minor Retail Facility will be
located on the existing training area and
constructed in accordance with Defence
standards. The works will include a
contractor’s office located with Range
Control and all engineering services to
support the new facility.
• Permanent Camp Accommodation. New
camp accommodation would comprise
accommodation blocks, kitchen and
dining facilities as well as ablutions and
administrative and logistic support areas.
The facility will have integrated stores area
and hard standing.
• Urban OperationsTraining Facility. A new
urban operations training facility will be
provided that is capable of supporting
up to a Battle-Group-sized force with
both mounted and dismounted units. The
proposed facility will have instrumented
simulation capabilities.
Progress
• Field FiringTraining System Range. A new
training range will be constructed to allow
for armoured vehicle live firing.
• Environmental Sustainability Works. A range
of works will be completed to improve
fencing, road and water crossing structures
for controlling storm water run- off,
highway and railway passes, infrastructure
service crossings and cattle grids.
157. Defence has advised that once the expansion is
approved, it would take a further 12 –18 months
to complete the above works and prepare the
expanded range for ongoing use. Hence, under
current planning, even if the expansion was
completed in mid-2012, it would not be until
late 2013 at the earliest that a mechanised battle
group could exercise at CUTA.
158. While progress appears to have been made
in the later part of 2011 this may be illusory as
it is occuring after a long period of relatively
little movement. There still seems to be
no target dates except ‘mid-2012’ for the
Army Presence in South Australia Maintaining the Momentum 62