The Governor-General Sir Zelman Cowen and author George Odgers on board HMAS MELBOURNE for the launching of the Royal <strong>Australian</strong> An Illustrated History. (See Book Reviews p60). Navy
AN ALTERNATIVE RESERVE FORCE Dear Sir, In reference to the article published by DFJ (No 32) on the Alternative Reserve <strong>Force</strong>, written by LT. COL J.P.F. Dixon, I have discussed the article with friends of mine, who have nothing whatsoever to do with the Regular or Civilian Reserve forces. They have all expressed an interest in the program, and would like to see such a system brought into being as they have no desire to enlist in either of the above mentioned forces. As with all such ideas, this one could be improved upon, and, in a pessimistic light, it could be torn to shreds. I would think, though, that the pros of the scheme would far outweigh the cons. If the people who do the knocking sit down with a map of Australia, and figures of <strong>Defence</strong> <strong>Force</strong> membership, they would probably realize that, for a country this size, the <strong>Defence</strong> <strong>Force</strong>, Reserve included, is not adequate enough to cover the entire continent sufficiently at this time. Some people might say, that we are in no danger of an attack because of the American military establishments in various parts of the country, but to be pessimistic myself, why should they become involved unless their bases were actually physically threatened I am not saying that they would stay out of a conflict, but that is an option open to us when discussing <strong>Australian</strong> Continental defence. To move on to a more constructive topic, the author noted that the sections could be formed in groups of six or eight men, working from a 4-wheel drive vehicle, and could be provided with a para-military type uniform. On the other hand, if the vehicles were provided to units from Army stocks, or were placed at the disposal of the units instead of being sold at auction, then the units would have a contact with the Regular Army or Reserve Units in the way of parts for the vehicles, or they could be obtained through local dealers. In this way more units could be raised, as the main drawback that I have found, through speaking about this scheme, is the acquirement of a 4WD vehicle from a dealer, as prices are a little too steep for the average wage earner. This really only applies to those people living in the major cities, as most land owners and farmers have at least one 4WD for farm uses. Alternatively, units could acquire a 4WD vehicle on a subsidy loan system, whereby the units buy the vehicle, and repay the loan at a fixed amount to either the Government, or to the manufacturer. In this way, uniforms could be purchased by the unit members at a fraction of the cost of the vehicle that they also require. Weapons as has already been said in the original article, would be personal weapons of the unit members apart from special weapons required for specific tasks. I realize that this, like the original article, can be pulled apart to illuminate the weaknesses of the scheme, but if ideas are continually put forward, then someone eventually will combine the good, discard the bad, and have one efficiently running, Alternative <strong>Defence</strong> <strong>Force</strong> to holster the existing <strong>Force</strong>s. (j DA VID J. GABEL PTE 2MDPD Dear Sir, I would like to congratulate LTCOL J.P.F. Dixon on his article 'An Alternative Reserve <strong>Force</strong>' in <strong>Defence</strong> <strong>Force</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> No 32. The topic of the defence of Continental Australia is very close to most of us in the Army Reserve and it is refreshing to have a new slant on it. Casting one's mind back to WWII stories of the Long-Range Desert Group and Poposi's Private Army, it is clear that local knowledge of an area before hostilities, the ability to navigate, fight and survive in desert terrain and the mastery of communications between small units when doing so is a most valuable asset when the situation demands it. Colonel Dixon's list of Tasks, Specific Tasks and training objectives (together with the annual training in a shadow area) seem to me to be excellent examples of original thought. Looked at from the medical stand point I would like to add two things which appear to have been overlooked and while we are thinking in terms of original approaches to problems I feel they should be given serious consideration.
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