00:00 The major restructure will see two Adelaide-based combat units disbanded.
00:07 About 800 army personnel will be relocated to Townsville, Brisbane and Darwin.
00:12 The majority of those, up to 500 personnel plus their families, will end up here in North
00:17 Queensland.
00:18 This is the biggest overhaul of the army that we've seen in more than a decade.
00:24 Townsville's 3rd Brigade will be reformed as the army's only heavy combat formation,
00:29 eventually hosting its entire fleet of armoured vehicles.
00:32 The city will also hold about half of the army's aviation capabilities, with the new
00:37 fleet of attack Apache helicopters to be based in the city from 2025, alongside the current
00:43 fleet of Chinooks.
00:45 Army's numbers in Adelaide will first decrease, but eventually rebuild as it becomes home
00:51 of long-range strike capabilities.
00:54 The shake-up is all in response to the Defence Strategic Review, which was released earlier
00:59 this year.
01:00 It found the Defence Force is no longer fit for purpose amid growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
01:06 The Defence Strategic Review has asked of government that we seek to have a Defence
01:14 Force which is focused.
01:16 Focused on providing for the peace and security of the region in which we live.
01:22 These changes have been designed to position the army for amphibious operations in Australia's
01:27 immediate region, where a future conflict could be fought against an adversary like
01:32 China, rather than in land wars in the Middle East.
01:36 Recruitment and retention has also been a major issue for the Defence Force.
01:41 It's hoped that these changes will address some of the hollowness in the army by consolidating
01:46 people and resources in key locations.
01:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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