The Army's 8th Brigade, which commands the six university regiments, has transitioned under the command of Forces Command as a result of changes aligned with the National Defence Strategy.
The transfer of authority ceremony from the 2nd (Australian) Division to Forces Command happened on June 30 at Randwick Barracks and resulted in the majority of Army institutions being unified under one command. The single exception is the Army Aviation Training Centre, which was moved from Headquarters Aviation Command to the 16th Aviation Brigade earlier this year.
The ceremony was attended by the Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, formation commanders and dignitaries - including former 8th Brigade commanders.
Current Commander 8th Brigade Brigadier Arran Hassell said the move was reflective of the necessary evolution of the Australian Army as a response to the National Defence Strategy.
"Forces Command is now responsible for individual and collective training across the Army, including Army Reserve training," Brigadier Hassell said.
"This transfer will result in Army Reserve basic soldier and officer cadet courses, through Initial Employment Training, promotion and specialist courses right around Australia being given equal focus by staff at Headquarters Forces Command."
Following its designation as the Australian Army Reserve training formation on January 1, 2018, 8th Brigade assumed command of 525 personnel across all six state-based university regiments in the forms of Adelaide, Melbourne, Queensland, Sydney and Western Australian University Regiments, along with the University of New South Wales Regiment.
"The 8th Brigade has played a significant role in Army's contribution to the nation through all conflicts during our 112-year history, including having fought at the Battle of Fromelles in 1916 and more recently through the provision of personnel to domestic support tasks," Brigadier Hassell said.
"This move under Forces Command is a new chapter in our brigade's history. It is a positive development which will bring us closer to other training establishments and enable us to bring part-time Army training even closer to training delivered by the full-time force."
Despite this change, Headquarters 8th Brigade and the university regiments will remain in their current locations across the country.
