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Australia's Regional Force Surveillance Units

The official unit designation is Regional Force Surveillance Units. Australia maintains three of them and they patrol across the top of Australia looking for illegal entry, drugs and just generally keeping an eye on things. The units are made up of about 90 per cent aboriginals and the ADF actively recruits from the local aboriginal communities to bolster numbers. They are part-time soldiers who specialize in the surveillance role -- the units conduct their own basic, initial employment and promotion training and as such only know their specific role. The community lifestyle means these guys are very laid
back and they don't adjust well to working in a normal infantry environment. It is a good use of local resource though and the units have history back to the coast watchers in WW2

Reader comments:

The comment about RFSUs being 90% aboriginal manpower isn't strictly correct as it depends on the location of the unit. For example the Pilbara Regiment's troop based out of the iron-ore mining town of Newman had no aboriginal members for over 5 years during the 1990s as there were a very small number living in the town who held very little interest in joining the Army Reserve. NorForce and the FarNorth Queensland Regiment do have a large number of aboriginals however with some of the NorForce units reaching the 90% figure.

The RFSU units from the Pilbara Regiment operate mainly from Landrovers that are modified specifically for their use (basically extra storage and fitted for a crew of three to four -- a patrol usually comprises two Landrovers and 6 personnel). RFSUs have an equipment allocation second only to the SAS and Commando regiments and for a Reserve unit often get specialist equipment before Regular Army infantry units are issued. For Pilbara Regiment units based on the coast, small boats are also used however the Queensland Regiment units have a higher proportion of watercraft as they have a larger number of waterways to patrol. NorForce units generally operate in Section/Squad strength and operate both from vehicles (typically General Service trucks and Landrovers) and on foot. RFSU Landrover patrols regularly have deployments from RAAF C-130s to remote areas and units often undertake surveillance patrols on behalf of the Federal Police and also the Customs Service. 

They have been involved in the tracking and surveillance of illegal immigrants and illegal fishing groups once they have reached the mainland and other unauthorized entries by drug smugglers and gun runners. Live ammunition is often carried by patrol commanders for the specific purpose of deterring some of the more dangerous wildlife and also to supplement ration allocations even when on general training exercises.

The RFSUs are a little out of the ordinary as they are all a bit different to each other and are configured to suit the State/Territory they are based in. Pilbara Regiment is based in Western Australia, a state that has a very small population in relation to its size and vehicle units are better for patrolling if for no other reason than lack of manpower. NorForce in the Northern Territory, has a lot of aboriginal members as there are many more aboriginals living in the Northern Territory
than in Western Australia and they are closer to being a 'standard' infantry recce group as they have better access to a manpower pool.  FarNorth Queensland Regt. has more tropical vegetation to deal with and more waterways so that has necessarily shaped the type of force they are and they undertake a lot of patrols either by boat or with boats as the primary means of transport to an area. They too have a better manpower pool and come closer to being a 'standard' infantry recce organization.  All the RFSUs are considered to be at least 'elite forces' and some of their esprit de corps comes from the fact that they are elite Army Reserve units (as opposed to Regular Army), who aren't just training every time they go out on patrol. They do have a more casual attitude and some of them findit very hard to adapt to standard infantry units if they are transferred.  Most of the members live in remote communities in the Australian outback andthis makes them a bit more self sufficient and independent as well.

Images courtesy ARMY Magazine.

 

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