123 2023 The year began with stark reminders of the unresolved issues of 2022. The war in Ukraine continued on, world tensions with China escalated following the discovery of spy balloons in the US and supply chain issues continued to harangue citizens with the ever rising cost of living. The possibility of war with China was on everyone’s minds as rumours continued to elude to conflict in 2027, however nothing solid beyond here say had made its rounds across office chatter. Nonetheless this possibility was at the forefront of planning and the design of training programmes across the 1st Brigade. This year represented the start of the 1st Brigade’s decision to move into Littoral operations, marking a change in the conduct of training. This decision followed after The Brigade Commander, Brigadier Foxall, visited 8/12 in March to discuss the future of Army. The Brigade Commander wanted to make it clear, in no uncertain terms, that Australia was entering into hostilities with China and those hostilities would be taking place in the Indo Pacific Region by 2027. The Defence Strategic Review, spearheaded by the Albenese Government, would pave the way for Army to achieve its capability goals. It was a strange briefing to sit in on. The Brigade Commander rarely came down to talk to troops, and yet here he was. The air was thick with tension following this news, and mixed feelings of preparedness and wondering what the future may hold took the room. Army committed itself to raising 20,000 more troops, offered retention bonuses and put into place more support for families and welfare. This was happening. The Defence Strategic Review planned for massive changes across Army, but in Darwin specifically it would invest heavily in infrastructure, as well as upgrades to Robertson Barracks. This included entirely new ports, launching points, renewable energy on base and more projects totalling in the range of billions of dollars.
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