3rd Brigade (Australia)

3rd Brigade
Personnel from SECDET X, which included members of 3rd Brigade, in Baghdad, March 2007
Active	1903–1906 1912–1919 1921–1944 1967–present
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Combined arms
Size	3,500 personnel[1]
Part of	1st (Australian) Division
Garrison/HQ	Townsville, Queensland
Engagements	World War I World War II Somalia Cambodia Rwanda Solomon Islands East Timor Iraq Afghanistan 2021 Solomon Islands unrest
Commanders
Notable commanders	Gordon Bennett Peter Arnison Peter Leahy Mark Evans Mark Kelly David Morrison Mick Slater John Caligari[2] Robert Winning[3]
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 3rd Brigade is a combined arms brigade of the Australian Army, principally made up of the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment (1 and 3 RAR). Initially raised in 1903 as part of the post-Federation Australian Army, it was removed from the order of battle in 1906 following the restructure of the field force. It was re-formed in 1914 for service during World War I, taking part in the fighting at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in Europe. During World War II the brigade was used in a defensive role before it was disbanded in 1944. It was re-raised in 1967 for service during the Vietnam War and later went on to provide the nucleus of the deployment to East Timor during the Australian-led intervention in 1999. The brigade is currently based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, Queensland.