Australia's Federation Guard
| Australia's Federation Guard | |
|---|---|
| Active | 7 March 2000 – present |
| Country | Australia |
| Type | Foot Guards |
| Role | Ceremonial |
| Size | One augmented (tri-service) Company |
| Part of | Household Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Canberra |
| Nickname(s) | The Guard |
| Colours | Green & Gold |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch |  |
Australia's Federation Guard (AFG) is a tri-service ceremonial unit made up of members from the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, and Royal Australian Air Force. Formed in 2000 for the centenary celebrations of Australian federation, it is the first purely ceremonial unit in the history of the Australian armed forces, and has since represented Australia in various roles both at home and around the world, including providing the guard at Buckingham Palace in 2000.
The posting strength of AFG varies, although the unit's authorised strength is around 170 personnel of all ranks. A Royal Guard consists of 32 members from each service, one left marker, one right marker, two flag bearers and one parade officer. The Navy contingent of the Guard always appears on the left hand side of a parade, with Army in the centre and RAAF on the right. This reflects the seniority of the services.
Every member enlists into a specific trade in either the navy, army or air force, but puts those trades on hold for the duration of their service in the Guard. Although formed initially for the celebrations of the centenary, the standard of the Guard was such that it was kept on as a showcase for the ceremonial capabilities of the Australian Defence Force, serving in various public duties capacities.
For administrative purposes the unit is divided into four sub-units, a headquarters element and three single service "divisions". Each division is commanded by an officer from that service.
Although it is primarily a foot guards unit, equipped with the L1A1 SLR, the Guard also provides gun salutes. These salutes can be performed anywhere, although for practical reasons are usually only utilised in the Canberra district. Depending on the situation personnel from all three services, operate up to six guns, with four to six personnel servicing each gun under the command of personnel from the Royal Australian Artillery.
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