Royal Australian Armoured Corps

Australian Armoured Corps Royal Australian Armoured Corps
Emblem of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps
Active	9 July 1941 – present
Country	Australia
Branch	Armour
Type	Corps
Role	Mounted Combat
Size	3 regular regiments 5 reserve regiments and a training unit
Part of	Australian Army
Garrison/HQ	Puckapunyal
Nickname(s)	'The Black Hats'
March	Radetzky March, Opus Number 228 by Johann Strauss Senior
Anniversaries	9th of July 1941
Equipment	Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Commanders
Colonel in Chief	The King
Representative Honorary Colonel	Major General Craig Orme DSC, AM and CSC
Head of Corps	Brigadier Chris Gardiner
Corps Sergeant Major	Warrant Officer Class 1 Jamie Adams
Insignia
RAAC Colour patch

The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is an administrative corps of the Australian Army. It provides the Australian Defence Force's Armour capability, which performs the function of mounted combat. Armour combines firepower, mobility, protection and networked situational awareness to generate shock action and overmatch in close combat. Armour is an essential element of the combined arms approach that is employed by the Australian Army.^[1]

The RAAC is the senior arms corps within the Army and the custodian of the customs and traditions of Australia's mounted soldiers.^[2] The members of the corps are Army's experts in the theory and practice of armoured warfare and operation of armoured fighting vehicles (AFV). While all RAAC members are trained in the technical and tactical employment of armour, they specialise in either the Armoured or Cavalry career streams. Both male and female soldiers and officers serve within the RAAC as armoured vehicle crew. The corps includes both full-time Regular and part-time Reserve units and members. The RAAC provides policy guidance, trade management representation and administrative support for its members.