Military Organisation and Structure

One army, two armies?

In the course of its history, the Australian Army, both its full-time and part-time components, have been known by several titles that have changed to reflect the force's structure or have been changed to convey a certain image to the public. These names are listed below.

1901 - 1915: Commonwealth Military Forces

Citizens Forces
Permanent Forces
AIF - Australian Imperial Force (from 1914)

General Sir Edward Hutton, first Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth Military Forces, c. 1901.
AWM A03735

1916 - 1929: AMF - Australian Military Forces

PMF - Permanent Military Forces
CMF - Citizen Military Forces
AIF - Australian Imperial Force (until 1921)

1930-1939: AMF - Australian Military Forces

Militia (known unofficially as the Australian Militia Forces (AMF) or the CMF)
PMF - Permanent Military Forces

1939-1942: AMF- Australian Military Forces

Militia (known unofficially as the AMP (often corrupted to Australian Militia Forces))
AIF - Australian Imperial Force
PMF - Permanent Military Forces

1943-1946: AMF - Australian Military Forces

CMF - Citizen Military Forces
PMF - Permanent Military Forces
AIF - Australian Imperial Force

1946-1947/48: AMF - Australian Military Forces

Interim Army
CMF - Citizen Military Forces

1947/48-1980: AMF - Australian Military Forces

ARA - Australian Regular Army
ACMF - Australian Citizen Military Force

1980-1996: Australian Army

ARA - Australian Regular Army
GRES or A-RES - Army Reserve
RRES - Ready Reserve (1991-1995)

1996- : Australian Army

Full-time Army
Part-time Army

AWM P03248.075
Informal portrait of Major General Peter Cosgrove, Commander of the International Force for East Timor (Interfet), who was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed Chief of Army in July 2000. In 2002 he was promoted to General and appointed Chief of the Defence Forces.
AWM P03248.075