The Australian Instructional Corps (AIC) was a corps of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

that existed between 1921 and 1955. Tasked with providing training to soldiers serving in Australia's part-time military force, the corps consisted of Permanent force warrant officers and senior non commissioned officers from all arms of service, who were posted to Citizen Force units as cadre staff, filling various regimental and training appointments. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the majority of the corps' personnel were transferred to the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial strength of one ...

, and in the aftermath of the war the corps eventually became part of the fledgling Australian Regular Army. In the post-war years, as the focus of Australia's defence strategy shifted towards the maintenance of a strong Regular force, the corps' role declined and it was eventually disbanded in 1955.

History

Formed on 14 April 1921, the Australian Instructional Corps replaced the Administrative and Instructional Staff that had been in existence within the Army since Australia's Federation in 1901. It was raised in the aftermath of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

following the demobilisation of the Australian Imperial Force, when Australia's part-time military forces were reorganised to re-assume the main responsibility for the nation's defences. As part of the reorganisation, it was decided to raise a force of two cavalry divisions and five infantry divisions with various supporting arms to be maintained through a mixture of voluntary and compulsory service. Consisting of a small cadre of permanent force

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

s and senior

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

s, along with the Australian Staff Corps, the AIC was tasked with providing training to the part-time soldiers of the Citizen Force of all arms and services, including combat and technical branches. Upon formation, the corps had an establishment of around 600 personnel, which was a large portion of the small 1,600-strong permanent force. AIC members wore distinctive uniforms, with unique embellishments and badges of rank. Members were posted to units across Australia, filling various roles including acting as the

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

regimental sergeant major Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by a warrant officer (WO) in the British Army, the Royal Marines, and the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations. It is also an actual rank in the Iri ...

in many Citizen Force units, and were tasked with running promotion, qualification and specialisation courses for citizen soldiers and with administering school cadet units. AWM P00989

Although it had been intended that members would receive special instructional training, due to budgetary constraints there were no instructor training courses run until 1935 when small courses began at Randwick. At this time, concerns about the strategic outlook in Europe and Asia resulted in a slow move towards re-armament within Australia and the AIC's role in preparing Australia's military for war grew. However, the size of the corps remained the same until 1940–41 when, after the reintroduction of conscription – which had been suspended in 1929 – the corps was expanded to an authorised strength of 185 quartermasters and 1,039 warrant and non commissioned officers. Throughout the Second World War, the corps was largely subsumed into the

, as instructors volunteered to serve overseas; upon the conclusion of the war, the AIC became part of the Interim Army that was established as Australia moved towards the establishment of the Australian Regular Army that would have precedence over the part-time elements that had previously been the focus of Australia's defence strategy. After this, the role of the corps slowly diminished as various arms of the service raised their own schools, which became responsible for producing their own instructors and trainers. Around the same time, amidst the context of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and the strategic exigencies of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, the training of part-time soldiers moved towards a more centralised scheme, further reducing the role of the AIC. The corps was officially disbanded on 19 May 1955, although according to historian Peter Dennis "for practical purposes it had ceased functioning several years earlier".

References

; Citations ;Bibliography * * * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Defunct Australian Army Corps Military units and formations established in 1921 Military units and formations disestablished in 1955