The Combined Arms Training Centre (CATC) is an

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 ...

training establishment that is part of Forces Command. Its headquarters is located at Bridges Barracks, at

Puckapunyal Puckapunyal (more formally the Puckapunyal Military Area, but also known as the Puckapunyal Camp or Puckapunyal Army Base, and colloquially as "Pucka") is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, Victoria, Seym ...

, near

Seymour, Victoria Seymour () is a town located in the Southern end of the Goulburn Valley in the Shire of Mitchell, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia and is located north of Melbourne. At the , Seymour had a population of 6,569. The township services t ...

, approximately to the north of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. The centre was established in 1998–1999, in the mould of the

Army Logistic Training Centre The Army Logistic Training Centre (ALTC) is an Australian Army training establishment that is part of Forces Command (Australia), Forces Command. Established on 1 December 1995, through the amalgamation of nine separate logistic, health and perso ...

, to group the individual schools of the Army's combat corps –

armour Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while consider ...

and

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

– under one command. At the time of its establishment it was known as the Combat Arms Training Centre, but in 2006 it was redesignated as the Combined Arms Training Centre. The centre is commanded by an

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

with the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

who holds the appointment of commandant. Of its constituent schools, two – the School of Artillery and the

School of Armour A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of fo ...

– are co-located with HQ CATC at Puckapunyal, while the

School of Infantry A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. Franc ...

is located at

Lone Pine Barracks Lone Pine Barracks is an Australian Army base located in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Aus ...

Singleton, New South Wales Singleton is a town on the banks of the Hunter River (New South Wales), Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. Singleton is 202km (126 mi) north-north-west of Sydney, and 70 km (43 mi) north-west of Newcastle, New South Wales ...

, and the School of Military Engineering is located at

Holsworthy Barracks Holsworthy military base is an Australian Army military barracks, located in the Heathcote National Park in Holsworthy approximately from the central business district, in south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The barracks is pa ...

in the Liverpool Military Area. The establishment provides individual training to officers and

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

s across a number of courses including initial employment training and regimental officer basic courses, as well as more advanced and specialty courses, using a variety of techniques and technologies including simulators and other training aids, as well as operational equipment and weapons platforms. In addition, the centre is the venue for a number of other training exercises and activities. This includes the Australian Army Skill at Arms Meet (AASAM), which includes teams from the Army, Air Force and Navy, as well as teams from overseas. A combined arms firepower demonstration is also carried out at CATC every year called Exercise Chong Ju.

References

{{reflist Australian Army Military units and formations established in 1998