Overwatch Battle Group (West) was an

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, 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 (CA), wh ...

battlegroup that represented Australia's largest contribution to the

Multinational force in Iraq Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...

. The Battle Group was established in July 2006 and was based at Tallil Airbase in

Dhi Qar Governorate Dhi Qar Governorate ( ar, ذي قار, translit=Thi Qār, ) is a governorate in southern Iraq. The provincial capital is Nasiriyah. Prior to 1976 the governorate was known as Muntafiq Governorate. Thi Qar was the heartland of the ancient Iraqi civ ...

, consisting of units previously assigned to the third, and final, rotation of the

Al Muthanna Task Group The Al Muthanna Task Group (AMTG) was a battlegroup that formed Australia's main ground force contribution to the Multinational force in Iraq. The AMTG was established in April 2005 and ceased to exist in July 2006 when the Australian force was r ...

. It was withdrawn in June 2008.

History

Upon its formation Overwatch Battle Group (West) consisted of units which were previously assigned to the third, and final, rotation of the

, following the handover of Camp Smitty to Iraqi Forces in July 2006. The Battle Group formed part of

Multi-National Division (South-East) Multi-National Division may refer to: Bosnia *Multi-National Division (North) (Bosnia) (c.1996-1999) * Multi-National Division (South-East) (c.1996-1999) *Multi-National Division (South-West) (Bosnia) (c.1996-1999) Iraq *Multi-National Division - B ...

. An additional 38 personnel and four Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles were deployed in late 2006 to increase the size of the force to over 500 soldiers supported by 40

ASLAV The Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV) is an eight-wheeled amphibious armoured reconnaissance vehicle of the LAV II family used by the Australian Army. It was built by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada, and developed from the U.S. Mar ...

s and 19 Bushmasters. Total Australian strength in southern Iraq rose to over 500 personnel.Horner (2008), p. 336. Overwatch Battle Group (West)'s main role was to provide support to

Iraqi Security Forces The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is a term used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to describe law enforcement and military forces of the federal government of the Republic of Iraq. During the Iraq War, these entities received trainin ...

in a crisis if requested by the Iraqi Government and the

Multi-National Force – Iraq The Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF–I), often referred to as the Coalition forces, was a military command during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and much of the ensuing Iraq War, led by the United States of America ( Operation Iraqi Freedom), Unite ...

. Whilst it was never called upon to act in this role, the Battle Group did conduct combat and security operations within the cities of An Nasiriyah and As Samawah, the provincial capitals of Dhi Qar and Al Muthana respectively, extensive patrolling within rural areas and on

Main Supply Route A main supply route (MSR) is the route or routes designated within an area of operations upon which the bulk of traffic flows in support of military operations and humanitarian operations. MSR is a term that is also used in insurgency and irregul ...

s (MSRs) to counter the indirect fire and improvised explosive device threat, training and mentoring of the Iraqi Army and Police, support to strike operations undertaken by United States Special Forces, and construction and re-construction work. The Battle Group's training team was responsible for providing basic training to Iraqi Army personnel at the Basic Training Centre in Tallil.Horner (2008), p. 336. During the four rotations of the deployment, the battle group took part in a number of engagements, including the Battle of Al Rumaythah, which occurred on 26 September 2006 and involved OBG(W) 1,Noonan, Gerard, Skehan, Craig and Desmond O'Grady, "Australian Troops Close Shave in Iraq Firefight", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 29 September 2006.Wright, Lincoln. "Diggers Kill Five in Iraq Battle", ''The Sunday Mail'', 8 October 2006. and the

Battle of Route Bismarck The Battle of Route Bismarck was a series of military engagements fought between Australian forces from Overwatch Battle Group (West) 2 in southern Iraq, and Anti-coalition insurgents over the period 23–24 April 2007. The engagements occurre ...

, involving OBG(W) 2 over the period 23–24 April 2007. As the Labor Party led by

Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...

pledged in the 2007 election, Australian combat forces began withdrawing from Iraq on 1 June 2008. and the Overwatch Battle Group (West) and Australian Army Training Team formally ceased combat operations on the 2 June 2008. No Australian military personnel were killed in the course of the deployment, during which the Australian contingent helped train 33,000 Iraqi soldiers. Approximately 200 Australian personnel remained in Iraq on logistical and air surveillance duties after its withdrawal.

Rotations

*OBG(W)-1: June – December 2006 (Lieutenant Colonel Mick Mahy) **HQ,

2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) is an amphibious light infantry battalion of the Australian Army part of the 1st Division Amphibious Task Group based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville. 2 RAR was initially formed as the A ...

**A Squadron, 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) **A Company,

**Support Company,

**IMV Detachment,

6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in Brisbane, Queensland, on 6 June 1965 and has since then served in a number of overseas deployments and conf ...

*OBG(W)-2: December 2006 – June 2007 (Lieutenant Colonel Tony Rawlins) **HQ, 2nd Cavalry Regiment **B Squadron/Combat Team Eagle, 2nd Cavalry Regiment **D Company/Combat Team Tiger,

5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (Mechanised) (5/7 RAR ECH was a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. The battalion was based at Robertson Barracks in Holtze, Northern Territory and formed part of the 1st Bri ...

**Combat Service Support Team *OBG(W)-3: May – December 2007 (Lieutenant Colonel

Jake Ellwood Major General Justin Frederick Ellwood, (born 1970), commonly known as Jake Ellwood, is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He joined the army via the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1989 and was commissioned into the Royal Au ...

) **HQ, 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment **A Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment **2 Troop, B Squadron, 3rd/4th Calvalry Regiment. **C Company, 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment **Combat Support Element **Combat Service Support Element *OBG(W)-4: November 2007 – June 2008 (Lieutenant Colonel Chris Websdane) **HQ, 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) **A Squadron, 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) **A Company,

**Combat Support Element **Combat Service Support Element

References

Citations Bibliography *

History

Rotations

References

Further reading