CO 3CER LTCOL Jen Harris
HEN Jen Harris enlisted she aspired to serve as an , and one day , command t Engineer Regiment . 3CER LTCOL Harris sed this goal . nificant milestone , for Harris personally , but the Australian Army . he first woman to command alian Regular Army Engineer Regiment ( CER ) stament to the barriers been removed since stment day in 1996 . ow seeing firsthand results al change and is thrilled portunities available to oldiers and officers . really heartening talking to the next on ,” LTCOL Harris said . olvement in services rugby has r contact with young women ll ranks and in the modern nder is now , quite simply , tor in anybody ’ s career . ave absolute choice , and , for ’ s one of the key positives our building a diverse workforce ght about ,” she said . ember is free to choose r own path , based on merit artificial constraints .” gnificant milestone , but Harris emphasised it has ring on the Regiment ’ s core generating robust and agile ing capability , integral to ombined Arms Team . Harris brings to the oad experience base a diverse career . s to Combat Engineer and ction units , the UK ( where pleted her Masters in effects on structures ), and most recent posting leading capability management ernisation , all bring a new ive to the Regiment .
“ I know firsthand the new capabilities we have coming into the Engineer Corps - very exciting opportunities ,” she said . New bridging , including a new dry support bridge which is a significant enhancement to combat bridging capability , and , further down the track , an armoured engineering capability are exciting developments on the horizon . It ’ s also not her first experience with 3Bde and preparing for Ex Hamel . She was Brigade Major at 6CS Bde working closely with BM 3Bde MAJ Ben McLennan ( now CO 1RAR ) as 3Bde prepared for Ex Hamel 2014 . “ This gave me an excellent insight into the Brigade and cemented my aspiration to come here ,” she said . She was OC 23 Support Sqn in 1CER at Darwin and , in 2010 , deployed with the Regiment as the Force Engineer with CTU-1 . It was a hectic , challenging deployment and very different to her first trip to Afghanistan , as part of the force insertion team prior to the deployment of the Reconstruction Task Force-1 in 2006 . She remembers that deployment most fondly . “ It was a fascinating time for a young captain ,” she said . She spent three months living and working with a Dutch Army construction team designing and building the camp that would be used by Australian troops until the end of 2013 . “ The Dutch team was great , but they struggled with a lack of resources and challenging construction circumstances ,” she said . “ We had to explosively dig all the services trenches for the sewerage , power and water for instance .” Having helped to build the new base , which would initially house about 400 Australian and twice as many Dutch troops , she stayed another three months commissioning the new facility and helping to establish initial tasks for the RTF . “ Obviously the initial footprint expanded significantly over the next decade ,” she said Heady stuff , and no sooner were her feet back on the ground in Australia , she was sent to Iraq to assess protection of the Australian Embassy facilities in Baghdad . She got to see more of the Middle East with a UN Observer ’ s posting in 2008-09 spending six months in Lebanon and six months in Syria . “ I am fortunate to have been exposed to a fascinating , and complex part of the world ,” she said . “ I have seen the amazing sights of Palmera and Alleppo , observed the enduring tension between Israel and Syria on the Golan , and patrolled the blue line in southern Lebanon . “ I have spoken across the blue line to young American Jews who come to do their National Service ... all wonderful experiences that have developed my understanding of complex operating environments .” Married to Stephen , who spent “ a lot of ” time in Townsville during a 15- year infantry career , she is vicariously familiar with the city already . She said the first six months of the year would be particularly busy for everybody in the Regiment . “ One squadron is very much focused on the Ready Battle Group and the road to Ex Hamel , while the other Combat Engineer squadron is focused on our support to the amphibious capability with 2RAR ,” she said . In addition the Regiment maintains its enduring focus on the engineer support group , ready to respond to natural disasters locally , and abroad once the Brigade moves to “ Ready ” – this effort is largely shouldered by 25 Support Sqn . The Regiment was also ready to support next year ’ s Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast and the APEC Summit in Papua New Guinea , in addition to the enduring commitment to PNGDF as part of the Brigade ’ s international engagement efforts .
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