Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Royal Corps of Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the Australian Army that has responsibility for the maintenance and recovery of all Army electrical and mechanical equipment. RAEME has members from both the Australian Regular Army and the Army Reserve.
The Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers were raised on 1 December 1942. In 1948, the corp were granted the Royal prefix in recognition of their performance during World War II. On 1 December 2006, the last independent RAEME Workshop was disbanded. RAEME soldiers continue in their role to provide support through attachment to other units in Tech Support Troops, Sections or Platoons.
Role
Craftsman
A RAEME soldier is known as a 'Craftsman'. RAEME Craftsmen repair and maintain equipment as diverse as tanks, trucks and armoured personnel carriers, helicopters, boats, radios, radars and computers, artillery guns and missile systems. Among the wide range of trades available in the Corps are vehicle, material, energy, electronics, weapons, aircraft, marine and recovery technicians.Artificer
Artificer Sergeant Major is an appointment held by a Warrant Officer Class 1 or 2 in RAEME whose function is the senior soldier/tradesmen for the repair and recovery of all mechanical and electrical equipment.The role artificer is also used in the Australian Army in the Royal Corps of the Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and applies to the senior soldier in the Combat Service Support Battalion or workshop Troop or Technical Support unit.
An ASM WO1 must have passed the Artificer training course and served as an Artificer Mechanical/Electrical or similar discipline as an Artificer Staff Sergeant and ASM Warrant Officer Class 2 prior to promotion to WO1.
Mission
The mission of the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is to provide maintenance engineering, materiel maintenance, modification and recovery support to the Army, including aircraft and watercraft.Engineering monitoring of equipment
RAEME Officers and Artificers are the asset managers of units and tasked to monitor the equipment condition, reliability and equipment capability. This provides intelligence to the Commander on the operational capability and endurance of his Force now, and for future planning, and, it enables available engineering capacity throughout the support chain to be best directed to conserve the Inventory.Engineering practicalities
While established engineering principles and techniques remain the guiding light for engineering management, major adaptations have to be made in the Forward Areas especially during active operations.Forward repair in the field under conditions of threat and constant preparedness to defend and fight, and with limited engineering facilities in the way of cover, hard standing, lift, services, pre-planning, test equipment, machine and power tools and repair parts immediately at hand, demands not only high levels of military and trade skill but also ingenuity and a certain attitude and foresight.
Routinely the field repair, recovery and engineering management techniques needed in an Operational Theatre have to be adapted in a way that is rarely used, or appropriate, in a base or training environment. Often the techniques used in previous conflicts need to be rediscovered.