The Australian Military Forces (AMF) was the official name of the Army of Australia from 1916 to 1980. This encompassed both the (full-time) "regular army", and the (part-time) forces, variously known during this period as the Militia, the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) and the Australian Citizen Military Force (ACMF).
Initially this also included the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) as part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). In 1920, the AFC became the Australian Air Corps, which became the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on 31 March 1921. The land forces of Australia were renamed the Australian Army in 1980. In detail:
| From | To | Entire Force | Full-time | Part-time | Deployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 1914 | Commonwealth Military Forces | Permanent Forces | Citizens Forces | - |
| 1914 | 1915 | Commonwealth Military Forces | Permanent Forces | Citizens Forces | AIF - Australian Imperial Force |
| 1916 | 1921 | AMF - Australian Military Forces | PMF - Permanent Military Forces | CMF - Citizen Military Forces | AIF - Australian Imperial Force |
| 1921 | 1929 | AMF - Australian Military Forces | PMF - Permanent Military Forces | CMF - Citizen Military Forces | - |
| 1930 | 1939 | AMF - Australian Military Forces | PMF - Permanent Military Forces | Militia | - |
| 1939 | 1942 | AMF - Australian Military Forces | PMF - Permanent Military Forces | Militia | AIF - Australian Imperial Force |
| 1943 | 1946 | AMF - Australian Military Forces | PMF - Permanent Military Forces | CMF - Citizen Military Forces | AIF - Australian Imperial Force |
| 1946 | 1947 | AMF - Australian Military Forces | Interim Army | CMF - Citizen Military Forces | - |
| 1947 | 1980 | AMF - Australian Military Forces | ARA - Australian Regular Army | ACMF - Australian Citizen Military Force | - |
| 1980 | 1991 | Australian Army | ARA - Australian Regular Army | GRES or A-RES - Army Reserve | - |
| 1991 | 1995 | Australian Army | ARA - Australian Regular Army | RRES - Ready Reserve | - |
| 1996 | - | Australian Army | ARA - Australian Regular Army | Australian Army Reserve | - |
Famous quotes containing the words australian, military and/or forces:
“The Australian mind, I can state with authority, is easily boggled.”
—Charles Osborne (b. 1927)
“The transformation of the impossible into reality is always the mark of a demonic will. The only way to recognize a military genius is by the fact that, during the war, he will mock the rules of warfare and will employ creative improvisation instead of tested methods and he will do so at the right moment.”
—Stefan Zweig (18811942)
“The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail—its roof may shake—the wind may blow through it—the storm may enter—the rain may enter—but the King of England cannot enter!—all his forces dare not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement!”
—William Pitt, The Elder, Lord Chatham (1708–1778)