1st Regiment, AFM is organised as a light infantry Battalion. The Regimental Headquarters is based at Lyster Barracks in Hal Far and is under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Chris Vella, AFM.
1st Regiment is organised into a Headquarters Company, three Infantry Companies and an Air Defence and Support Company (D Company). It is the AFM’s main land manoeuvre Unit.
Tasks:
- Secure locations of strategic and national interest.
- Maintain Force Elements at Readiness (FEAR) to deploy on Crises Management Operations (CMO).
- Be prepared to support civil authorities in exceptional circumstances or in times of national distress.
1st Regiment AFM is organised into the following Companies:
Regimental Headquarters
Headquarters Company
Headquarters Company, 1 Regt AFM provides combat service support to the other manoeuvre subunits of the Unit. The combat consists of a Company Headquarters (CHQ) and the following sections:
- Motor Transport
- Maintenance
- Communications
- Quartermaster
- Canteen
- Ranges
- Training Section
- ‘A’ Company
‘A’ Company’s mission is to secure the Malta International Airport. This task is carried out by performing patrols, close observation and access control procedures to restricted areas.
A Company is task organized into a Company Headquarters and four infantry platoons and operates at high readiness to intervene in exceptional circumstances occurring at the Malta International Airport. ‘A’ Company maintains a sizeable female personnel complement to ensure that access control procedures are as efficient as possible.
‘B’ Company
‘B’ Company mission is to secure vulnerable and key points which include national critical infrastructures and government buildings.
It consists of a Company Headquarters and five infantry platoons. ‘B’ Company personnel are often engaged in ceremonial and security tasks when foreign dignitaries visit Malta.
‘C’ Company
‘C’ Company is tasked with maintaining Force Elements at Readiness (FEAR) able to deploy on local or foreign operations at short notice. ‘C’ Company is often deployed in challenging and demanding environments requiring specialised and agile capabilities.
It consists of a Company Headquarters and four infantry platoons, also maintaining sustainable sniper and close protection teams.
‘D’ Company
The ‘D’ Company is tasked with providing combat support to the Force. It is responsible for generating dedicated fire support by deploying mortars, heavy machine guns or anti–tank weapons as required.
This Company has the additional capability of providing point ground based air defence.
The AFM Volunteer Reserve Force (VRF)
The recent amendments to the ‘Malta Armed Forces Act’, specifically the Appointments and Conditions of Service of the Volunteer Reserve Force, give greater potential to the AFM’s new Reserve Force.
In the past, this establishment was tied to the limited role envisaged for the reserve force, i.e. a reserve in case of a declared national emergency. This limited scope, severely curtailed the use of this reserve and consequently reservists felt left out of AFM activities.
Following the change in legislation, the Emergency Volunteer Reserve Force became the Volunteer Reserve Force. This allows the AFM to actively tap into this force as its employment is no longer only tied to national emergencies. This factor greatly increases the VRF’s flexibility. Its members shall become more akin to part-time soldiers, being involved on a regular basis in both the AFM’s routine and extraordinary commitments. By being more actively employed, VRF personnel would be able to contribute to the AFM and to the nation.
In order to meet the demands inherent to this change in role, the 3 year initial engagement of VRF personnel shall be composed of 3 subsequent phases, each of 1 year duration. The first phase shall primarily consist of basic training. The second phase shall see reservists specialising in a specific role, yet still deployable in basic roles if the need arises. The final phase shall see reservists deployed on a part time ad hoc basis within AFM units. The annual training camp shall be common to all phases.
