Story 17 - 105 Sig Sqn hands over to
104 Sig Sqn at Australia's main operating
base in the Middle East (March 2020)
Acticle by Capt Jarrad Baldwin - Defence
News

Commander
Joint Task Force 633 Major General Susan Coyle with Major Chris
Mathieson, left, and Major George Prentice as they transfer command.
This photo was taken before social distancing guidelines came into
effect.
Photo: Petty Officer Yuri Ramsey
The 105 Signal Squadron’s flag was lowered at Australia’s main operating base in the Middle East in March after its six-and-a-half-month deployment.
As the 104 Signal Squadron took over from the Theatre Communications Group 10’s (TCG-10) Expeditionary Communications Squadron (ECS), one of its former senior officers was there to witness the handover.
Major General Susan Coyle, Commander of Joint Task Force 633 (CJTF 633) was the Officer Commanding of the 104 from 2003-2004.
“I’m clearly biased, but the premier Signal Squadron in the Australian Army has arrived in town,” Major General Coyle said.
The 104 and 105 are from Robertson Barracks in Darwin.
“Today marks a transition between two great sub-units within the 1st Combat Signal Regiment and the 105 Signal Squadron has done a great job as part of the TCG-9 team,” Major General Coyle said.
“I am confident the new team of communicators will continue the superb work that their predecessors have done.”
Major George Prentice, the outgoing OC of the ECS said it had been an incredible deployment.
“I’ve been blessed to have some amazing communicators from all services and a variety of units across the country here on deployment,” Major Prentice said.
“The transition we’ve seen in the region during our deployment and the support we have provided here in theatre has given the team an invaluable experience.”
Major Chris Mathieson, OC 104 Signal Squadron, said it was good to finally be deployed after six months of preparation.
“We did a lot of work with the team to get ready and we are looking forward to the challenges ahead,” he said.
“As a triservice team our job is to provide all national communications information systems infrastructure to support ADF members across the Middle East. We have eight nodes in six different countries that provide support to the national headquarters, its task groups and to ADF embeds in coalition task forces.”
The members of the 105 Signal Squadron are returning to Darwin and the 1st Brigade, which is the Army’s ‘ready’ brigade.