How persistence filled a capability gap

Building an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability from the ground up takes years, but perseverance paid off for WO2 Matthew Solis, who was awarded a Conspicuous Service Medal for his efforts in this year’s King’s Birthday 2026 Honours.

Infantry reconnaissance is a primary means by which commanders gather intelligence about the enemy. Soldiers are trained to a high standard of field craft, possess exceptional fitness, and operate in small teams close to the enemy to collect information.

This capability was absent at 31/42RQR when WO2 Solis arrived in 2016 after a short break from years of full-time Army service. He and another soldier identified it as a critical gap in Reserve capability.

“So, we drafted a capability paper and were lucky to have a very supportive CO and RSM at the time, who understood what we were trying to achieve,” WO2 Solis said.

The capability was successfully trialled, leading to the establishment of a reconnaissance platoon.

From there, reservists were selected to attempt the basic reconnaissance course with full-time units.

“We had some motivated individuals who performed very well, and they brought that experience back into the unit,” WO2 Solis said.

The platoon was validated during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021, where two reconnaissance patrols were embedded with 1RAR, conducting a range of tasks.

Following this, additional Reserve patrols were integrated with 8/9RAR, augmenting their patrols at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in 2023.

The capability was then expanded across other units within 2 Div.

Once WO2 Solis and his team demonstrated that support elements within Reserve infantry units were achievable, other capabilities followed, including mortars and direct-fire support weapons platoons.

“It also improved retention, particularly among specialised infantry soldiers coming from full-time service who didn’t necessarily want to join the Reserves as riflemen,” WO2 Solis said.

WO2 Solis acknowledged the team effort required to establish the capability.

“While I’ve been recognised, it reflects the work of a lot of people since 2016,” he said.