April 2019

A classroom full of bright eyes and beaming smiles greeted members of the Indo-Pacific Endeavour Joint Task Force when they visited the Government Children’s Home for Boys in Visakhapatnam, India. A Royal Australian Navy aircraft technician, Able Seaman Nick Smith, was immediately surrounded by children as young as nine who were keen to shake hands, […]

For Flight Lieutenant Matthew Jones, the biggest challenge working in a military hospital in Afghanistan is not knowing what will come through the door next. The Royal Australian Air Force doctor is deployed to the medical facility within the military base at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul. “The same challenge exists in Australia but it […]

In eight months, Army Corporal Matthew Blows had a unique insight into Afghanistan few others see. As one of the guardian angels of Force Protection Element 10 (FPE10), the Brisbane-based soldier and his FPE10 colleagues provided Australian advisors with force protection during their train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan.   Corporal Blows saw first-hand […]

HMAS Newcastle was slowly guided into dock by the harbour master at Visakhapatnam Port in the Indian sub-continent on a breathless, humid day. Newcastle took its place alongside submarine HMAS Collins as the Indian Navy’s Command Protocol Officer, Commander Ravi Rastogi, welcomed the commander of the Australian combined task group for AUSINDEX, Captain Andrew Quinn. Captain Quinn said the […]

The Australian Army’s Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery (RAA) successfully tested the new Sensor-fused Munition for Artillery (SMArt) 155mm round during Exercise Chimera recently held at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area near Rockhampton. Lieutenant Colonel Paul Duncan, Commanding Officer of 4 Regiment, RAA said that up until now the Australian Army Artillery had lacked a […]

Australian Defence Force Rugby League partnered with the NRL to mentor league-loving nation Fiji in March during a week-long tour in Suva. The program delivered junior and senior programs focused on the fundamentals of sport and healthy lifestyles. “The values of sport – competition, teamwork and fair play – help build trust between countries and […]

Cancer makes strange bedfellows, but three bouts between two soldiers formed the basis of a podcast sharing inspirational stories of young people taking their problems by the horns. The 25StayAlive podcast, hosted by testicular and bowel cancer survivor Captain Hugo Toovey and Private Matt “Willy” Williams, who lives with incurable brain cancer, presents an “inspiring, real and […]

HMA Ships Success and Parramatta have conducted a port visit to Chennai, India, before their involvement in the bilateral Australian and Indian Navy exercise AUSINDEX. Indian Navy personnel and awaiting media welcomed the two warships and their excited crews, who enjoyed a highly successful visit before sailing to their next port of call. “This year’s iteration of AUSINDEX will […]

A team of Navy clearance divers embarked in HMAS Success for Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 has taken the opportunity to strengthen ties with their Sri Lankan Navy counterparts through a joint training initiative. Conducted at the Sri Lankan Navy Base in Trincomalee on the north-east coast of the island, the training involved a series of theoretical and practical-based […]

A major international military exercise in the Philippines, jointly hosted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and United States Indo-Pacific Command, launched from Manila yesterday. Exercise Balikatan 19 is designed to enhance regional military cooperation and interoperability during times of disaster or humanitarian crisis. This year’s focus is the ability to respond effectively to […]