Joint Task Force 661 has sailed for Colombo on the first leg of Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 to deepen Australia’s engagement with regional partner nations. Four ships and more than 1000 ADF personnel set sail on March 9 to support the Government’s commitment to an open, secure and prosperous region. Commander JTF 661 Air Commodore Richard […]
2019
HMAS Ballarat Hauls Hashish
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat has seized two tonnes of hashish worth approximately $100 million* in street value during a boarding operation on 28 February 2019. The boarding was conducted in international waters by the Combined Task Force 150 under the direction of the Combined Maritime Forces as part of Operation Manitou. Following the suspicious behaviour […]
Defence marks International Womens’ Day
Sarah van Bronswijk believes she has one of the most interesting jobs in Defence – the Indo-Pacific Enhanced Engagement Branch. It’s a fast rise for Sarah after joining Defence’s graduate program in 2016 following some postgraduate study in public policy and international affairs at the Australian National University. She’s now an Assistant Director in the […]
Search for lost WWII destroyer
One of the remaining maritime mysteries of World War II may soon be solved, thanks to a joint operation between the Royal Australian Navy and the Sri Lankan Navy. Nine sailors died when the destroyer HMAS Vampire (pictured) sank after enduring an intensive Japanese air attack off the Sri Lankan coast. The Vampire had been attempting to protect the […]
HMAS Choules in Honiara
The Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Choules arrived in Honiara for a three-day visit to train with, and deliver stores for, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in advance of the national general elections in April. Australian Defence Force personnel from all Services have deployed on HMAS Choules for a month-long activity to undertake engagement and training with […]
Protecting the force
An Army signaller performed a unique role last year as the commander of a female guardian angel team in Afghanistan on Operation Highroad. Corporal Moira Walker, of Australia’s Federation Guard, deployed with Task Group Afghanistan’s Force Protection Element and was based at Camp Qargha near Kabul. The former 3rd Combat Signal Regiment communications systems operator […]
Joint Statement on Pacific
The close defence relations between Australia and New Zealand are enduring and deeply rooted in our shared military history. In 2018, our two Defence Ministers reaffirmed our mutual commitment to this alliance through a refreshed Joint Statement on Closer Defence Relations. We identified in the Statement three focus areas, which have guided our continued joint […]
CA visits GMEO, Africa
Australian and Fijian soldiers of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) paraded in front of Australia’s Army Chief in a drill square in Egypt in February. Despite their distinctive terracotta-coloured headgear, the Australian MFO contingent is a little-known part of the ADF’s operations, which were being visited by the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick […]
Kicking goals
A family dynamic where one sibling is a major and another is a captain sounds fairly routine to most military families. However, the Wood family, of Camperdown in south-west Victoria isn’t like many others. “My brother Easton is the captain of the Western Bulldogs,” said Major McLeod Wood of Task Group Taji 8. Major Wood […]
Melbourne nurse’s contribution
A small military hospital in Afghanistan is a long way from one of Australia’s busiest emergency departments. It’s where Australian Army Reserve soldier Captain Gerry McMahon exemplifies the mutually beneficial relationship between the full-time Australian Defence Force and its Reservists. As a full-time nurse in the emergency department at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Captain […]
