Vietnam Veterans’ Remembrance Day is commemorated on that day every year. Originally known as Long Tan Day, it was chosen to commemorate the men of D Company, 6RAR who fought in the battle of Long Tan in 1966. On that day, 108 Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought a pitched battle against over 2,000 North […]
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Australian service on D-Day
On the night of 5/6 June Bomber Command conducted precision attacks on ten German coastal artillery batteries near the beaches where Allied troops were to land. Each battery was targeted by approximately 100 heavy bombers, and all four Australian heavy bomber squadrons took part in the operation. No. 460 Squadron dispatched 26 aircraft, which were […]
Diamond in the Rough
More than 1200 members from the Australian Army’s 7th Brigade converged on Central Queensland for Exercise Diamond Sprint at Shoalwater Bay Training Area in May. Diamond Sprint was a combined units training activity and 7th Brigade’s largest formation-level exercise of the year. It culminated in infantry conducting assaults with artillery, tanks, engineers, logistics and communication […]
Your favourite charity?
The original ex-military welfare organisation formed for the well-being, care, compensation and commemoration of serving and ex-service Defence Force members and their dependents, the Returned and Services League of Australia, was established in 1916. Since then, there have been a large (and growing) number of welfare charities established essentially serving the same group of people, […]
Just turn up and shoot
It was an usual sight in Canberra as a live-fire range arrived on the back of a semi-trailer at Russell Offices. The Video Positive Identification Range (ViPIR) turned up for an evaluation from May 13-24. ViPIR’s Sergeant Robert Brooks, a reservist on loan from Adelaide Universities Regiment and working for Army Land Simulation Program, said […]
Padres head up support
The two chaplains deployed on Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 (IPE19) may have different religions but their roles were the same: to counsel and provide pastoral care to all on board. Father Paul Stuart, the Senior Chaplain aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s flagship HMAS Canberra, was on the ship as it visited Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, […]
Chinese vessels target RAN pilots
Chinese maritime militia vessels are believed responsible for a series of laser attacks on Australian Navy pilots during a recent voyage through the hotly contested South China Sea. Key points: Defence sources have confirmed helicopters were targeted with lasers during night flights. It comes after Chinese warships closely followed the Australian Task Group Beijing maintains […]
75th Anniversary, D Day looms
Close to 3,000 Australians were involved in the Normandy landings in 1944. Australia’s main contribution to D‐Day was in the air. Some 2,000 to 2,500 Australian airmen serving in Royal air Force and Royal Australian air Force Squadrons took part in operations associated with the invasion. Australian aircrew served in transport and glider‐towing squadrons which […]
IPE19 returns to Australia
The Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 (IPE 19) Joint Task Force has returned to Australia following a three-month regional engagement mission to South and South East Asia. The flagship HMAS Canberra will anchor off Darwin tomorrow, having visited seven nations since March 2019 during the third IPE iteration since its inception in 2017. Chief of Joint Operations, […]
New Minister for Defence
Linda Karen Reynolds CSC (born 16 May 1965) is an Australian Liberal Party politician serving as Minister for Defence since 26 May 2019, and has served as Senator for Western Australia since 2014. Military service: Australian Army Reserve, 1984–2012, Brigadier. Commander, 5th Combat Support Battalion Awards: Conspicuous Service Cross, Defence Long Service Medal, Australian Defence […]
