More Defence news: 22 October - 28 October 2007
| Concert in Afghanistan a real Tour De Force | Final submissions for Lawton Board of Inquiry | Sea Kings resume flying operations | Electronic voting for deployed personnel | New Army game online | Australian Transport Safety Bureau entry about Black Hawk crash off Fiji | Army Chief launches Land Warfare Conference | Defence rejects assault claims in Timor-Leste | Final port of call for HMAS Parramatta's North East Asian deployment | Navy divers clear explosive ordnance in Solomon Islands | Tributes flow for SASR soldier | |
TRIBUTES FLOW FOR SASR SOLDIER KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN
Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said SGT Locke exemplified the extraordinary valour we have come to expect from the Special Air Service. "Sergeant Matthew Locke was everything you would expect of an Australian soldier. He was courageous, dedicated and very professional. He took great pride in being an Aussie digger, displaying the characteristics of loyalty, mateship and determination for which Australian soldiers are renowned," Air Chief Marshal Houston said. SGT Locke was awarded one of the ADF's highest honours, a Medal for Gallantry, by Governor-General and honourary Colonel of the SASR Major General Michael Jeffery in December 2006. "Sergeant Locke, from my observations, was a magnificent soldier. He was brave, he was an absolute professional, but he also had a wonderful sense of humour and was very compassionate and I know that he will be missed, not just by his patrol, but also by the whole regiment," Major General Jeffery said. More: VALE: Sergeant Matthew Locke | Tribute from CDF | Read media release | Operation SLIPPER website |
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NAVY DIVERS CLEAR EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE IN SOLOMON ISLANDS
The largest item destroyed was a 45 kilogram bomb that had been exposed on a local road near a village in the Western Province. The projectiles and bombs, which were left over from World War Two, have been disposed of by a combined team of Royal Australian Navy divers and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal element of the Solomon Islands Police Force. Divers from Australian Clearance Diving Team Four (AUSCDT4) are continuing to train Solomon Islands Police Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians in the underwater methods used to dispose of unexploded ordnance found in the area. More: Read media release |
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| SKY'S NO LIMIT AT DEFENCE AIR SHOW 25 October - The 2007 Defence Air Show takes to the skies above RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia this weekend, where all things aero-nautical in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will be on display. ADF assets in action will include: Air Force F-111s, Hornets, Orions, Hercules and the big new C-17 Globemaster. Navy will showcase its Seahawk and Sea King helicopters, plus the famous Dancing Squirrels aerobatic helicopters, while the Army's Black Hawk and the new Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters make up just part of the procedings. The Defence Air Show opens at 8.30am each day and features a non-stop program of aerobatic action and static displays. More: Visit the Defence Air Show website |
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FINAL PORT OF CALL FOR HMAS PARRAMATTA'S NORTH EAST ASIAN DEPLOYMENT
Cebu Island is one of 7107 islands that make up the Republic of the Philippine, with Cebu city being the capital of the island and oldest city in the Philippines. Although Cebu Island is relatively small in size, only some 225 kilometres from North to South, Cebu is the Educational Centre for two thirds of the Philippines. The visit to Cebu was an important one for both countries as it provided the necessary forum for the Maritime Training Activity; a tabletop exercise under the Defence Cooperation Program agreement. More: Read article in full | Related imagery |
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| DEFENCE REJECTS ASSAULT CLAIMS IN TIMOR-LESTE 24 October - Allegations that Australian soldiers from the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) assaulted two Timorese men have been strongly rejected by the Commander of the Joint Task Force, Brigadier John Hutcheson. The allegations came to light on 16 October that Australian soldiers in Timor-Leste used rifle butts to repeatedly bash Timorese civilians on Sunday, 14 October 2007. “At no time did the ISF point their weapons at the men,” Brigadier John Hutcheson said. “At no time did the ISF soldiers touch the men and at no time did an ISF working dog bite any of the men.” The ISF will continue its mission to help the people of Timor Leste as part of Operation ASTUTE. ISF soldiers have built a strong relationship with the people of Timor Leste over many years and look forward to continuing that strong relationship. More: Operation ASTUTE website |
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| ARMY CHIEF LAUNCHES LAND WARFARE CONFERENCE 24 October - Chief of Army Lieutenant General Peter Leahy has praised the efforts of academics, scientists, commercial organisations, industry and other interested individuals and groups in supporting Australian soldiers during his opening address to the 2007 Land Warfare Conference in Adelaide. “Without a doubt you have helped the Australian Army shape our future and your work has helped keep our soldiers alive. Our future looks brighter because of your help and support,” Lieutenant General Leahy said. The theme of his address was “The Land Force and Urban Warfare – Pervasive, Persistent and Proportionate”, which detailed the globalisation of the world economy and the proliferation of easily accessible communications. Lieutenant General Leahy also asked attendees what they can do to help Australian soldiers deployed on operations. “We need your help in a conceptual, scientific and industrial approach that ensures we are equipped, trained and prepared for this fight. My question to you is, ‘How can you help us become pervasive, persistent and proportionate?’ ” More: Read speech in full | Read media release |
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| AUSTRALIAN TRANSPORT SAFETY BUREAU ENTRY ABOUT BLACK HAWK CRASH OFF FIJI 23 October - The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) recently posted an entry on its website about its part in the investigation into the Black Hawk crash off the coast of Fiji in 2006. The ATSB is assisting the Black Hawk Board of Inquiry, which was established to inquire into the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident. The website briefly outlines the facts so far and stated that all information publicly released by the Board of Inquiry is available on the Department of Defence website. This is true of all findings released, however the BOI is due to provide a report to the Chief of the Defence Force by 31 January 2008. More: Black Hawk BOI website | ATSB website |
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| NEW ARMY GAME NOW ONLINE 23 October - Defence Force Recruiting now has a new interactive game based on military operations available on its website. “Advanced Urban Ops” has been designed to showcase the work of Australian soldiers patrolling an abandoned village. The defencejobs website already uses several online games to showcase the work of the Australian Navy, Army and Air Force. More: To play “Advanced Urban Ops” (or obtain further information on other online games), please see www.defencejobs.gov.au |
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ELECTRONIC VOTING FOR DEPLOYED PERSONNEL
Under the new trial, ADF personnel and Defence civilians on operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands can cast their votes on the secure Defence network. The votes are then transmitted electronically to the Australian Electoral Commission through a secure computer gateway. Paper-based voting will also be provided to all electronic voters as a back-up for the trial locations as well as for other ADF deployments where electronic voting is not available. Remote electronic voting reduces the need for traditional paper ballots and allows ADF members’ votes to be counted quickly. |
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| SEA KINGS RESUME FLYING OPERATIONS 22 October - The Royal Australian Navy's Sea King helicopters will resume flying operations following a three-week flying suspension was imposed on 2 October 2007 as a precautionary measure. A thorough investigation was conducted into the circumstances surrounding the tail rotor anomaly on one of the aircraft. No further anomalies were detected in any of the other aircraft. “Having thoroughly investigated this matter through an independent technical airworthiness authority, and upon the recommendation of this authority, the Commander Naval Aviation Group and the Commanding Officer 817 Squadron, I am satisfied to lift this suspension,” said Commander Australian Fleet and Naval Operational Airworthiness Authority, Rear Admiral Nigel Coates. More: Read media release | Read related article |
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| FINAL SUBMISSIONS FOR LAWTON BOARD OF INQUIRY (BOI) 22 October - The Board of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Captain Paul Lawton will hear final oral submissions when it meets tomorrow. CAPT Lawton worked for the Defence Material Organisation’s Abrams project team. CAPT Lawton died whilst escorting the first Abrams tanks back to Melbourne from the United States. It is expected that the Board’s report will be submitted to the Chief of the Defence Force by 30 November 2007. |
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CONCERT IN AFGHANISTAN A REAL TOUR DE FORCE
The current Middle East “Tour de Force” kicked off in Afghanistan on Friday 19 October 2007, and was a huge success for both the performers and the troops at Camp Holland in Uruzgan Province. Doc Neeson (formerly of the Angels) and his band kept the audience out of their seats. Singer and actress Alexis Fishman performed with the Sydney Army Band and comedian Gary Bradbury kept them laughing. The “Tour de Force” group will perform at least 13 concerts at various locations in the Middle East Area of Operations. More: Imagery | Operation CATALYST website | Forces Entertainment |
