More Defence news: 11 February - 17 February 2008
| Prime Minister thanks troops in Timor | Soldiers establish vehicle check point in Timor | Australian Defence Force at Clipsal 500 | New Chaplains join ADF | Student wins flight in fighter jet | Troops arrive in Timor-Leste | HMAS Armidale visits Lord Howe | Third C-17 touches down | New Middle East Area of Operations Commander appointed | New Middle East Area of Operations Commander appointed | HMAS Maitland returns home | Roulettes tour Territory | Additional troops deployed to Timor-Leste | RAAF prepares to farewell Boeing 707 | Building from the ground up in Timor | Chinooks touch down in Kandahar | |
Prime Minister thanks troops in Timor
Prime Minister Rudd, who also held talks with key officials in Timor, was accompanied by Chief of Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston on the visit. More: Imagery | Operation ASTUTE |
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Soldiers establish vehicle check point in Timor
The Australian Army deployed up to 200 soldiers, based predominantly on a Rifle Company drawn from 3 RAR to Timor-Leste. The deployment of these forces follows attacks on the President and Prime Minister in Dili on 11 February. There are now approximately 1000 ADF personnel currently serving in Timor-Leste. This force will remain in Timor-Leste continuing to provide a robust response capability to support the Government of Timor-Leste and the United Nations Police force. More: Imagery | Operation ASTUTE |
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| Australian Defence Force at Clipsal 500 February 15 – The Australian Defence Force again support the program for the annual V8 Supercar races during the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide this weekend. Kids can wear a helmet, play noughts and crosses with Navy divers in the Dive Tank or pretend to drive an Army vehicle, there are a lot of interactive activities for the young and not so young. Most of the displays are interactive and the three services, Navy, Army and Air Force will be on hand to explain how the equipment works. On display will be ASLAV and Bushmaster vehicles, missile systems, weapons, aircrew equipment, Navy RHIB, communication systems, Defence Force Recruiters and much more. And to celebrate Clipsal 500 Adelaide’s 10 years of racing four RAAF F/A-18 Hornets will provide a spell binding formation air display that has never been seen before at a sporting event. On Saturday and Sunday, four Hornets will provide a formation display followed by a single aircraft display, also on Sunday a three-aircraft salute will take place at the conclusion of the National Anthem before the main race. Adding to the air display will be an AP-3C Orion from RAAF Edinburgh. The popular Armygeddon street machine will be back, as will the Royal Australian Navy Band - SA Detachment's rock band. |
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| New Chaplains join ADF February 15 – Four Army Reserve Officer Graduates from southeast Queensland were appointed as Chaplains in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) today, marking the start of their military careers. The new Chaplains – Johann Eloff, David Butterfield, Neil McKinlay and Daniel Bosshard – were appointed by Padre Philip Wyllie at a ceremony in Brisbane. ADF Chaplains balance the challenges of serving as a commissioned officer, with the duties of providing spiritual guidance and pastoral care to soldiers and their families. Chaplains have to remain active and endorsed members of their churches, which presents them with a unique challenge in meeting the demands of both their military and civilian spiritual roles. They work in demanding environments like ADF peace-keeping operations and humanitarian deployments, like the recent flood relief efforts in northern Queensland. More: Become a Chaplain in the ADF |
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| 15 February - TODAY IN DEFENCE HISTORY 1941: RAAF Base Williamtown formed. 1942: Fall of Singapore. More than 15,000 Australians taken prisoner by the Japanese on Singapore. For both Britain and Australia, this was a terrible military defeat. 1949: RAAF Staff College formed at Point Cook, Victoria. 1992: Anniversary of commissioning for HMAS Melbourne. |
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| 14 February - TODAY IN DEFENCE HISTORY 1900: Relief of Kimberley. The relief of Kimberley, Orange Free State, South Africa, was a major operation undertaken to break the Boer siege of the town. 500 Australians of the Queensland Mounted Infantry, New South Wales Mounted Rifles and New South Wales Lancers were involved in the breaking of the siege as part of the cavalry division commanded by Lieutenant General John French. 1942: SS Vyner Brooke sunk. The Vyner Brooke, carrying 65 Australian nurses and other refugees from Singapore, was sunk by Japanese aircraft one day after leaving the island. The survivors made their way to Banka Island where one group of nurses was massacred by their Japanese captors. Only Sister Vivian Bullwinkel survived the massacre. | |
Student wins flight in fighter jet
Ms Nicole Stebbing took the 45-minute flight yesterday, which took place at No.2 Operational Conversion Unit at RAAF Base Williamtown. Nicole, with five private flying lessons under her belt, said she has already applied for entry into the RAAF, and is now more determined to become a fighter pilot. More: Imagery | F/A-18 Hornet fact sheet |
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Troops arrive in Timor-Leste
The troops, who arrived via C-130 Hercules, have joined their comrades already on the ground, who are working hard to restore order and stability to the nation. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has responded to a request from the Australian Government to send additional troops to Timor-Leste, after Monday’s attacks on the President and Prime Minister. The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is working alongside the ADF to assist with Operation ASTUTE. More: Imagery | Operation ASTUTE |
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| HMAS Armidale visits Lord Howe February 13 – HMAS Armidale, a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Patrol Boat,– will visit Lord Howe Island from 14-18 February 2008. The visit coincides with celebrations to mark the 220th anniversary of the island’s discovery. During the ship’s visit the crew of 21 will be joining in activities like cricket, bowling and golf competitions, culminating in Discovery Day celebrations on Sunday, 17 February. Armidale departed Darwin on 11 January 2008 and docked in Cairns and Brisbane before steaming to Sydney to attend the Pacific 2008 Sea Power Conference at Darling Harbour. Armidale will return to Darwin after completing her Lord Howe Island visit. Based in Darwin, Armidale is the first of 14 Armidale Class Patrol Boats to enter into service with RAN. They replace the earlier Fremantle Class Patrol Boats. Their primary role is to support border protection operations around Australia’s coastline. |
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Third C-17 touches down
The enormous transport aircraft was delivered to RAAF by Boeing in December at its factory in Long Beach, California. It has since undergone electronic warfare self protection fit-out, before flying to Australia via Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. The Globemaster carries up to four times the payload of RAAF’s airlift workhorse, the C-130 Hercules. It can carry more than 70 tonnes of cargo, up to three Black Hawk helicopters, a single Chinook helicopter, or five Australian Light Armoured Vehicles. Australia’s first C-17 was delivered in December 2006, with the second aircraft arriving in May 2007. The fourth Globemaster will arrive at Amberley in early March. More: C-17 Globemaster fact sheet |
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New Middle East Area of Operations Commander appointed
MAJGEN Hindmarsh, who has successfully commanded the Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) since 2004, will take up his new position in the coming weeks. MAJGEN Hindmarsh will be replaced by MAJGEN Tim McOwan, who has previously served with the Royal Australian Regiment, 1st Battalion and the Special Air Service Regiment. Minister for Defence, the Hon Joel Fitzgibbons MP, today congratulated MAJGEN Hindmarsh on this new appointment, and thanked him for his ongoing commitment and leadership as the commander of SOCOMD. More: Read media release | Biography of MAJGEN Hindmarsh | Biography of MAJGEN McOwan |
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| 13 February - TODAY IN DEFENCE HISTORY 1972: RAAF flying in Vietnam ceases (35 Squadron Caribou transport). 1946: 34AIF disembark at Kure, Japan as part of Commonwealth Occupation Force. 1945: Australian Lancaster squadrons take part in devastaing raid on Dresden, Germany. |
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HMAS Maitland returns home February 12 – The Royal Australian Navy Armidale Class Patrol Boat, HMAS Maitland, returned to Darwin today after participating in Exercise MILAN 2008. Exercise MILAN is an annual event, organised by the Indian Defence Force, which promotes mutual understanding and cooperation between Asia-Pacific navies, by bringing them together to discuss regional maritime security. This year, 13 nations were invited to participate with 10 ships from eight countries joining the Indian Naval forces of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. Exercise MILAN took place in Port Blair, located in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Exercise MILAN is the furthest deployment from Australia that an Armidale Class Patrol Boat has undertaken. More: Read media release on HMAS Maitland’s departure |
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| Roulettes tour Territory February 12 – The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Roulettes aerobatic team will visit a number of Northern Territory airports this week, while en route to Singapore for the Asian Aerospace 2008 air show. The elite group of aviators stayed in Alice Springs overnight and will stop off in their Pilatus PC-9/A aircraft at Tennant Creek and Tindal before flying to Darwin today. The aircraft will perform a flypast 200ft above the Esplanade in Darwin at approximately 2:45pm local time. This is the Roulettes’ first visit to Darwin in eight years. Of special note is Roulette #5, Flight Lieutenant Phil Higgins – the first-ever Roulette team member to come from Darwin. The Roulettes are the RAAF's elite formation aerobatic display team, performing for the public at events around the country and internationally. Team members are flying instructors at RAAF's Central Flying School at East Sale in Victoria. More: Roulettes | Team members |
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Additional troops deployed to Timor-Leste
Under the direction of the Australian Government, the Army will deploy up to 200 soldiers, based predominantly on a rifle company drawn from the Sydney-based 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment. The Royal Australian Air Force will use its C-17 and C-130 fleet to provide strategic and operational capabilities, while the Navy will deploy HMAS Perth in support of the mission. The soldiers are expected to arrive in Timor-Leste this afternoon. More: Imagery | Operation ASTUTE |
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| 12 February - TODAY IN DEFENCE HISTORY 1900: A force including Victorian, Tasmanian and South Australian troops was attacked by a far superior Boer force at Pink Hill, South Africa. The Australians stayed to cover the retreat of British infantry. In the fight, the Australians lost over 40 per cent of their strength to enemy action. 1902: The first contingent of Australian Commonwealth troops embarked on the SS St Andrew for service in the Boer War. The contingents were the Victorian components of the 2nd Australian Commonwealth Horse and the Commonwealth Army Medical Corps. 1940: Anniversary of commissioning for HMAS Hawkesbury | First convoy of troops of the 2nd AIF reached Egypt and entrained for their camp at Qastina, Palestine. The main body of troops were 16 BDE. |
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RAAF prepares to farewell Boeing 707
An 'End of an Era' function at RAAF Base Richmond will celebrate the contribution of past and present members of the RAAF B707 community on 28 June, 2008. The Boeing 707 ‘End of an Era’ Hangar Bash is open to all current and previous members of No. 33 Squadron, former members of No. 33 Flight, previous members of No. 37 Squadron who operated, maintained and supported the Boeing 707, and anyone else who can demonstrate a connection with the operational support of the RAAF Boeing 707. Further details are available on the RAAF website at the link below. To mark the aircraft's final six months in service, the final Boeing 707 tanker transport (the A20-624 ‘Richmond Town’) is sporting a colourful new tail scheme. More: Boeing 707 End of an Era | Imagery | Boeing 707 fact sheet |
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Building from the ground up
The project coordinated by the Defence Cooperation Program - Timor-Leste allows engineers from Timor-Leste Battle Group-3 to share their knowledge and skills with the FFDT-L soldiers. Practical skills being taught include power drill techniques and methods for mixing cement. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has deployed to Timor-Leste with the aim of restoring stability, security and confidence to the Timorese people. More: Imagery | Operation ASTUTE |
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Chinooks touch down in Kandahar
The Chinooks were flown from Australia onboard a C-17 Globemaster military cargo aircraft. They are now undergoing reassembly prior to flight testing and should be ready for operations by March 2008. This is the second time Australian Army Chinooks, operated and maintained by the Townsville-based C Squadron, 5th Aviation Regiment, have deployed to Afghanistan. The first deployment was from March 2006 to April 2007. The helicopters were then returned to Australia to undergo deep-level maintenance and a number of upgrades. The helicopters’ engines have been modified, resulting in nearly 25 per cent more power, with increased fuel efficiency. They have also received additional ballistic protection and communication equipment. The Chinook is capable of carrying 30 combat troops or carrying more than 11 tonnes of cargo, either internally or externally via its underslung hook. More: Read media release | Operation SLIPPER |
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| 11 February - TODAY IN DEFENCE HISTORY 1964: HMAS Melbourne/HMAS Voyager collision, 82 lives lost. 1944: Australian Army Canteen Service formed. 1974: 2/335022 MAJ R L Burnard, Naval and Military Attache to Vietnam returned to Australia. He was the last Australian soldier to serve in the country. 2006: Anniversary of commissioning: HMAS Bathurst; HMAS Larrakia. 2007: Anniversary of commissioning: HMAS Broome. |
