More Defence news: 10 August 2009 - 16 August 2009

Air Force Capability On Show | Update: Operation Kokoda Assist | Update: Navy Clearance Divers in Tonga | Loss of HMAS Sydney II report released | Navy clearance divers assist in Tonga | Going Solo DVD launched | Identification of Fromelles soldiers gets a boost | Darwin welcomes home its soldiers | Operation Ashika Assist

Air Force Capability On Show

The Royal Australian Air Force can boast global coverage on operations with 14 aircraft providing support to all areas of the globe.

The Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binksin said the 14 aircraft and support personnel are supporting  operations from the Middle East and Northern Australian coastline through to providing aid assistance in the Pacific.

"It's an excellent demonstration of Air Force's flexible capability that we are able to deploy in so many diverse roles," Air Marshal Binskin said.

Recent deployments include a C-17 Globemaster joining C-130s Hercules and AP-3C Orions in the Middle East. The past two deployments have seen aircraft support such as a C-130 to Tonga supporting recovery efforts with Operation ASHIKA ASSIST and a C-17, C-130 and a Caribou aircraft supporting the recovery efforts of the air crash victims with Operation KOKODA ASSIST in Papua New Guinea.

"Being able to rapidly respond as an effective force is important no matter what tasks confront us," Air Marshal Binskin said.

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Update: Operation Kokoda Assist

With the crash site of the Airlines PNG plane having been located, the ADF is concentrating on supporting the Disaster Victim Identification team and the PNG authorities' work at the crash site and the recovery of the victims.

Work has started on cutting a helicopter landing pad close to the crash site, to allow helicopter operations.

Once the helicopter pad is prepared, the Disaster Victim Identification team will be deployed to the site. They are being assisted at the site by helicopters, including two ADF Black Hawks, which arrived in Port Moresby by C-17 Globemaster last night, and are now operational.

With the arrival of the Army Black Hawks, the Navy Sea King helicopter has been re-called to HMAS Success, which has now been released to continue on with its previous tasking.

Commander of the Australian Task Force, Wing Commander David Howard, says his team brings important capabilities and is committed to the mission.

More: Imagery | Media release

Update: Navy Clearance Divers in Tonga

Tonga authorities are closer to knowing the exact location of the MV Princess Ashika after Navy divers from Australia and New Zealand located the berthing hauser to the ferry. They were able to follow the line down to 50 metres where they reported it continued into the darkness towards the seabed.

This location coincides with the EPIRB signal and the location of the Ferry Master's final radio call. Debris and oil has also been sited in the area.

The vessel is believed to be intact and upright at a depth of around 110 metres, beyond the safe diving depth of our clearance dive team.

Acting Chief of Joint Operations, Air Vice Marshal Greg Evans says that visual confirmation is the next step in the recovery process.

"We need to confirm 100 per cent that this is indeed the MV Princess Ashika," Air Vice Marshal Evans said.

"Diving to this depth requires highly specialized capabilities. Options for retrieving any remains of bodies from the vessel will now need to be reviewed."

Op Ashika Assist is the ADF contribution to the recovery of human remains on board the MV Princess Ashika, which sank on 5 August 2009. Sixteen Royal Australian Navy Clearance Divers are deployed on this mission.

More: Image Gallery | Media release

Loss of HMAS Sydney II report released

12 August - The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, AC, AFC said HMAS Sydney II was lost with all hands on 19 November 1941, following an engagement with the German raider, HSK Kormoran, off the Western Australian coast.

“For a long time our nation has struggled to understand how our greatest maritime disaster occurred,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said.

“The unanswered questions have haunted the families of those brave sailors and airmen that never came home.”

President of the Commission, the Honourable Terence Cole, AO, RFD, QC, said that the Inquiry’s key findings confirm that accounts provided by the HSK Kormoran survivors of Sydney II’s last movements and of the damage she sustained during the engagement with the German raider are correct.

“The Commanding Officer of HMAS Sydney II was not expecting to encounter any merchant ship in the location where he encountered Kormoran,” Mr Cole said.

“That knowledge together with his knowledge of the possible presence of a German raider should have caused the sighted vessel to be treated as suspicious.”

Another key finding is that there is now additional compelling evidence to support the conclusion that the body recovered from Christmas Island in 1941 is that of a member of HMAS Sydney II’s ship’s company.

Mr Cole further concluded that each of the many frauds, theories and speculations reported to the Inquiry were thoroughly investigated.

“…none were found to have any substance whatsoever,” Mr Cole said.

More: Report | Media release

Navy clearance divers assist in Tonga

12 August - The ADF contingent arrived in Tonga on Saturday morning to commence operations in support of the Tongan Defence Service with their Anzac partners from New Zealand’s Operational Dive Team.

A number of reconnaissance missions on aboard the Tongan patrol boat VOEA Pangai have been launched, but weather conditions in the region remain difficult and are expected to cause some delay to dive operations in the coming days.

The New Zealand Navy's dive ship, HMNZS Manawanui, sailed from Auckland on Saturday and is due on site later this week. This will provide an increased search and diving capability to the operation.

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Going Solo DVD launched

11 August - The Defence Community Organisation has developed a DVD to support Australian Defence Force (ADF) families manage the challenges that may be experienced during a member's absence from home.

This DVD “Going Solo Dealing with Absence in Defence Families” has been prepared to assist ADF members and their families.

It outlines different strategies and ideas that have been shared by ADF families to assist during periods of service related absences.

Each family is unique and develops their own strategies that work for them. The Defence Community Organisation hopes that the strategies outlined in this DVD will provide families with some ideas that will enhance some of the things they may already be doing as a family.

The DVD is divided into the following sections:
Preparing for the member’s absence
Staying in touch during the member’s absence
Re-uniting as a family when the member returns home.

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Identification of Fromelles soldiers gets a boost

11 August - The pilot study to evaluate if the DNA present in the remains found at Fromelles could be used to identify our fallen soldiers, has successfully concluded.

As a result of the success of the study, Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science has announced that full analysis and matching of DNA from Australian and British World War One soldiers found at the site will proceed.

Over 1300 descendants of Australian soldiers who died in the Battle of Fromelles with no known grave, have registered with the Australian Army to offer their DNA to match with the remains.

If people believe that they are related to a soldier who died at the Battle of Fromelles, they are encouraged to contact the Australian Army on 1800 019 090 (free call) or visit www.army.gov.au/fromelles to register their interest.

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Darwin welcomes home its soldiers

11 August - More than 1000 Darwin based soldiers from the Army’s 1st Brigade have marched through the centre of the Northern Territory capital to recognise the troops’ service in Afghanistan, Timor Leste and Iraq.

Thousands of Territorians lined the streets to watch as the soldiers, led by two ABRAMS Tanks, paraded through the city centre.

The parade featured a riderless horse, in memory of Corporal Mathew Hopkins who was killed during a fire-fight with insurgents in Afghanistan on 16 March this year.

The Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, Greg Combet, told the soldiers that the entire nation was proud of what they have achieved.

Mr Combet said the parade was an important occasion for the soldiers taking part because it allowed them to see how much their service was valued by the people of Darwin, the Territory and wider Australia.

"The parade is also an opportunity to record appreciation for all of the soldiers’ families, and the difficulties they face while their loved ones are deployed," said Mr Combet.

The Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie thanked the people of Darwin, the Northern Territory and Australia as a whole for their support.

"In the past, many soldiers returning from conflicts such as Vietnam did not get the public recognition they deserved. The Army, the people of the Northern Territory and Australians generally are determined that this generation of soldiers know how much their service matters," said Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie.

The presence of the riderless horse recognised those soldiers that had been killed in action. “Corporal Mathew Hopkins died leading his soldiers in war, and we are deeply grateful for the sacrifice he made for this nation” LTGEN Gillespie said.

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Operation Ashika Assist

10 August - Australian Defence Force members arrived in Tonga early in the morning on Saturday, 8 August 2009, to help recover bodies from the sunken ferry ‘Princess Ashika’.

The 16-person clearance diving team, and support personnel, was responding to an official request from the Government of Tonga for Australian assistance in recovery operations.

Navy divers from Clearance Diving Team One are working with counterparts from the Royal New Zealand Navy, in support of the Tongan Defence Service.

The exact location of the ferry is unknown, although a search area has been established.

The Princess Ashika sunk on Wednesday night during a regular weekly service, carrying an estimated 149 people aboard.

A Tongan patrol boat recovered two bodies and 54 survivors, including 28 crew members from the ferry. 93 people remain unaccounted for.

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