More Defence news: 31 August 2009 - 06 September 2009
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Defence firepower on show at Puckapunyal | Afghan troops seize bomb-making caches | East Timor celebrates Popular Consultation | A Flying Start under SADI | Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver return home to Australia |
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Defence firepower on show at Puckapunyal
The Australian Army has demonstrated its latest combat weapons to Army officers, soldiers and invited guests during Exercise Chong Ju (EXCJ) at the Puckapunyal Military Area (PMA). This live firepower demonstration showcased Army and Air Force weapons and vehicles, including the M1A1 Abrams tank, ASLAV, Bushmaster, 105 mm Hamel gun, infantry and sniper teams, and the firing of the Javelin anti-armour missile. RAAF F-111 and F/A-18 aircraft also provided live close air support. Colonel (COL) Michael Kingsford, the Commandant of the Army’s Combined Arms Training Centre, said EXCJ was an essential part of combat training for the Army’s junior officers. “The exercise provides young officers and soldiers awareness of the effects of our latest weapons and how best to use them in operational scenarios,” COL Kingsford said. COL Kingsford also thanked local residents for their ongoing support of training in the PMA. EXCJ was named after a battle in North Korea in 1950 when the Third Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, supported by tanks and artillery, attacked and captured a large North Korean defensive line during their northward advance to the Yalu River.More: Media release | Image gallery |
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Afghan troops seize bomb-making caches Afghan National Security Forces, with support from Australian Special Forces and other coalition troops, have uncovered several major bomb-making factories and munitions caches in a town east of Tarin Kowt during a recent day-light raid. The raid found more than five tonnes of ammonium nitrate, the key ingredient to the Taliban’s home-made explosives. Troops also seized almost 10 thousand rounds of ammunition, 39 rocket-propelled grenades, a grenade launcher and automatic weapons, and a significant amount of IED componentry. While Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are a threat to coalition forces, Afghan civilians are also often killed and wounded by indiscriminate IED emplacement. The Deputy Chief of Joint Operations Command (DCJOPS), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Greg Evans said the cache was a major break-through in disrupting the manufacture of IEDs across the southern and eastern parts of Uruzgan province. “It is a significant volume of material to be found in one location and its discovery and destruction will disrupt the ongoing road-side bomb emplacement campaign by the Taliban insurgents,” AVM Evans said. The combined Afghan National Security Force and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation took a day to clear the almost eight square kilometres of compounds and fields. “This operation highlights the commitment of Australian forces in Uruzgan to support the ISAF mission of protecting the population,” AVM Evans said. More: Media Release | Image Gallery |
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East Timor celebrates Popular Consultation
East Timor recently held a week of celebrations to commemorate the 10th Anniversary its special autonomy referendum, or Popular Consultation, held throughout the country on the 30 August 1999. The Popular Consultation was held to determine whether East Timor would remain part of Indonesia, as a special autonomous region, or separate from Indonesia. The week included the official opening of the New Presidential Palace, attended by Commander of the International Stabilisation Force, Brigadier Bill Sowry, and an official parade to mark the 10th Anniversary. More: Image Gallery |
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A Queensland owned family business has signed the 150th agreement under the Skilling Australia’s Defence Industry (SADI) Program. Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, today announced that the agreement will provide Heat Treatment Australia (QLD) Pty Ltd with an additional 20 training opportunities over and above the company’s normal training program. The company is a market leader in Australia, and the only thermal treatments company to be part of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Project. More: SADI website
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Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver return home to Australia
01 September - The remains of Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver have been welcomed home during a reception ceremony attended by their family and former comrades from 2 Squadron, 39 years after they went missing on operations in Vietnam. Greg Combet, the Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, said Flying Officer Herbert and Pilot Officer Carver were both enthusiastic airmen who were respected by their superiors. “They paid the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country. Australia can finally lay these brave airmen to rest and honour their memory,” Mr Combet said. “I hope this ceremony provides some comfort to the families of Flying Officer Herbert and Pilot Officer Carver and I thank them for their fortitude and strength since the loss of their loved ones.” Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver disappeared on 3 November 1970 approximately 65 kilometres south-west of Da Nang in Quang Nam Province following a night-bombing mission. “The return of Flying Officer Herbert and Pilot Officer Carver completes the recovery of all Australian Service personnel who were lost on operations and not recovered during the Vietnam War,” Mr Combet said. More: Image Gallery | Media Release |
