A proud Aussie’s home in Kuwait ... Capt Duncan Buchanan’s quarters.

Capt Duncan Buchanan

Aussie alongside Marines in war

From Leut Greg Keeley
in Washington

The planning and conduct of a large multi-national offensive operation is increasingly complex, especially when serving with an allied military force.

This is particularly true for Capt Duncan Buchanan, currently deployed as part of Op Iraqi Freedom.

Capt Buchanan is part of an ADF exchange program between the ARA and USMC.

“On arrival at the unit, I was quickly moved into the ops cell and one of my tasks was as the Bn Lead Planner for possible CENTCOM missions. The action in Iraq was the obvious one,” he said.

Capt Buchanan was part of a planning team from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (1 MEF) and provided input for the tactical communications support to the operation.

“This proved to be a larger challenge than I thought. Not only did I need to get a quick grasp on the Bn doctrine, equipment capability and personnel skill sets; but I had to develop an understanding of all tactical USMC, US Army and UK assets in order to develop an effective SOP for reporting and dissemination of information.”

Capt Buchanan was also part of a team from 1 MEF that deployed during Op Slipper in December to Kuwait and Bahrain. He spent Christmas in Kuwait with the Marines.

“They didn’t do too much to celebrate Christmas. Put on a bit of a lunchtime spread, with ‘near-beer’, which was not near at all. That’s about it”

Capt Buchanan is currently deployed at Camp Commando, north of Kuwait City as part of the IMEF HQ. Camp Commando was the target of the first SSM fired as part of the war.

“We received no warning at all. We heard what sounded like a low-flying aircraft and then a large explosion. The ground shook and the adrenalin kicked in as we raced to the nearest bunker with our gas masks. You could see the huge black mushroom cloud, mingled with sand right outside our fence line.”

Capt Buchanan is hoping to return to his family, still living at the unit’s rear location in the US for the last few months of his exchange.

“I have learnt so much during my time with the marines that I hope I will return to a position where I can help shape the future of the ADF’s operations.”

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