Safety first
Monitoring the use of mefloquine
THE ADF is taking a conservative approach to the use of the anti-malaria drug mefloquine following concerns raised over its side-effect profile by the US Department of Defense.

Bishop bang on
83-year-old ex-GPO gets back on gun line
THE last time 83 year-old retired Anglican Bishop David Shand directed artillery fire with 53 Bty was more than 60 years ago, and at the Japanese.

War chook charity
CHINOOK pilot and noted artist Capt Conway Bown has released a new Gulf War 2 artwork, featuring Chinook helicopters of C Sqn, 5 Avn Regt.

New six year gong
AN ESTIMATED 400,000 past and present ADF members will receive the Australian Defence Medal, to be issued mid-next year.

Dive tower tragedy narrowly averted
A NAVAL officer recently received a Chief of Army’s Commendation for saving the life of an SASR soldier.


For fighting fit
HEALTH and safety awareness and quick, effective recovery from injury are vital to a force in the field.


Unit citation for 1 Sqn SASR bravery
THE dedication and skills of Australia’s Special Forces have been officially recognised as soldiers from the SASR who served in Iraq, were presented with a Unit Citation for Gallantry award by the Governor-General, Michael Jeffery.


Just like Dad
WITH his dad’s inspiration in his heart and a floppy green hat on his head, car accident survivor Matthew Wykniet is taking hesitant steps into a new future.


Battle simulation
THE first combined arms exercise involving Abrams tanks, Tiger helicopters and other future weapon systems has been conducted recently using a new simulation tool called Brigade/Battalion Battle Simulation (BBS).


Six soldiers sacked
SIX soldiers found guilty of cruelty to animals in Townsville earlier this year are all to be discharged.

From the billabong
A PROJECT to upgrade electronic warfare equipment is expected to vastly improve the ADF’s ability to detect enemy forces by their electronic emissions.


Huey gunships gone
THE familiar and comforting thumping sound of four Hueys in a low formation flypast over Brisbane on Saturday June 26, heralded the start of the weekend ceremonies for the retirement of the Iroquois Bushranger gunship capability.


Defence is part of the family
A FAMILY tradition of serving the nation was continued recently when 17-year-old Smn Alexander von Kurtz graduated into the Navy.


Awards for the safe and their workplace
PEOPLE or organisations that go above and beyond in maintaining safety in Defence may now be recognised for their efforts thanks to the newly introduced Defence Safety Awards.


Governor General’s NT visit
THE Governor-General, Maj-Gen Michael Jeffery, allowed his past to catch up with him during a recent visit to Alice Springs.


In the deep end
“THIS is easy!” the Waverley College student smugly called out during the warm up phase of his first encounter with Army PT.


Hero’s legacy continues on
161 Recce Sqn in Darwin has hosted the daughter of one of its most famous sons nearly a quarter of a century after he was killed in the Vietnam War.


CFA’s grip-up extraction
THE Leopard had met its match – the tree was stronger and the driver was badly injured.


Eager to push the edge in training
Service in the Australian Army might well be described as being on “the edge”, but how close can you get without falling?


Keeping history current
The Australian War Memorial (AWM) seeks your help in maintaining its official history of recent operations.


Pucka's potent tanks
Finding something for the kids to do these school holidays might not be as difficult as you might imagine.

Aussies run to celebrate
AUSTRALIAN Army members of Joint Task Force 633 Headquarters and embedded personnel celebrated the US Army’s 229th birthday recently the only way armies the world over know how – by going for a run before dawn.


Australian appointed military advisor to UN in Iraq
AUSTRALIAN Col Neil Thompson is the newly appointed United Nations Military Adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq.


No Australians injured
AN IRAQI Army Training facility where Australian Army personnel are involved in training the New Iraqi Army has been attacked.


Doggies’ style on Op Anode
THESE dogs are dynamite.
In fact, they’re explosive – the Army’s Explosive Detector Dogs, on duty in the Solomons with the Operation Anode Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

Anzac rescue
AUSTRALIAN and New Zealand RAMSI defence personnel who rescued a badly injured senior sailor in the Solomon Islands last month have spoken of the incident and their experiences for the first time.


Movers’ a go-go
MOVEMENTS staff serving in East Timor had been among the busiest in the contingent as they coordinated the draw down of all UN forces throughout June.


Dili med students train in volumes
UNITS departing East Timor are doing their best to leave one last legacy of Australian involvement in the fledgling island nation, as was the case with the donation of volumes of medical texts to the Dili Heath Training Centre recently.


Talking the talk, music to our ears
AUSTRALIA’S commitment to East Timor is continuing with the graduation of the latest class of East Timor Defence Force (ETDF) personnel from the Australian Defence Cooperation Program’s (DCP) English language course in Metinaro, near Dili.