Ready for the games
Services come together for Op Acoltye

Airborne: Members of TAG(E) keep a watchful eye on the MCG from a Black Hawk during Ex Mercury. Photo by Sgt Michelle Lucraft

By Capt Catherine Turner

THE Department of Defence will assist civil authorities to provide world class support to ensure a safe, secure and successful staging of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games next March.

Defence, as part of the overall Australian Government contribution, will work alongside the Victoria Police to provide security for the Games, as well as providing a range of ceremonial and general support to M2006 Corporation and the Office of Commonwealth Games Coordination, the Victorian Government’s Games organisers.

Planning for the operation – known as Acolyte – began in Strategic Operations Division in 2003, with a Forward Command Element of 17 personnel established at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne to continue detailed planning from February 2005.

Op Acolyte will eventually comprise some 2500 personnel from across the three services providing a range of specialist capabilities.

Army will provide combined elements from 1, 2 and 3CER (with augmentation from DEOS and SATO-SEQ); over 500 reservists and ARA personnel from 4, 5, 7 and 8 Bdes; HQJTF staff (HQ 7 Bde); a platoon from 1 MP Bn; a detachment from 1 Topo Sqn; combined logistic support from 2 and 10FSB; TAG, IRR and supporting Black Hawks; and Army Band, Watsonia.

Col Michael Annett, Deputy Commander of the Joint Task Force, said the operation would “probably set a benchmark for how future domestic security operations would be conducted”.

“This operation is significant because, unlike the support provided to the Olympics, it is being conducted in a security environment that’s post-September 11, with planning occurring against the backdrop of a high operational tempo,” Col Annett said,

A component of nearly 1200 personnel will provide direct assistance to Victoria Police (Vicpol) by searching venues, operating vehicle checkpoints, responding to bomb threats and clearing any underwater aspects of venues and events, as well as fulfilling ceremonial and general support tasks.

Maritime, land and air assets, including helicopters, fast jets and ships with the capacity to divert aircraft and intercept vessels at sea will join a TAG and a range of chemical, biological and radiological response assets.

To validate planning to date, about 300 of the 1200 general security and support operational component, including logistic support, concentrated in Melbourne during October as part of Ex Pluto 1 and Ex Mercury 05.

These exercises rehearsed the joint task force headquarters and deployed forces by providing scenarios to test internal processes and procedures and provided the opportunity for combined training between the ADF and police elements, which will be working closely together during the Games.

Joint ADF and Vicpol bomb response and search capabilities were tested, with trial searches of the Commonwealth Games Village, the MCG and Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre.

“These activities provided an invaluable training and rehearsal activity for ADF assets to become familiar with their future operating environment while providing a key opportunity to continue to build on the excellent working relationship with Vicpol,” Col Annett said.

For more Op Acolyte information go to: http://intranet.defence.gov.au/VCDFweb/sites/JTF636/ For more M2006 information visit: http://www.melbourne2006.com.au/