Safe and secure

Overwatch: The Melbourne Cricket Ground, as seen from an Australian Army Blackhawk helicopter before the opening ceremony for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. Cpl Ricky Fuller.

By Lt Cameron Jamieson
Volume 11, No. 39, March 23, 2006

WHILE 1.5 billion people worldwide enjoyed the opening ceremony for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games the ADF completed its own record-breaking performance.

Under the guise of Operation Acolyte, 1000 members of Joint Task Force 636 patrolled the skies, land and waters of Melbourne while others assisted with ceremonial and general support to help ensure the opening was safe, secure and successful.

F/A-18 aircraft patrolled the night sky as tactical assault troops stood to. More troops remained at high readiness, prepared to support the Victoria Police and emergency services across the city.

The commander of Operation Acolyte Brig Andrew Smith said he was pleased with how the task had been accomplished without any impact on the spectacle and grandeur of the opening night.
“I’m proud of how our people are working together,” Brig Smith said.

“Given the complexity of the operation and the force composition, they have performed as a remarkably seamless team. The ability of the three services and our civilian partners to work together has allowed things to go along very smoothly.”

Although the size of the ADF commitment to the 2000 Sydney Olympics was larger, it is believed that this is the first time the ADF has provided this combination of complex assets on this scale under a single task-force command.

“We are working in a post-9/11 world, and while Operation Gold was a bigger-sized force, there is now an additional level of support that we need to provide in cooperation with our Victorian Government partners,” Brig Smith said.

Brig Smith said the best part of his command so far had been the ability to get out and visit the troops under his command during their training phase.

“I could sense their anticipation and see the thoroughness of their training, and it was great to see it all come together,” he said.

“I could share their enthusiasm and their eagerness to move into the mission.”

Operation Acolyte’s 2600-strong troop commitment will continue with Operation Acolyte until the games are over on March 26. Brig Smith said that while his team would remain focused on their task, he hoped the people in Melbourne would have little cause to notice them.

“While security is 95 per cent of our task, it’s important to remember that the Commonwealth Games is not a security operation,” he said.

“It’s a sporting carnival and cultural event that is based on friendship across the Commonwealth. That’s what we want people to remember about the games, so while we are working, we want people to be focused on enjoying the games.”

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