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Sunglasses,
balaclava and dust mask are necessary to protect against
thick dust as a sailor from HMAS Kanimbla keeps watch over
the Persian Gulf during a wild storm. The storm delayed
humanitarian aid ships reaching the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.
HMAS Kanimbla is assisting with the clearance of the Khawr
Abd Allah (KAA) waterway into Umm Qasr for the humanitarian
ships. The waterway is patrolled by Coalition teams, stationed
on board HMAS Kanimbla, and Australian Army landing craft.
The teams are searching for mines and other hazards, as
well as providing force protection for Australian, Coalition
and humanitarian ships in the KAA. Photo by SGT W Guthrie.
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By CPL
Alisha Carr
Defence
members serving Australia at home and abroad can rest assured
that their Commander, Chief of Defence Force (CDF) GEN Peter Cosgrove,
is intensely proud and humbled by their resilience and determination
in these turbulent times.
In
an exclusive interview on April 2, the CDF spoke directly about
the war in Iraq and Australia’s involvement in the conflict.
He said he believed the campaign was running very well.
“The
bottom line is the number of Coalition casualties has remained
substantially low. Even the number of Iraqi military casualties
has been lower than expected because many do not want to fight
for the regime and have gone home. That is a plus for them and
a plus for the Coalition.”
He
said working with Allies was a major bonus for the ADF.
“Working
together we are able to maximise each other’s advantages.
Other lessons of a modern nature we learn relate to the power
of mass media. We are watching two wars at the moment — the
war on the ground and the war of the world’s media. Information
moves at lightning speed. This is an enduring feature of modern
warfare.”
He
said the Navy members in the Gulf were carrying out vital missions
in addition to the ground and air forces.
“The
Navy’s clearance divers have been a vital asset in clearing
mines and the airmen and airwomen have contributed greatly to
the Coalition effort.
He
said the war would be over when Iraq could no longer manufacture,
or use, weapons of mass destruction.
“That
is the reason we are there. Other countries may say the war will
finish when Saddam Hussein has been removed from power and the
Iraqi people can live in a country whose leader will not oppress
them and manufacture weapons of mass destruction.
“We
will stick with this until it is resolved — if it’s
a matter of days, thank heavens, if it’s a matter of months,
so be it. I didn’t let my hope that this would be a quick
war turn into an expectation.
“We
help our mates when we are persuaded to and we never fail. Whether
Australia moves into a peacekeeping role in Iraq once the war
is over is a matter for the Government. The Government has said
that our significant military contribution would be for this phase
— making sure weapons of mass destruction can no longer be
made or used in Iraq.
“It
has not been stated what our role will be in the rehabilitation
of Iraq after the conflict. I anticipate that if we are involved
there will be a lot less people involved than there are now.”
On
the subject of division within the Australian community and it’s
impact on morale, GEN Cosgrove said: “There is definitely
potential for the division in the community to hinder the morale
of the sailors, airmen and airwomen and soldiers deployed in the
Gulf.
“Members
of the ADF are ordinary Australians with family all over the country.
Those relatives like to feel that no matter what the political
view is on any military commitment, the country at large support
the troops doing their jobs safely.
“To
the people in the general public who do or do not support the
troops, speaking on behalf of the ADF, we genuinely respect your
opinion. The fact that we are one of the oldest true democracies
in the world allows for political diversity — this is both
desirable and helpful.
“But
we also must say that we signed up to carry out the jobs given
to us by the elected Government. Please don’t cross the line
into carrying your dissent against the ADF. We passionately love
our country and our country’s reputation like all Australians.”
He
said he had served in the military for more than 38 years and
cannot remember a day when he hasn’t been proud of the people
he has commanded.
“As
I sit talking to you as the commander of the ADF, I’ve never
been prouder of all of our men and women as our people are getting
on with the job of serving Australia.”
