Command handover

Air Commodore Graham Bentley during his time in Baghdad. Photo by WO2 Al Green

By LT Kate Noble

AFTER a six-month stint commanding the Australian Joint Task Force in the Middle East that spanned a significant period in the region’s history, Air Commodore Graham Bentley has handed over to Commodore Cam Darby and returned to Australia.

Recounting his time in the Middle East, AIRCDRE Bentley named the ultimate highlight as having commanded a highly skilled group of people who had demonstrated admirable levels of endurance and motivation.

“The highlight of any operation really is the people you meet and work with,” he said.

“We’ve been very fortunate to work in a coalition environment and to have established great relationships not only within our own organisation, but also with individuals from a variety of countries that are part of this coalition.”

He said he had seen significant improvements throughout Iraq during his deployment despite fluctuations in the security situation. With security incidents continuing to occur on a daily basis, he encouraged headquarters and visiting staff to take every safety precaution available.

“Your primary mission is to arrive home in Australia safely,” he said.

“Our force protection measures have done extremely well for us so far and it’s because we plan well and determine the necessity of our every movement.

“Those considerations should always be foremost in your mind.”

AIRCDRE Bentley said he was proud to be relinquishing control of the Australian contingent to CDRE Darby.
“It’s quite unusual for a non-army officer to be commanding a task force of this type, and even more unusual for me to hand over command to a Navy officer,” he said.

After a period of leave, AIRCDRE Bentley will resume his posting as Commander of the Maritime Patrol Group at RAAF Base Edinburgh.

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