 |
PLANNING |
By
CPL Simone Liebelt
 |
|
GPCAPT Rick Owen points out where the Air Force has deployed
in Indonesia to GPCAPT James Brown and WGCDR Bob Drinkwater.
|
|
Photo
by LAC Steven Hobbs.
|
| * |
|
|
| * |
 |
About 400 Air Force personnel will have deployed
on Operation Sumatra Assist by the end of March.
|
|
After
the drawdown, all the elements of planning will
be analysed.
|
|
|
|
| |
ABOUT
400 Air Force members will have deployed to Operation Sumatra
Assist by the time the op draws down at the end of March.
The Director of Operations at Air Command has reflected on what
has been a complicated but dynamic effort to assist our Indonesian
neighbours in crisis.
Group Captain Rick Owen used the analogy of a footy game when
asked to describe the teamwork required to successfully plan and
execute such large-scale relief operation. “I think of the whole
operation as a team effort,” GPCAPT Owen said.
“There are so many guys and gals behind the scenes that made,
and are still making, this operation a success.
Some play the game on the field, some wash the jumpers, some cut
the oranges and others coach and train, some even enforce the
rules, but all contribute to the score in the end.
These team members include ADF, APS and in some cases, civilian
contractor personnel plus their families, many of who put their
holidays on hold. I was just a guy cutting oranges, doing a bit
of spare-time coaching.”
He said the operation was organised as well as could be expected.
As part of the immediate response, elements of Air Lift Group,
Combat Support Group, the Army Combat Engineer Regiment and the
Health Support Battalion played key roles in establishing a workable
environment in an area that was otherwise completely devastated.
The information that flowed back from their work helped future
planning. More than two months after the disaster, GPCAPT Owen
said the demand for emergency response was almost complete and
“now we will be able to sit back and take a breath, at least I
hope we can, and all the elements of planning will be analysed
to identify what we can do better”.
“I couldn’t have asked for any more from the people involved as
everyone worked hard to meet the task. The thing that really stood
out most was our ability to recognise and simply get on with the
important things without too much fuss, despite the terrible situation
faced in Sumatra by our people. This really does reinforce the
dedication and professionalism of our people.”
