Red back backup
Task Group 633.2 proves that a small team can have a huge impact, but only with a mammoth support element behind it.

Corporal Cameron Jamieson reports

Airfield Defence Guard LAC Ian McAllister patrols the Australian camp on a quad bike.

Aircraft life-support fitter LAC Kristian Edwards attaches a Secumar survival vest to a display board of the survival aids available to crewmembers on maritime patrol aircraft in the MEAO.

Photos by CPL Cameron Jamieson

EVERYONE knows that the Red Back spider is small but packs a powerful punch, and in the Middle East more than 100 personnel make sure the Air Force’s Red Backs keep their punch available 24/7.

The Red Back is the mascot for the 160 personnel of Task Group 633.2, the Air Force’s maritime patrol aircraft task group assigned to Operation Catalyst and Operation Slipper.

Two AP-3C aircraft and crews are assigned to the group, flying missions along the Persian Gulf and further north into Iraq itself. The Coalition Headquarters’ demand for the aircraft is very high, and it’s thanks to the unswerving efforts of the support personnel that the Australians can meet these demands in the hostile environment of the Middle East.

Squadron Leader Iain White, the commander of the Combat Support Element, said the support personnel provided similar base services to those expected back in Australia.

“We have administration support, force protection, ground operations, logistic elements, medical and communication staff and a chaplain here,” he said. “The support personnel are primarily drawn from No. 395 Expeditionary Combat Support Wing, but we also have people from numerous other combat support units.

“The dust and summer heat of around 50 degrees Celsius makes working here very difficult, added to which are the differences in culture. Here, the weekend lasts over Thursday and Friday, while at home it is still Saturday and Sunday.

This means there are four days of the week where it can be difficult to get some things done in an organisation that runs around the clock all week.

“What makes it worthwhile though, is getting feedback through the weekly briefs.

“We can see what the air missions have achieved by seeing some of the products that are presented to the coalition partners, as well as hearing the positive feedback from our headquarters.

People are also acknowledged for their good work, and it is things like that which really help to keep the teamwork going.”

For the junior personnel there are a broad range of challenges and commitments that must be met in order to keep the Red Backs moving. Airfield defence guard Leading Aircraftman Ian McAllister said his role in the Middle East differed from the job back in Australia.

“We are providing the physical security of the Australian domestic and working compounds, which requires some perimeter patrolling with a quad bike as well as vehicle and personnel checks,” he said.

“It’s different to what we do back home, as there we spend a lot of time out bush, patrolling with packs. But I’m glad to get away and do the job for real, and have the opportunity to experience Middle Eastern culture.”
For avionics electrical technician Leading Aircraftman Ewan Pettigrew, the chance to be deployed is also the chance for greater responsibility.

“There are not as many people here to work with as at home, so you need to learn fast and be able to do things yourself,” he said. “Being on an operation means there are also shorter time frames in which to get the aircraft ready, and the environment is so very different to Australia. But I’m enjoying the hands-on experience and the challenge of my first overseas deployment.”

Being a long way from home doesn’t mean the task group personnel are isolated. Leading Aircraftman Pettigrew has found the e-mail and telephone facilities allow him regular contact with home, so much so that he is still able to study Year 12 online.

“I’m studying English and economics through the Open Access College, so hopefully I can study at university next year,” he said. “It is facilities like this which let me lead a fairly normal life so I can stay focused on the job over here.”

For life-support fitter Leading Aircraftman Kristian Edwards, the opportunity to deploy is the realisation of a goal he has had since September 11, 2001.

“I’m proud to be here, it’s my opportunity to serve my country,” he said. “I joined the Air Force knowing full-well I could be sent to a situation like this, so it gives me a sense of pride and adds to my personal drive to do the best job I can.”

The good work of the Red Backs has not gone unnoticed by the Coalition Headquarters. Task Group Commander Wing Commander Craig Heap said he regularly received good reports about the group’s work.

“The feedback comes from a variety of sources in regard to the value of our contribution to both the rehabilitation of Iraq and to the wider fight against international terrorism,” he said.

“We’ve recently had US commanders at the highest levels compliment us on the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance product we have produced, as well as praise for our work in the maritime interdiction of people smuggling, drugs and weapons.

It takes a tremendous amount of support to keep the operation going, as we need to ensure that our operations are conducted safely and efficiently.

I am very proud of what our team has achieved, and it is fantastic to see how the Air Force has moulded together the expeditionary combat support squadron concept and maintained it in an overseas operational environment.”

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