Land Warfare: Land force in 2010 and into the future | ADM Nov 2010

1 November 2010

 

In a sombre speech opening to the Parliamentary debate on this country’s involvement in Afghanistan last month, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Australia would remain involved in the Afghanistan war for much of this decade. After nine years of fighting Gillard acknowledged that progress towards security and stability in Afghanistan was only tentative and that “any gains come off a very low base, any advances made are fragile”.

However she emphasised Australian troops would not be leaving until the task of training Afghan troops was completed and Afghan security forces were able to operate fully independently.
“The international community will remain engaged in Afghanistan beyond 2014, and Australia will remain engaged. There will still be a need for Australians in a supporting role. There will be a role for training and other defence cooperation.”
Australians in Afghanistan
Defence Minister Stephen Smith has released a series of fact sheets concerned with Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan. Australia’s military contribution includes around 1,550 Australian Defence Force personnel who are deployed within Afghanistan; 1,241 are deployed in Uruzgan Province and around 300 in Kabul, Kandahar and elsewhere in Afghanistan.
These numbers vary depending on operational requirements and shifting seasonal conditions. 830 personnel provide support from locations within the broader Middle East Area of Operations, including our maritime commitment. Below is a breakdown of where and how Australians are serving in Afghanistan.
• Combined Team – Uruzgan (861)
Australia contributes 861 ADF personnel, 21 Australian Federal Police (AFP) personnel and nine civilian personnel to Combined Team – Uruzgan. Included are HQ Combined Taskforce-Uruzgan (70 ADF); Mentoring Task Force (724 ADF); Provincial Reconstruction Team (around 30 civilians and 67 ADF).
• Enabling Support Uruzgan (62)
Australian contributes 62 ADF personnel to Enabling Support in Uruzgan (62) including 17 ADF personnel providing Garrison Support; 17 operating the ScanEagle UAV; and 28 ADF personnel managing accommodation and infrastructure needs.
• Special Operations Task Group (318)
The ADF’s Special Operations Task Group contributes significantly to security in Uruzgan Province by targeting the insurgent network in and around the province.
• Force Communications Unit (119)
Australia contributes 119 personnel across the MEAO to provide communications between all ADF elements of Coalition forces in Afghanistan, and links back to Australia.
• Force Support Unit (141)
Based across the Middle East Area of Operations, 141 personnel provide logistic support to deployed ADF elements.
• Rotary Wing Group (64)
Australia provides 64 personnel, located in Kandahar, to operate two CH-47D Chinook Helicopters in support of ISAF operations for eight months of each year. The Rotary Wing Group recently returned to Australia.
• Heron Detachment (41)
Forty-one personnel, located at Kandahar and in Uruzgan province, operate Heron UAS in support of Australian and Coalition Forces in Regional Command (South).
• Headquarters Joint Task Force 633 – Afghanistan (50)
Located in the Afghan capital city Kabul, the headquarters comprises around 50 personnel who provide national command of ADF deployed within Afghanistan.
• ADF Personnel Embedded with Coalition Headquarters (151)
151 personnel are embedded across a number of Coalition headquarters throughout the MEAO, mainly in Kabul and Kandahar, providing critical, specialist staff effort in support of operations.
• Headquarters Joint Task Force 633 (92)
Located in the United Arab Emirates, the headquarters comprises 92 personnel and provides national oversight for Operation SLIPPER.
• Air Component (287)
Australia provides two AP-3C Orion aircraft for overland and maritime surveillance and three C-130J Hercules aircraft for troop and equipment transportation.
Other theatres
Also to keep in mind are the other theatres of operation where regular and reserve forces are serving at the national interest at the request of the government.
• Border protection efforts under Operation Resolute see 400 people serving, 
• East Timor under Operations Astute and Tower has 404 people in country, 
• Operation Mazurka in Egypt has 25 people,
• Operations Kruger and Riverbank in Iraq see 67 people serving,
• Operation Anode in the Solomon Islands has 80 people in country alongside Australian Federal Police forces, and
• Operations Azure and Hedgerow in Sudan have 25 people serving.
These international operations run alongside the domestic tasks that the ADF are tasked with. From disaster relief efforts in Haiti and Samoa to local tasks in the wake of the Victorian bushfires, the ADF is all things to all people.
ADM would like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women serving in the ADF in all their varied capacities and remember the family and friends of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.

 

In a sombre speech opening to the Parliamentary debate on this country’s involvement in Afghanistan last month, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Australia would remain involved in the Afghanistan war for much of this decade.

After nine years of fighting Gillard acknowledged that progress towards security and stability in Afghanistan was only tentative and that “any gains come off a very low base, any advances made are fragile”.

However she emphasised Australian troops would not be leaving until the task of training Afghan troops was completed and Afghan security forces were able to operate fully independently.

“The international community will remain engaged in Afghanistan beyond 2014, and Australia will remain engaged.

“There will still be a need for Australians in a supporting role. There will be a role for training and other defence cooperation.”

Australians in Afghanistan

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has released a series of fact sheets concerned with Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan.

Australia’s military contribution includes around 1,550 Australian Defence Force personnel who are deployed within Afghanistan; 1,241 are deployed in Uruzgan Province and around 300 in Kabul, Kandahar and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

These numbers vary depending on operational requirements and shifting seasonal conditions.

830 personnel provide support from locations within the broader Middle East Area of Operations, including our maritime commitment.

Below is a breakdown of where and how Australians are serving in Afghanistan.

• Combined Team – Uruzgan (861)

Australia contributes 861 ADF personnel, 21 Australian Federal Police (AFP) personnel and nine civilian personnel to Combined Team – Uruzgan. Included are HQ Combined Taskforce-Uruzgan (70 ADF); Mentoring Task Force (724 ADF); Provincial Reconstruction Team (around 30 civilians and 67 ADF).

• Enabling Support Uruzgan (62)

Australian contributes 62 ADF personnel to Enabling Support in Uruzgan (62) including 17 ADF personnel providing Garrison Support; 17 operating the ScanEagle UAV; and 28 ADF personnel managing accommodation and infrastructure needs.

• Special Operations Task Group (318)

The ADF’s Special Operations Task Group contributes significantly to security in Uruzgan Province by targeting the insurgent network in and around the province.

• Force Communications Unit (119)

Australia contributes 119 personnel across the MEAO to provide communications between all ADF elements of Coalition forces in Afghanistan, and links back to Australia.

• Force Support Unit (141)

Based across the Middle East Area of Operations, 141 personnel provide logistic support to deployed ADF elements.

• Rotary Wing Group (64)

Australia provides 64 personnel, located in Kandahar, to operate two CH-47D Chinook Helicopters in support of ISAF operations for eight months of each year. The Rotary Wing Group recently returned to Australia.

• Heron Detachment (41)

Forty-one personnel, located at Kandahar and in Uruzgan province, operate Heron UAS in support of Australian and Coalition Forces in Regional Command (South).

• Headquarters Joint Task Force 633 – Afghanistan (50)

Located in the Afghan capital city Kabul, the headquarters comprises around 50 personnel who provide national command of ADF deployed within Afghanistan.

• ADF Personnel Embedded with Coalition Headquarters (151)

151 personnel are embedded across a number of Coalition headquarters throughout the MEAO, mainly in Kabul and Kandahar, providing critical, specialist staff effort in support of operations.

• Headquarters Joint Task Force 633 (92)

Located in the United Arab Emirates, the headquarters comprises 92 personnel and provides national oversight for Operation SLIPPER.

• Air Component (287)

Australia provides two AP-3C Orion aircraft for overland and maritime surveillance and three C-130J Hercules aircraft for troop and equipment transportation.

Other theatres

Also to keep in mind are the other theatres of operation where regular and reserve forces are serving at the national interest at the request of the government.

• Border protection efforts under Operation Resolute see 400 people serving,

• East Timor under Operations Astute and Tower has 404 people in country,

• Operation Mazurka in Egypt has 25 people,

• Operations Kruger and Riverbank in Iraq see 67 people serving,

• Operation Anode in the Solomon Islands has 80 people in country alongside Australian Federal Police forces, and

• Operations Azure and Hedgerow in Sudan have 25 people serving.

These international operations run alongside the domestic tasks that the ADF are tasked with.

From disaster relief efforts in Haiti and Samoa to local tasks in the wake of the Victorian bushfires, the ADF is all things to all people.

ADM would like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women serving in the ADF in all their varied capacities and remember the family and friends of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.

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