Understanding the ADF

Question 1

What are some of the actions/activities the ADF has been involved in overseas?
Operation LINESMAN

Answer 1

o Operation LINESMAN:
 Operation LINESMAN is the ADF’s contribution to the Inter-Korean peace process, at the request of the UN’s command
 ADF personnel support the UNC Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC) to assist with the monitoring of Comprehensive Military Agreement activities within the demilitarised Zone
 This aims to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula
 Operation LINESMAN demonstrate Australia’s commitment to the security and stability of the Korean Pen, and is consistent with our close engagement with the Republic of Korea and the US on security matters
 The commitment includes three ADF personnel
• Australia continually reviews it commitment agains the requirements of the UNC and adjusts is appropriate
 ADF personnel deployed here assist UNCMAC to assist with the ROK implementation of Comprehensive Military Agreement confidence building activities within the Demilitarised Zone
 The Squadron Leader Tim Lowther said, “Working directly with the ROKA personnel, the team has built a reputation of being approachable, helpful and reliable.”

Question 2

What are some of the actions/activities the ADF has been involved in overseas?
Operation OKRA

Answer 2

o Operation OKRA:
 Is the ADF’s contribution to the international Coalition against Daesh in Iraq and Syria
 Daesh is also known as ISIS or ISIL
 Aus contribution is being closely coordinated with the Iraqi government, Gulf nations and a broad coalition of international partners known as the Combined Joint Task Force- Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR)
 All ADF personnel are part of Operation OKRA are part of the Australian Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East
 The current focus is on enhancing the capacity of the Iraqi Security Forces to prevent the resurgence of Daesh in Iraq
 Despite being territorially defeated, Daesh will continue to work closely with Coalition partners and the international community to achieve our shared goals of countering Daesh
 About 110 ADF personnel are deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation OKRA
• Including personnel in the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) and embedded personnel in the CTJF-OIR
 Aus and New Zealand enjoyed great success in increasing the capability of the Iraqi Security Forces through our combined task force in Iraq
 Given the progress made at Taji the successful conclusion of our training contribution known as Task Group Taji was announced in June 2020
 Coalition has now formally handed back Taji Military Complex to the Iraqi Security Forces
 Leading Aircraft-woman Pogrebynak said, “it was an honour to participate in the translation of a small part of history”

Question 3

What are some of the domestic operations/local tasks the ADF has been involved in? Operation COVID-19 Assist:

Answer 3

o Operation COVID-19 Assist:
 Is the ADF contribution to the whole-of-government response to the COVID-19 pandemic
 The operation is part of a wider Defence effort led by the COVID-19 Taskforce, which ensures that Defence is well prepared to continue to defend Australia and its national interests
 Since Mar2020 Operation COVI-19 Assist has been contributing to the whole-of-government response to the COVID-19 pandemic with customised support for state and territory authorities
 Assistance from the ADF is coordinated through the emergency management whole-of-government response to COVID-19
 Operation COVID-19 Assist has responded to a range of contingencies and supported various initiatives, including:
• Mandatory state and territory hotel quarantine program assistance for returning Australians and other international travellers
• Emergency response planning assistance via reconnaissance support teams
• Police border controls logistics support
• Frontline COVID-19 swab testing support at testing facilities
• Contact tracing teams helping trace and understand the spread of the virus in the community
• Logistical support for civilian authorities

Question 4

What are some of the domestic operations/local tasks the ADF has been involved in? Operation RESOLUTE

Answer 4

o Operation RESOLUTE:
 Is the ADF’s contribution to the whole-of-government effort to protect Australia’s borders and offshore maritime interests through surveillance and response in the maritime approaches to Australia
 Covers ~10% world’s surface and includes Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (AEEZ_ which extends up to 200 nautical miles from the Australian mainland and offshore territories
 The ADF contributes forces under Operation Resolute through Joint Task Force 639, to Maritime Border Command (MBC)
 MBC is a multiagency taskforce, within the Australian Border Force, which utilises assets assigned from ABF and ADF to conduct civil maritime operations
 BMC protects Australia’s maritime domain from security threats, including:
• Illegal maritime arrivals
• Maritime terrorism
• Piracy, robbery and violence at sea
• Compromise to bio-security
• Illegal activity in protected areas
• Illegal exploitation of natural resources (eg. illegal fishing)
• Marine pollution
• Prohibited imports and exports
 At any one time, up to 600 ADF personnel may be on Operation RESOLUTE either at sea, in the air or on land
 Work alongside personnel from ABF staff and agencies
 Number fluctuates depending on how many assets are assigned to the mission at the time
 The ADF elements that may be allocated to Operation RESOLUTE:
• RAAF P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to provide aerial surveillance of Australia’s north-west and northern approaches
• RAN Armidale Class Patrol Boats (ACPBs) and Cape Class Patrol Boats (CCPBs) operate daily throughout Australia’s maritime areas
• Australian Army Regional Force Surveillance Unit (RFSU) patrols which conduct land based security operations