Brigadier “Gus” Gilmore

1030hrs 13 December 2006 

Good morning and thankyou joining for us.  Today I want to provide an update on a number of current issues and give you an opportunity to ask some questions before we move into the Christmas, New Year period. 

First to the situation in Fiji.  As you know we have a task group of around 800 personnel deployed to the South West Pacific since the start of November to be ready to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of Australians in Fiji.

HMA Ships Newcastle, Kanimbla and Success together with an SAS contingent, evacuation handling teams, medical staff and a Black Hawk helicopter detachment have been on station, ready to act if required.

The RAAF also placed a number of C-130 Hercules transport planes and Boeing 707 transport aircraft on standby to repatriate Australian citizens from Fiji back to Australia if necessary.  Those assets all remain on task. 

Unfortunately this deployment will be remembered for the unfortunate accident that occurred on the 29^th of November, when a Black Hawk helicopter was lost into the sea during a mission rehearsal exercise on HMAS Kanimbla.  Sadly, two Defence families will not be welcoming their loved ones back home this Christmas and our thoughts and sympathies are with the Bingley and the Porter families at this most difficult time and as they approach Christmas. 

Our search to locate the Black Hawk helicopter lost in the South Pacific off the Fijian coast continues and will increase in the next couple of days.  The helicopter is believed to be in very deep water between approximately 2,500 and 3,200 metres below the surface.   

The survey ship, HMAS Melville, sailed from Noumea last night and is expected to reach the search area in about two days where it will then commence a detailed search for the downed Black Hawk helicopter. 

HMAS Melville has been equipped with a Towed Position Locating drone supplied by the United States Navy (USN) and operated by US Department of Defence civilian contractors.  The Black Hawk helicopter is fitted with a beacon, referred to as an Aircraft Beacon Locator, which transmits a continuous signal for about 30 days.  It is hoped that the specialist drone will be able to detect the helicopter’s signal. 

It is too early to make any decision concerning a potential recovery operation as the ADF focus is now on attempting to locate the lost Black Hawk helicopter.   

As you know, early on last Saturday morning a junior sailor serving on HMAS Melville was arrested in Noumea in relation to an alleged assault and subsequent death of a local elderly female resident. I can confirm that the sailor has been charged with ‘acts of violence on a vulnerable person causing an unintended death’. Bail has been denied and the sailor remains in custody in New Caledonia’s main jail. 

The sailor is subject to the laws of the French legal system and will await trial on a date to be determined.  Defence continues to provide appropriate support to the sailor and his family.  

The Australian Defence Force is deeply concerned and saddened by the death of Madame Mille and our sympathies go to her family and friends at this difficult time.  As the circumstances surrounding this incident remain the subject of ongoing investigations, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this time. 

Now to Afghanistan.  As the snow starts to cover the mountains around Tarin Kowt and our personnel prepare for cold weather operations, I am pleased to report that the Reconstruction Task Force has completed the first phase of a training package for Afghan National Army combat engineers with the graduation of the first trade training course. 

The initial week-long training package covered topics such as basic tools and their use, knots and lashings, basic field machines, sandbagging, and mine and IED awareness. The training incorporated theoretical as well as practical application of these basic sapper skills. It was well received and thoroughly enjoyed by the ANA soldiers. 

A second training course has now commenced and one week every month will be dedicated to additional training of the ANA engineers to enhance their skills in basic construction work, protective works and explosive hazard awareness. 

Last month the RTF also completed the first basic building workers course for local civilians.  The graduates of the course have all found employment, some with local contractors who are working on RTF projects. 

While we are facing the onset of winter in Afghanistan, our people are well equipped to cope with the conditions and will continue their important mission.  As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, current projects include several major construction and refurbishment tasks.

We continue to make a practical contribution to securing Afghanistan’s future. The work of the RTF supports ISAF's mission to help re-build Afghanistan.  

In Iraq, ADF operations continue.  You would be aware that we have recently rotated the manning of our Overwatch Battle Group in Tallil.  LTCOL Tony Rawlins and his team, drawn primarily from the Darwin’s 1st Brigade, have now taken over from LTCOL Mick Mahy who led the previous deployment that was drawn from the 3^rd Brigade in Townsville.   

The handover occurred on the 27^th of November and the Townsville based personnel are now home with their families taking some well earned leave. 

The new rotation is already hard at work conducting the security overwatch role in Dhi Qar and Al Muthanna provinces as part of a larger Coalition Force. 

On the home front, the ADF is providing 22 personnel and engineering equipment to support to the Victorian Government as they grapple with the serious Bushfire situation in that state.   We are providing six Bulldozers in the vicinity of Erica to assist in constructing fire breaks as part of a much larger effort to cut a fire break to protect the Thompson Dam from significant pollution: the Thompson Dam is a major source of Melbourne's water supply.  

In addition, in the North East, two fuel tankers have been deployed to refuel bulldozers and trucks in the vicinity of Mansfield and Edi Upper.  Temporary bridging is also on standby for use if essential timber bridges are destroyed by the fires. 

The 22 ADF personnel providing support are from the Melbourne based 22 Construction Regiment, 4^th Combat Engineer Regiment and elements of 9 Force Support Battalion. All but one are Army Reserve personnel and this activity demonstrates the important capability that our Reserve members contribute both to tasks in Australia and deployments overseas. 

We have undertaken to provide this support until the 18^th of December, but stand prepared to consider any further requests for extension of this support or additional assistance. 

To say that this has been a busy year for the ADF would be a significant understatement.  From cyclones in Queensland; to unrest in the Solomons, Timor, Lebanon, Tonga and Fiji; and our ongoing commitments in the Middle East and our national waters, we have been extremely busy.  

A great consequence of this high tempo is that the experience our people gain on these deployments every day.  That experience enhances our operational capability. We learn something new on each deployment and that helps us to build an even more effective defence force. 

We recognise, however, that at times our soldiers, sailors, airmen and women have to endure long separations from their families.  At times they are required to react at extremely short notice, and unfortunately, at times, we experience tragedies as we saw so recently in the waters off Fiji.   

The men and women of the ADF are working hard to protect Australia’s national interests and so, as we head towards Christmas, it is timely to recognise their contributions.  

Most of the over 3000 ADF men and women deployed overseas on Christmas Day might have the opportunity to pause at some stage throughout the day, but for most, Monday 25 December will be another day of work in a busy operational deployment.  But for the men and women of the ADF, it is all part of the job they so proudly and eagerly do: protecting Australia and her interests around the world.   

Over the Christmas and New Year period we will continue to maintain our vigilance with personnel and equipment ready to react at short notice to any contingency that requires our support.  

We will be providing you with some video messages from them in the week before Christmas and will facilitate interviews wherever possible.  Please talk to our media liaison staff about these arrangements. 

I will now take any questions that you have.