NZDF witness devastation and survival on Kangaroo Island
NZDF personnel working on Kangaroo Island have seen first-hand the devastating impact Australia’s bushfires have had on communities and wildlife.
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Australian
Defence-related Australia military news
Op Bushfire Assist – 14 January UPDATE
Updated at 8am 15 January 2020 Watch Major General Jake Ellwood’s brief to media, 14 January 2020… MAIN PHOTO: A
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Two soldiers thrust into town medical role when locals evacuate
Two soldiers found themselves in a unique position to use their skills to assist a Victorian community during the bushfires.
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Chainsaw crews clearing vital links
Queensland-based Army engineers have cleared a bushfire-affected section of the Monaro Highway between Bombala, NSW, and Cann River in Victoria.
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Army officer called-out to bushfire that killed family
A South Australian infantry officer heard of two family members killed by bushfires on the same day he was called out as an Army Reservist to the same fire.
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All those choppers need tower support
A transportable air-operations tower deployed at short notice to Bairnsdale in early January has proven invaluable to humanitarian-aid flights in Gippsland.
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Help and hardware from across the ditch
Deploying NH90 helicopters overseas is well-rehearsed by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, as bushfire relief operations in Australia have demonstrated.
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Albatross praised for bushfire support while base smouldered
HMAS Albatross and its resident squadrons have made a significant contribution to the aerial component of the NSW Rural Fire
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Army vet does perfect Drop Bear gag on TV reporter
Veterinarian and Army Reservist Captain Garnett Hall pulled off the perfect Drop Bear gag on an innocent Scottish TV reporter on Kangaroo Island this week.
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Op Bushfire Assist – 13 January UPDATE
Operation Bushfire Assist continues to grow, with more ADF members joining the operation, and 100 PNGDF engineers touching down in Melbourne this evening.
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Randwick Navy training centre expansion complete
A $24 million extension to the Navy Training Systems Centre at Randwick Barracks is finished in time for the first Navy training course to commence.
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PNG engineers arrive in Victoria
Around 80 military engineers plus a command and liaison element from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force arrived in Australia today.
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Toowoomba heads for Middle East patrols
Anzac-class frigate HMAS Toowoomba today departed her homeport of Fleet Base West for a six-month deployment to the Middle East.
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Navy clearance divers recover crashed helicopter
Navy clearance divers and an Army recovery mech successfully retrieved a crashed fire-bombing helicopter from a water reservoir near Eden, NSW.
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Bright idea to exchange skills
Soldiers took the opportunity to learn about Victoria’s State Emergency Service road-crash rescue equipment during a skills exchange in Bright.
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Spartan and crews pushed to limits in nightmare conditions
Despite heavy smoke and poor visibility, 35 Squadron C-27J Spartan crews made essential contributions to airlift missions during the bushfire crisis.
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Fiji sending engineer platoon to help in bushfire cleanup
The Australian Defence Force has accepted a Republic of Fiji offer to provide a platoon of engineers to help out on Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20.
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Op Bushfire Assist – 12 January UPDATE
More than 5000 full-time and reserve personnel are now providing direct support in the field, at sea, in the air and
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Engineers from Townsville and PNG headed south
A large convoy of equipment and personnel from the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment departed Townsville this morning bound for the fire zones in Victoria.
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Singaporean Chooks join the fight from East Sale
Two Singapore Armed Forces CH-47 Chinooks have deployed to RAAF Base East Sale to support bushfire operations in Victoria.
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