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A RAAF 2 Squadron E-7A Wedgetail aircraft takes off for a mission during Exercise Bamboo Eagle 25-1. Story by Flying Officer Shanea Zeegers. Photos by Aircraftwoman Laura Flower.

Mission ready for Bamboo Eagle

07/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 835 Views 0 Comments E-7A Wedgetail, Exercise Bamboo Eagle, No. 2 Squadron

Exercise Bamboo Eagle 25-1, held at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, strengthened RAAF and its coalition partners’ capabilities to

A RAAF P-8A Poseidon participates in a maritime cooperative activity with Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Hobart, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship Akizuki, Philippine Navy ship BRP Jose Rizal and US Navy ship USS Benfold. Story by Lieutenant Harrison Thomas. Photo by Leading Seaman Iggy Roberts.

News Overseas Royal Australian Navy

Places to go, counterparts to see

05/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 607 Views 0 Comments Exercise La Perouse, HMAS Hobart, P-8A Poseidon, Regional Presence Deployment, Royal Navy, US Air Force

The first regional presence deployment (RPD) for 2025 has opened HMAS Hobart to a number of training opportunities with counterparts from

A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft receives fuel from a RAAF KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport over Iraq as part of the Air Task Group for Operation Okra. Story by Warrant Officer Class 2 Max Bree. Photos by Sergeant Mick Davis.

Middle East News Royal Australian Air Force

Air-to-air refuellers keep Operation Okra flying

05/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 631 Views 0 Comments F/A-18F Super Hornet, KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport, Operation Okra

Flying a Classic Hornet loaded with bombs over Iraq in 2016, Air Commodore Philip Gordon had a problem. CAPTION: A Royal

An Australian Army soldier serving on Operation Kudu instructs Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel on section attack tactics. Story and photos by Corporal Michael Rogers.

Australian Army News Overseas Videos

From dream job to nightmare of Russian invasion

05/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 4757 Views 1 Comment Armed Forces of Ukraine, Operation Interflex, Operation Kudu, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Olena was at her dream job, a personal trainer at a successful gym, when she heard news of Russia’s invasion

Stand-up comedian Anthony 'Lehmo' Lehmann performs at Camp Baird Headquarters in the Middle East for deployed ADF personnel during the Forces Entertainment Tour. Story and photo: byLeading Seaman Nadav Harel.

Australian Army Middle East News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy

Comedian’s admiration for troops is no joke

04/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 825 Views 0 Comments Forces Entertainment Tour, Iraq

Route Irish, a 12-kilometre stretch of highway in Baghdad, Iraq, was once considered the most dangerous road in the world.

A medical team from Army’s 2nd Health Battalion during Operation Render Safe 24-2, Solomon Islands. Story and photo by Corporal Luke Bellman.

Australian Army Health and Wellbeing News Pacific

Army medics treat and train locals in Solomons

04/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 551 Views 0 Comments 2nd Health Battalion, Operation Render Safe, Solomon Islands

Crocodile and pig attacks are not the typical injuries orthopaedic surgeon Major Darren Paterson is accustomed to. CAPTION: A medical team

Japan Air Self-Defense Force pilot Captain Nakanishi, United States Air Force pilot Lieutenant Mike Watson and Royal Australian Air Force pilot Flight Lieutenant Ryan Turner during Exercise Cope North 25 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Story by Flight Lieutenant Madeleine Magee. Photos: by Aircraftwoman Mikaela Fernlund.

News Overseas Royal Australian Air Force

Lightning strikes thrice in Guam

04/03/202505/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 640 Views 0 Comments Andersen AFB, Exercise Cope North, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, No. 75 Squadron, US Air Force

For the first time, the Royal Australian Air Force, United States Air Force (USAF) and Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF)

A small group of ADF personnel, including Commander of the Australian Contingent Colonel Mark Coyle, centre, close off Australia’s commitment to Operation Okra at Aussie House inside US military base Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Story by Lieutenant Commander Max Logan.

Australian Army Middle East News

Flag comes down, soldiers come home

28/02/202501/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1088 Views 0 Comments Middle East Region, Operation Inherent Resolve, Operation Okra, Task Group Taji

The Australian flag descended at Combined Joint Task Force – Middle East in Kuwait for the final time in December,

The Foreign Forces Desert Immersion Course instructs military personnel in Bedouin culture and desert tactics, techniques and procedures. Story by Flight Lieutenant Sharon Aldrich.

Australian Army Middle East News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy

UAE survival training taps into Bedouin skills

26/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1048 Views 0 Comments Headquarters Middle East, NZDF, survival course

Military personnel have seized a chance to enhance their skills through a one-of-a-kind tactical desert training course. CAPTION: The Foreign

A RAAF KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft departs Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, during Exercise Cope North 25. Story b y Flight Lieutenant Madeleine Magee. Photos by Aircraftwoman Mikaela Fernlund.

News Overseas Royal Australian Air Force

Tankers band together in Guam

25/02/202501/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1131 Views 0 Comments Exercise Cope North, Guam, Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF), KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport, No. 33 Squadron, US Air Force

Australian, Japanese and American refuelling aircraft have joined forces to feed thirsty fast jets in the skies above Guam. CAPTION: A

A RAAF 1 Squadron F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot, weapons systems officer and ground crew member meet for pre-flight checks during Exercise Red Flag Nellis 25-1 in Nevada, US. Story by Flying Officer Shanea Zeegers. Photos by Aircraftwoman Laura Flower.

News Royal Australian Air Force USA

Enhanced teamwork for technicians in Nevada

25/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 997 Views 0 Comments Exercise Red Flag, F/A-18F Super Hornet, No. 1 Squadron, No. 77 Squadron, RAF, US Air Force

Personnel from Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom have joined forces at Exercise Red Flag Nellis 25-1 and

Phil Burton, centre, performs at Camp Baird Headquarters Middle East for deployed ADF personnel on Australia Day during the Forces Entertainment Tour. Story and photos by Leading Seaman Nadav Harel.

Australian Army Middle East News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy

Forces Entertainment at Camp Baird

20/02/202523/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1093 Views 0 Comments Camp Baird, Middle East Region

As the sun set on the dunes behind Camp Baird at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates,

A Royal Australian Air Force 77 Squadron F-35A Lightning II aircraft on the Nellis Air Force Base flightline during Exercise Red Flag Nellis 25-1. Story by Flying Officer Shanea Zeegers. Photos by Aircraftwoman Laura Flowers.

News Royal Australian Air Force USA Videos

High stakes in Exercise Red Flag over Las Vegas

20/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1340 Views 0 Comments Exercise Red Flag, F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18F Super Hornet, No. 77 Squadron, RAF, USAF

The Royal Australian Air Force has joined the United States military and Royal Air Force (RAF) in Exercise Red Flag

Commander Air Task Group Air Commodore Philip Gordon in front of an F/A-18A Hornet on the flight line of Australia's main air operating base in the Middle East region. This image has been digitally modified. Story by Warrant Officer Class Two Max Bree. Photos by Corporal Nicci Freeman.

ADF People History Middle East Royal Australian Air Force

Reflecting on Op Okra Air Task Group

18/02/202523/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1297 Views 0 Comments Daesh, F/A-18A/B Hornets, F/A-18F Super Hornet, Middle East Region

Hornet pilots strapped into their aircraft in temperatures often exceeding 50 degrees before taking off for eight-and-a-half-hour sorties. CAPTION: Commander Air

Australian Army Captain Anthony Davis, left, instructs Iraqi soldiers of the Taji Military Complex's Non-Commissioned Officer Academy as they practise fire and movement towards a notional enemy position at the Taji Military Complex, Iraq. Story and photos by Sergeant Matthew Bickerton.

Australian Army Middle East News

Op Okra proved worth of combined-arms training

18/02/202523/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1107 Views 0 Comments 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment, Daesh, Operation Okra, Task Group Taji

A decade ago, Daesh seized large territories across north-western Iraq and eastern Syria, taking advantage of the Syrian civil war

Sailors from Australia, the USA and the UK work together to develop effective undersea domain dominance during a trilateral exercise in Norfolk, Virginia. Story by Commander Ian Jackson.

News Royal Australian Navy USA

Working to protect undersea infrastructure

14/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1125 Views 0 Comments AUKUS, Royal Navy, US Navy

Royal Australian Navy deployable undersea warfare forces have joined the US Navy and Royal Navy in furthering subsea and seabed

RAAF security aviators on a C-17A Globemaster III prepare for a deployment to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq Rotation-B. Story and photos by Corporal Luke Bellman.

Middle East News Royal Australian Air Force

Peacekeeping mission in safe hands

14/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1178 Views 0 Comments C-17A Globemaster III, Republic of Fiji Military Forces, United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq

Under the Iraqi sun, boots hit the ground as a Royal Australian Air Force security team established a perimeter for

RAAF armament technicians load explosive ordnance on to an F-35A Lightning II aircraft during Exercise Cope North 25, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Story by Flight Lieutenant Madeleine Magee. Photos by Aircraftwoman Mikaela Fernlund.

News Overseas Royal Australian Air Force

Lightning crews drop bombshell in Guam

12/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1264 Views 0 Comments Exercise Cope North, F-35A Lightning II, GBU-39 small-diameter bombs, No. 75 Squadron

The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) 75 Squadron has launched into Exercise Cope North 25 with a bang, testing the

A RAAF F-35A Lightning II aircraft departs during Exercise Cope North 25 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Story by Flight Lieutenant Madeleine Magee. Photos by Aircraftwoman Mikaela Fernlund.

News Overseas Royal Australian Air Force

Lightning strikes in Guam

12/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 763 Views 0 Comments E-7A Wedgetail, Exercise Cope North, F-35A Lightning II, Guam, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport, No. 2 Squadron, No. 33 Squadron, No. 75 Squadron, RAAF Tindal, USAF

Hosted in the Indo-Pacific island of Guam, the last several iterations of Exercise Cope North have traditionally been an opportunity

Australian Army soldiers WO2 Bryan Griff and WO2 Paul Thornhill gather with contractors from Reeves Envico and Hebou to discuss the progress of the PNGAus Partnerships’ Potable Water Infrastructure Works at the PNG Defence Force’s Goldie River Training Depot, PNG. Story by Major Evita Ryan. Photos by Corporal Joshua Thomas.

Australian Army News Overseas

Army engineers tap into new water supply for PNGDF

07/02/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1363 Views 0 Comments 12th Chief Engineer Works (12CEW), PNGDF

Most of us consider a clean, accessible and infinite supply of water a normal part of our day, if not

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