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"Air Force provides air and space power for Australia's security."
A modern expeditionary air force, it is the youngest of the three armed Services in the Australian Defence Force but the second-oldest air force in the world. Learn more about Air Force
Air Force Newspaper (Our official newspaper)
Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft are used by Australian forces in the Middle East Area of Operations for heavy lift capability including the movement of combat vehicles in and out of theatres of operation as well as large freight items.
The C-17 has a short take-off and landing capability that is well suited to the environmental demands of Afghanistan where dirt runways such as the one at the Multinational Base in Tarin Kowt are common.
On 28 May a RAAF C-17 delivered two recently refurbished Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV) to the 1st Mentoring Task Force based in Tarin Kowt.
A number of large freight items were also delivered on the day with the American K-Loader getting a solid workout. The K-Loader is the American version of the Australian TASLU platform.
1 Jun 2010 23:00:45 GMT
Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support Mike Kelly has attended a special ceremony� in which the Netherlands Government honoured 13 Royal Australian Air Force Health Services personnel for their work in Afghanistan.
Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin also attended the medal presentation.
“This was a very demanding deployment�, Dr Kelly said. “Sadly nearly one third of their patients were Afghan children. The RAAF health personnel showed great dedication and professionalism in treating severe injuries.�
The 13 Air Force members received Netherlands Peace-keeping Operations Commemorative Medals during the Canberra ceremony.
The Air Force personnel were recognised for their deployment to Tarin Kowt in southern Afghanistan in 2008 in which, alongside their Dutch counterparts, they provided combat health support for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
Netherlands Major General Simon Van Groningen presented the medals in person, acknowledging the Air Force team�s life-saving work under difficult and dangerous circumstances.
The Air Force team of specialists included orthopaedic and general surgeons, nurses and intensive care medical assistants. They provided crucial health support not only to coalition forces but also to the local Afghan communities.
“Their contribution to the mission in Afghanistan was outstanding,� Dr Kelly said. “They worked around the clock alongside Dutch and other coalition military health professionals.� They not only saved lives but also the won the hearts and minds of the local Afghan people.�
27 May 2010 23:27:00 GMT
Air Force has just rolled out a website mid life upgrade.
The content through-out the site along with the overall site structure has not changed, we have just given the design a little "refresh", and added in some new�functionality and fun interactive features.
What has been included:
We hope you enjoy the refreshed Air Force site and it's new functionality.
Air Force will continue to upgrade the site and add new features and content to give you all, our users, a richer and more interactive experience.
If you feel like leaving us a little feedback about the refresh, feel free to send an e-mail to Webmaster@AirForce.gov.au.
Happy surfing!
25 May 2010 04:42:23 GMT
If there is one crucial element to Australia's contribution to the international campaigns in the Middle East, it has to be the Hercules C-130J.
Major General John Cantwell, AO commands all Australian Defence Force units deployed in the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) assigned to Operation Slipper, as well as those forces assigned to Operation Kruger in Iraq and says that the aircraft has a vital role to play.
"We couldn't do our mission without them," he says.
Based in the United Arab Emirates, the ADF has three Hercules C-130J aircraft currently in operation and have been continuously part of the action in the Middle East since early 2003. In fact, the airborne workhorses recently exceeded 20,000 flying hours supporting Australian and Coalition troops. The significant milestone was reached during a mission to aero-medically evacuate Australian soldiers wounded in an Improvised Explosive Device strike in late March.
"In the time that the C-130s have been operating here, they've flown more than 11,300 missions," Major General Cantwell explains.
"They've moved more than 140,000 troops � that's like 6500 footy teams and they've moved more than 31,000,000 kilograms of stores and equipment which is the same as moving 30,000 Holden Commodores or Ford Falcons... it's a fantastic achievement."
For more on the Hercules C-130J operations in the Middle East, visit -� youtube.com/adfmedia
19 May 2010 23:13:59 GMT
All ADF members are currently being encouraged to take part In the Military Health Outcomes Program (MilHOP).
This program aims to better inform Defence on the health challenges faced by personnel across the services as well as documenting the impact of deployments to the Middle East Area of Operations.�One of the most extensive studies ever conducted on the health and well-being of Australian serving and ex serving personnel, MilHOP will provide Defence with the information it needs to develop your health services in the future.�
If you haven�t received your invitation to participate or would like more information about MilHOP, log on to http://www.cmvh.org.au/index.html?page=128009 or alternatively contact the MilHOP team direct on free call number on 1800 886 567 or email milhop@cmvh.org.au.
This program is being run by the Centre for Military and Veterans Health to ensure the confidentiality of data for defence members.
19 May 2010 23:13:59 GMT
Six hundred Australian Defence Force personnel have participated in Exercise Bersama Shield 2010 (BS10), a multi-lateral exercise between Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The exercise continued to build on the close working relationship that has been developed between the five nations through the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) over almost forty years.
The participating nations gathered on the Malaysian peninsula and the South China Sea from 26 April to 7 May to enhance interoperability in the combined air and maritime exercise.
ADF assets participating in this annual exercise included HMA Ships Anzac and Success, eight F/A-18 combat aircraft from 75 Squadron and an AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft from 10 Squadron.
In total, 59 combat aircraft, seven warships and almost 2500 personnel from the participating nations were involved in BS10.
Commander of the Australian Contingent, Wing Commander Ken Robinson said the annual exercise provides the ADF with the opportunity to develop relationships with important regional partners while reinforcing Australia's long-term commitment to regional capacity building.
"The FPDA was established as a regional security initiative almost 40 years ago and has now evolved to be an integral part of Australia's regional engagement strategy," WGCDR Robinson said.
BS10 also provided a great platform for the ADF's F/A-18 Hornets to display their air power professional mastery and tactics. �
Commanding Officer of 75 Squadron, Wing Commander Phil Arms said his squadron conducted a range of tactical missions in the unpredictable tropical weather conditions.
"The eight Hornets conducted a total of 98 sorties throughout the exercise to achieve a range of tactical missions including reconnaissance, interdiction and defensive air operations while networked with other FPDA combat aircraft and warships," WGCDR Arms said.
19 May 2010 23:13:59 GMT
AIR FORCE has launched a new initiative to provide Air Force-branded products to personnel and the public. The online Air Force Shop is now open for business, along with a showroom in Canberra for local customers.
The shop stocks a wide range of Air Force-branded clothing and other products which can be purchased individually or in bulk. “The Air Force Shop enables Air Force personnel, families, and ex-members to foster pride in belonging to or being associated with the Air Force. Many people wish to be able to display their support and proud history of service in a tasteful and professional way,� Director Coordination � Air Force GPCAPT Andrew Elfverson said. “The initiative has my full support,� CAF AIRMSHL Mark Binskin said. Michele McGee, the Standards and Compliance Manager � Air Force in the Directorate of Coordination, said that the Air Force brand is one of Australia�s most recognised brands. “Air Force badges have a long and proud history and they continue to be of great relevance to our society today,� she said. “The Air Force Shop was established to assist in the management of the Air Force brand. Air Force badges and logos are so much more than just badges and logos and it is important to make sure that they are protected.� The shop was established because clothing stores and base canteens are not always accessible to those who have served or who are associated with the Air Force.
The idea behind the online facility was to give people easy access to a range of quality promotional products. “The Air Force Shop was developed to support you and offers Air Force personnel easy access to a range of quality products suitable for a variety of uses. The online facility makes purchasing easy with the added bonus of being able to purchase single items or small amounts,� Ms McGee said. “It also ensures that product prices are competitive and consistent branding is produced to a standard to support a professional Air Force image.� Personnel will see items such as caps and some clothing sold in Air Force�s new colours, too. “With our new branding, the dark blue clouds and grey steel textures are reflected in the new range of products.
The grey cap reinforces the new look of Air Force branding,� Ms McGee said. Brandnet Pty Ltd operates the shop on behalf of Air Force and its entire range of products has been authorised by Air Force. The company has worked extensively with Defence organisations for the past 19 years and collectively its team has more than 70 years of brand management and product design experience. “They have served many military and affiliated organisations, which has given them a greater understanding and appreciation of the extended military community. They understand the Air Force�s unique requirements and are able to ensure competitive prices and consistent branding is produced to a standard to support our professional image,� Ms McGee said. A percentage of the profits from the Air Force Shop will go to supporting personnel through the Royal Australian Air Force Welfare Trust Fund.
View the online shop at www.airforceshop.com.au or visit the Brandnet showroom at Level 1, 65 Kembla Street, Fyshwick, ACT.
Trading hours are from Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 5pm and Fridays from 8.30am to 4pm.
19 May 2010 23:13:59 GMT
Roulettes Jan - Jul 2010 Calendar
updated calendar coming soonAir Force Roulettes website
Balloon Jan - Jul 2010 Calendar
updated calendar coming soonAir Force Balloon website
Band Jan - Jul 2010 Calendar
updated calendar coming soon
Air Force Band website
RAAF Museum Interactive Flying Displays web page
Avalon 2011 - Visit the Air Force Air Show site for more details
There are dedicated Air Force personnel serving in operations around the glode, lending a hand and protecting Australia's national interests. They also work tirelessly, on a daily basis, behind the scenes, to protect our borders and provide releif to those in need.
The Department of Defence operations website provides a comprehensive list of current operations and exercises.
If there is one crucial element to Australia's contribution to the international campaigns in the Middle East, it has to be the Hercules C-130J.
Major General John Cantwell, AO commands all Australian Defence Force units deployed in the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) assigned to Operation Slipper, as well as those forces assigned to Operation Kruger in Iraq and says that the aircraft has a vital role to play.
"We couldn't do our mission without them," he says.
Based in the United Arab Emirates, the ADF has three Hercules C-130J aircraft currently in operation and have been continuously part of the action in the Middle East since early 2003. In fact, the airborne workhorses recently exceeded 20,000 flying hours supporting Australian and Coalition troops. The significant milestone was reached during a mission to aero-medically evacuate Australian soldiers wounded in an Improvised Explosive Device strike in late March.
"In the time that the C-130s have been operating here, they've flown more than 11,300 missions," Major General Cantwell explains. "They've moved more than 140,000 troops � that's like 6500 footy teams and they've moved more than 31,000,000 kilograms of stores and equipment which is the same as moving 30,000 Holden Commodores or Ford Falcons... it's a fantastic achievement."
More fact sheets coming soon!
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a way to easily push out news items, update notices and content to a large number of people. RSS is used by software to aggregate and present the content to you in an easy to read manner.
In some cases people spend a considerable amount of time visiting favourite websites looking for the information they wish to digest for the day. The idea of an RSS feed is to some-what reverse that, so the information comes to you. Rather than visiting all your favourite sites each day, just subscribe to their feeds and all of the new content published by that site will show up in your RSS reader, along with all your other favourite sites in an organised easy to access and read fashion.
This allows you to scan all your favourite websites in one location and your task of sourcing your information for the day is done in minutes.
It is very easy to subscribe to an RSS feed. All you need is an RSS reader: Below is a list of RSS readers you can use.
Once you have have a reader and you see an icon like this 
on a website or in the address bar, all you need do is click on it and add to your reader.
It's that easy!
If you have any further questions about our RSS feeds, please do not hesitate to contact us.
