ALSO THIS EDITION

April 10, 2014Edition 1325

DOWN THE

LINEAircrews recognised for

saving 11 lives during winch operations in flood waters

around Bundaberg last yearPAGE 3

US Marines land PAGE 6

Medical training PAGE 9

Jungle warfare PAGE 13

Your letters PAGES 24-25

Tiger crews train to support air mobile operations in Townsville

ARMED ESCORTS

PAGE 5

Plus:Queensland training brings 2/14LHR (QMI) a step closer on the road to CATA

CENTREPIECE

Christmas Island rescuers receive group bravery citation

PAGE 2

‘If we go home, they die’

Phot

o by

Cpl

Jan

ine

Fabr

e

Army April 10, 2014NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews2

THIS EDITIONWomen in the ADFAudit tracks progress of initiatives – 4

Armed escortsTigers train to support air mobile operations – 5

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LS Yuri Ramsey

THREE Army personnel have been commended for their actions and ded-ication during the rescue of people from a sinking vessel off Christmas Island on December 15, 2010.

Fo r m e r G ove r n o r - G e n e r a l Quentin Bryce, in one of her last official duties, awarded a Group Bravery Citation to Navy, Army and customs personnel on March 24.

In a combined search-and-rescue operation, 41 people were rescued by both the crew of Assail-Three embarked in HMAS Pirie and ACV Triton.

Suspected irregular entry vessel (SIEV) 221 foundered on rocks in treacherous weather conditions and as it broke apart about 90 people were thrown into the turbulent water.

The search and rescue was conducted in high winds of up to 40 knots and a high sea state with wave heights of up to four metres.

CDF Genera l Hur ley sa id members of the ADF were known for their professionalism and compassion in times of crisis.

“Despite the obvious danger, these individuals put the lives of others ahead of their own and I am immensely proud of them for their selfless actions,” Gen Hurley said.

Chief of Navy VAdm Ray Griggs welcomed the citation and praised the group for the bravery displayed.

“I applaud the efforts by the CO and crew of Assail-Three who, along with the crew of ACV Triton, conducted the search and rescue in extremely dangerous circumstances, putting themselves in harm’s way and placing the safety of others on the sea above that of their own,” VAdm Griggs said.

The rescuers used ropes, lines, lifejackets and bare hands as they pulled traumatised and injured survivors into their boats.

At times the rescuers had to cover the survivors with their own bodies to keep them from being hurled out of the boats due to the rough sea.

Ptes Dane Heinemann, Kale Morrissey and Kurt Williamson-Robertson were on HMAS Pirie as part of Operation Resolute.

Pte Morrissey, then of 5RAR, said the incident occurred during the worst sea state he and half the Navy personnel had ever experienced.

“There was heavy rain that hit you from all directions. The winds were really strong. It was so grey and dark; visibility was really low,” he said.

Pte Morrissey said as they arrived at the scene they couldn’t recognise any form of the vessel.

“We came across a large amount of debris in the water and an overpowering smell of diesel.

“As we manoeuvred in it was suggested we couldn’t assist as we

would put ourselves in too much danger because of the proximity to the cliff face.

“The response to that was pretty much ‘If we go home, they die’.

“Our boat driver did a really good job to manoeuvre the RHIB as he was fighting against the waves and the huge swell to avoid hitting the rocks ourselves.

“We started pulling whoever we could out of the water and it wasn’t

until we got them half way in that we confirmed if they were alive or deceased.

“It was a fight against both time and the elements, but we did what we could with what we had.

“I’m proud of all the people who were involved.”

VAdm Griggs said the actions displayed by the crew of Assail-Three and the embarked transit security element on that day showed Navy

and Army people demonstrating the ADF’s values and were in the finest traditions of both services and of the ADF.

“I take great pride in their actions and what it says about the quality of people we are privileged to work with,” he said.

“I t re inforces the inherent risk involved in our work and the importance we place on preserving life at sea.”

Christmas Island rescuers recognised Three soldiers among ADF and Customs personnel cited for bravery in boat tragedy

ON THE morning of December 15, 2010, a suspected irregular entry ves-sel (SIEV) was adrift to the north of Christmas Island.

Despite extreme weather condi-tions and very rough seas, the patrol boat HMAS Pirie launched two rigid-hulled inflatable boats with 12 ADF personnel on board to intercept the vessel.

Soon after, the SIEV suffered engine failure and began to impact the cliff face at Rocky Point.

As the vessel broke apart, approxi-mately 90 people were thrown into the turbulent water.

ACV Triton also responded to the

incident and launched a life raft and tenders with six Customs and Border Protection personnel on board to assist.

When the sea boat rescue crews reached the scene they observed the semi-intact hull of the SIEV smashing against the jagged rocks and people already spread out in the water with the sea throwing debris and people onto the cliff face.

Over the next few hours the crews manoeuvred their boats around and through the scuttled SIEV’s debris to within metres of the cliffs as they were blinded by sea spray and diesel. The rescuers used ropes, lines, lifejack-

ets and bare hands as they repeat-edly pulled multiple traumatised and injured survivors into their boats.

At times the rescuers were forced to cover the survivors with their own bodies to keep them from being hurled out of the boats due to the rough sea.

When the rescue vessels were full they transferred the survivors back to HMAS Pirie and ACV Triton prior to returning to the shipwreck and searching for more survivors.

Following repeated endeavours the crews were able to rescue 41 peo-ple but tragically 50 people perished.

GROUP CITATION FOR BRAVERY

Daring rescue: Ptes Dane Heinemann (inset top), Kale Morrissey (inset centre) and Kurt Williamson-Robertson

(inset bottom) were among the recipients of a Group Bravery

Citation for their role in the rescue of 41 people whose boat crashed into rocks off

Christmas Island.Marines land in DarwinLatest rotation of US Marines the biggest yet – 6

Resolute handoverTroops complete border protection rotation – 7

Best medicinePre-deployment medical training amps up realism – 9

WO1 Ken JohnstonRespected senior soldier loses cancer fight – 11

Timorese in TullySoldiers from Timor-Leste go to Jungle Training Wing – 13

Road to CATAQueensland cavalrymen prepare for major exercise – Centrepiece

LettersCan you lose your job for drink driving? – 24-25

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Army April 10, 2014 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 3

Black Hawk crews praised for bravery in flood rescue operations in North Queensland last yearSgt Dave Morley

TWO Black Hawk crews from 5 Avn Regt were formally recognised on March 24 for their bravery and devotion to duty in perilous circumstances.

In one of her final formal duties before stepping down, Governor-General Quentin Bryce awarded a Group Bravery Citation to eight crew-members of call signs Warhorse 104 and Warhorse 214.

On January 28, 2013, they were con-ducting flood evacuation operations in North Bundaberg which were hampered by strong winds and power lines.

CDF General David Hurley said despite the obvious danger the crew members put the lives of others ahead of their own.

“I am immensely proud of them for their selfless actions,” he said.

“Over a two-hour period, Warhorse 104 rescued six people while their com-rades in Warhorse 214 winched another five people to safety.

“Their persistence and determination to get these people to safety is matched only by their skill.”

Capt Robert Jones, of Warhorse 104, said he felt proud to be recognised as a

member of a team for carrying out what they thought was their job.

“It was a surreal situation flying around Bundaberg, as the weather would be kind one moment with a bit of sunshine break-ing through the clouds then changing to having to deal with rain showers,” he said.

“All this while looking at the Burnett River just growing and growing and taking over anything in its path.

“It really makes you appreciate what Mother Nature can do.”

Capt Jones said he didn’t get to speak to the people they rescued.

“Although I did glance back to look into the cabin and from the looks on their faces, they looked very relieved to be sit-ting where they were,” he said.

“I’m not sure if they had any fear of flying, but if they did, they didn’t show it.

“We were just relieved that they were out of harm’s way and that we were taking them back to a safer environment.”

Capt Jones said getting helicopters into the air was a big team effort.

“We wouldn’t have been out there fly-ing if it wasn’t for our tradesmen, opera-tions staff, our refuellers and the team back in Townsville, so I hope that they also feel proud of their own efforts in allowing us to do our jobs,” he said.

WHILE two Black Hawk crews received Group Bravery Citations for their efforts during the Bundaberg floods in 2013, two crewmen were also singled out for further recognition.

Cpl Kim Gray of Warhorse 104, and Cpl Scott Ruehland of Warhorse 214, received Commendations for Brave Conduct for acting as the ‘down the wire’ crewmen and rescuing 11 people in hazardous hoists from high level.

Cpl Gray said the rescues were conducted from heights of 30-50 metres due to the large amount of downwash Black Hawks create.

“We didn’t want people to be blown from roofs or other objects to be blown around,” she said.

“For the first two rescues I was chest deep in water and the first thing I felt was just the coldness of the water, which was flowing quite rapidly between the houses.

“I attached the strop to a lady

in her late 70s or early 80s and started being hoisted up.

“This lady was terrified and I tried to calm her down as best I could but by the time we got to the cabin she was stiff with fright, so it wasn’t an easy task.”

Cpl Gray then went back down to get an elderly man, and over a two-hour period conducted another four rescues from rooftops.

She said she was humbled by the award.

“There were 20 other aircrew-men from B Sqn who would have sat in that seat that day if they had the chance and done the same job,” she said.

“I’m glad that both crews were recognised for the group cita-tion but we can’t forget the teams behind the scenes, everyone from the tradies and refuellers to the local community that put on a bar-becue for us every night.

“After both crews finished the

rescues we went straight into transporting patients and civilians from the north side of Bundaberg to the evacuation centres, and then continued dropping medical sup-plies and stores to inaccessible areas.”

Capt Robert Jones, of Warhorse 104, said he was proud of Cpl Gray for her efforts not just on the day but over the period of the operation.

“She was professional, coura-geous and an important member of the crew,” he said.

“She carried out her duties without complaint and going down the wire was no exception.

“She did an extraordinary job in keeping the rescued people calm, especially so when being hoisted into the helicopter.”

Cpl Gray said she joined the Army 12 years ago because it was adventurous and challenging.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR CREW MEMBERS

Bundaberg lifesavers

To the rescue: From left, Cpl Matt Kennedy, Cpl Kim Gray, then-Lt Robert Jones and Capt Dion Palmer were one of two aircrews recognised in Australian bravery awards. Photos by Cpl Janine Fabre

CPL SCOTT RUEHLAND CPL KIM GRAY

CPL Ruehland acted as the ‘down the wire’ crewman on the Army Black Hawk Warhorse 214.

On arrival, after conducting a sweep of the area, the crew saw four people stranded on a small balcony at a house which was surrounded by floodwater near the intersection of Perry and Kolan Streets.

Despite intermittent rain and wind gusts which buf-feted the helicopter, Cpl Ruehland was lowered about 40m onto the balcony as they avoided power poles, overhanging wires and antennas.

After he briefed the evacuees, Cpl Ruehland individually rescued them.

Cpl Ruehland and the crew then conducted several hazardous hoists from high levels rescuing people in the north Bundaberg area.

CPL Gray acted as the ‘down the wire’ crewman on Warhorse 104.

On arrival, the crew saw that the entire northern region was inundated with water, which was continuing to rise.

With emergency coordination still being estab-lished the aircrew noticed two police officers waving for attention near the crippled Quay Street Bridge.

Cpl Gray was lowered to the officers approximately 60m below.

Cpl Gray was winched back up to the helicopter where she briefed the crew.

Over a two hour period, Cpl Gray conducted seven hazardous hoists from high levels and rescued six people in the north Bundaberg area.

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Army April 10, 2014NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews4

Sgt Dave Morley

NINETEEN Army members with colleagues from Navy, Air Force and Defence APS attended a forum on sexual misconduct in Canberra on April 2-3.

The forum, hosted by the Sexual Misconduct, Prevention and Response Office (SeMPRO), brought together key stakeholders to discuss different approaches to primary prevention and education programs, what they consisted of, and how they could be implement-ed in a military environment.

Thirteen guest speakers from as far away as New Zealand attended the conference to share their exper-tise with more than 70 ADF and APS members.

CDF Gen David Hurley opened the forum by telling the more than 70 attendees the ADF had taken significant steps to minimise the incidence of sexual misconduct.

“The numbers aren’t high but they are consistent,” he said.

“These th ings cannot be allowed to stand unattended; peo-ple need to know there will be consequences if they do the wrong thing.

“We want parents to know that if their child joins the ADF, and something happens, we will act on it.”

Gen Hurley said commanders should know that SeMPRO was there to help them.

Dr Denise Lievore, Director – Policy, at the NZ Ministry of Women’s Affairs, said a key chal-lenge was getting people to under-stand what sexual assault was.

“There i s no universa l ly accepted definition of sexual assault; the broadest definition includes any unwanted sexual contact, be that verbal, visual or physical,” she said.

“While this definition is too broad for a court of law or a dis-ciplinary hearing, it is useful in developing and implementing inter-ventions to prevent sexual assault.”

Dr Lievore said men needed to be engaged as partners in preven-tion.

“Men are not the enemy, they are part of the solution, and non-

Forum tracks progress on sexual misconduct SeMPRO forum attracts speakers with a range of backgrounds and experience

violent men who champion change are powerful role models for other men,” she said.

“Bystander intervention train-ing, which has been implemented in the US military, increases men

Finding solutions: CDF Gen David

Hurley gives the opening address of the SeMPRO forum

in Canberra.Photo by Steve Dent

ADF search ops continue in Indian OceanADF assets and hundreds of personnel have deployed to Western Australia as part of Operation Southern Indian Ocean, joining the Australian Maritime Safety Authority-led search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

The ADF is maintaining four AP-3C Orions at RAAF Base Pearce to support the air search operations and an E-7A Wedgetail is providing additional coordination and flight safety capability for the air search.

The Wedgetail conducted its first sortie on April 1 – the first operational sortie ever conduct-ed by a RAAF Wedgetail.

At sea, HMAS Success and HMAS Toowoomba are assisting with the surface search, while the Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield is searching with specialist underwater search and location equipment.

Additionally, the Defence Maritime Services Vessel Seahorse Standard is assisting in the surface search.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 after leaving Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing with 239 people on board. At the time of printing the aircraft had not been found.

The ADF is operating with a strong interna-tional military team that includes: A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion. Two US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol

aircraft. Two Chinese PLA-Air Force Iluyshin IL-76

aircraft. Two Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force

AP-3C Orions and a Japan Coastguard Gulfstream V aircraft.

A Republic of Korea Navy AP-3C Orion and one Republic of Korea Air Force C-130H Hercules.

Two Royal Malaysian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft and one ship.

Seven Chinese ships. One submarine and one ship from the UK.

Former CDF ACM Angus Houston was appointed to lead the Joint Agency Coordination Centre managing the Australian Government’s support to the search on March 30.

Sea patrol: AB Matthew Oxley keeps watch for signs of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 onboard HMAS Success.Photo by AB Julianne Cropley

and women’s sense of responsibil-ity to their community.

“It helps them recognise when they’re witnessing risky situations and gives them a range of methods to intervene without putting them-selves in danger.”

Dr Lievore said change needed to happen from the top down and from the grass roots up.

Kapooka Chief of Staff Lt-Col Iain Addinell said the forum out-lined a number of factors and vali-dated how the recruit school cur-rently educated both recruits and instructors.

“The training and education cur-riculums at Kapooka clearly lay out what is acceptable behaviour in the Army,” he said.

“More importantly, the training

given to staff and instructors ena-bles 1RTB to set the tone and cul-ture for the recruits to train in and provide the correct environment.”

Lt-Col Addinell said if unac-ceptable behaviour occurred, the recruits had the confidence to report incidents, and staff had the knowledge to deal with the incident correctly.

“This continues to show how we approach unacceptable behaviour and are at the forefront of cultural change and learning,” he said.

The head of SeMPRO, Gp-Capt Dee Gibbon, said primary preven-tion programs were critical to the ADF’s goal of building an organi-sation that was safe, inclusive and respectful, and where personnel could perform at their very best.

SeMPRO, or Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Office, was launched on July 23 last year to provide a trauma-informed response to people in Defence who have alleged sexual assault, and to collate and analyse all data related to sexual assault in Defence.

SeMPRO also assists the services to provide healthy rela-tionships and sexual ethics edu-cation to Defence members with the goal of minimising sexual misconduct within the ADF.

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Army April 10, 2014 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 5

THE project to build new Chinook facilities is Townsville is a step closer to final approval after it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works on March 25.

The $54.8 million Replacement Chinook Facilities Project supports the acquisition of seven new Boeing CH-47F Chinook Helicopters with new and upgraded working accommodation, new maintenance hangars, storage and workshop facilities, and a simulator building.

The project will give 5 Avn Regt, based at RAAF Base Townsville, the facilities required to operate, train and maintain the new helicopters and simulators.

Subject to parliamentary approval, construction is expected to begin in late 2014 with planned completion by mid 2017.

New Chook pen

Cpl Max Bree

TIGERS are ready to escort air mobile groups after finishing Exercise Vigilant Scimitar on March 20 in Townsville.

Apart from keeping chopper-borne troops safe, 1 Avn Regt’s 161 Sqn also practised live-firing 30mm can-nons, rockets and Hellfire missiles.

Unleashing Hellfires wasn’t an everyday occurrence for the regiment, according to CO Lt-Col Dean Thompson.

“Someone in their career may get to fire one maybe two Hellfires,” he said.

“We have simulators so we can simulate firing them but actually fir-ing a real missile adds a whole new pressure and complexity.

“Each time we fire a missile or a rocket or the 30mm it’s scored, so the guys go through a full scoring process to make sure their weaponeering is spot on”

The Tigers went through several serials until they were ready to start

escorting Black Hawks, MRH-90s and Chinooks.

“It involves escort practice, which includes live firing serials,” Lt-Col Thomson said. “It’s the whole escort and protection of an air-mobile operation.

“It culminated in a live-fire activity where we escorted an air assault in and continued on for a live-fire activity.

About 90 personnel and eight Tigers were involved in the two-week activity to prepare the squadron for Exercise Hamel.

“It’s a building block approach,” Lt-Col Thomson said. “We’re going through our force generation cycle; we’re building the guys up for the multirole combat brigade certifica-tion exercise, so it’s a stepping stone approach as we’re moving towards Hamel.

“They’re certified not just for the escort piece but also for reconnais-sance and attack; that’s the three tasks we have at 1 Avn Regt.”

After Exercise Vigilant Scimitar, the Tigers moved into supporting 3

Bde as it prepared the Ready Battalion Group.

Tigers wi l l l a te r re turn to Townsville for CATA and Exercise Hamel.

Lt-Col Thomson was also hopeful the regiment would have the chance to spread their wings further south.

“In Darwin we get a lot of time with 1 Bde but it’s good to be with 3 Bde now and we can work up our tactics techniques and procedures,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll get to go and do some work with 7 Bde as well.”

Exercise certifies Tigers to escort transport choppers in war zones

Armed escorts

Backup: A Tiger warms up to escort MRH-90s on an air-lift task in Townsville. Inset, Cfn Edward Garrett services a Tiger’s 30mm cannon during Ex Vigilant Scimitar.Photos by Cpl Shannon McCarthy and Cpl Max Bree

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Army April 10, 2014NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews6

Cpl Mark Doran

US MARINES have deployed to the Northern Territory with their equipment and vehicles for the third iteration of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D).

About 1150 Marines will undertake training activities, including bilateral train-ing with the ADF in the Northern Territory and Queensland, during the 2014 rotation.

The 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California, will form the basis of the rotational force and will be accommo-dated at Robertson Barracks.

A detachment of four CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, will also be part of the rotation and will be accom-modated at RAAF Base Darwin.

The senior ADF officer in the Northern Territory, Commander Norcom Cdre Brenton Smyth, welcomed the US Marines to Darwin.

He said the third rotation was an excit-ing opportunity for the ADF to engage and conduct bilateral training with the US Marines, and provided opportunities for engagement with regional partners includ-ing in response to requests for humanitar-ian assistance and disaster relief.

“It is also an opportunity to enhance our interoperability and cooperation as we move through the six-month rotation,” Cdre Smyth said.

“Our alliance with the US is very important to Australia and this is rein-forced by the Marine Rotational Force.”

A continuing priority for the Marines will be to further develop a close and enduring relationship with the Darwin community, which provides mutual benefit.

The current deployment follows rota-tions of close to 200 Marines in 2012 and 2013.

US Marine Lt-Col Matthew Puglisi, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, first deployed to Australia as the OIC of the Forward Coordination Element responsi-

ble for establishing MRF-D in January 2012 and returned to Darwin in 2013 to coordinate the second rotation.

He said the MRF-D included command, ground combat, aviation combat and logistics combat elements,

to comprise a Marine Air-Ground Task Force.

“We are looking forward to our aggressive training schedule we have lined up over the next six months as well as our ongoing community engagements in the Northern Territory,” Lt-Col Puglisi said.

“Even though there will be 1150 Marines in the Top End, at any given time some will be deployed to Townsville, the Bradshaw Field Training Area or South-East Asia conducting partnership engage-ments.

“Our community engagements include mentoring projects in local schools and we have a joint engineer project in Palmerston with the USMC Engineers and 1CER.

“When we ask our Marines for their preferred deployments, Australia is definitely a topic of discussion.”

Biggest Marine rotation yet 1150 US Marines arrive in Darwin

Landing: US Marines disembark from the US Navy Ship, 2nd Lieutenant John P. Bobo, in Darwin.Photo by Cpl Mark Doran

We are looking forward to our

aggressive training schedule ...

– USMC Lt-Col Matthew Puglisi, forward coordination element OIC

FORMER CDF Gen Sir Peter Cosgrove was sworn in as Australia’s 26th Governor-General in a ceremony at Parliament House on March 28.

Speaking at the swearing in ceremo-ny, Sir Peter said he was “at once hum-bled and proud” to assume the office of Governor-General.

“Humbled to know something of the great men and the one woman to have preceded me and proud beyond description of Australia, of its men and women and of their history, their heritage, their present genius and their hopeful future,” he said. “There is a role for the Governor-General, in the words of one of my predecessors, to reflect the community to itself without becoming partisan and I will embrace those opportunities enthusiastically.

“I pledge all my energy and goodwill to all the tasks of Australia’s Governor-General, not least those working within the wider community.”

Sir Peter concluded his address by referring to the announcement in Parliament on February 13 of the deci-sion to award the Victoria Cross to Cpl Cameron Baird VC, MG.

He praised the spirit of bipartisanship from both sides of Parliament in that moment.

“That unity of spirit, that instinct to reflect the mood of the Australian people at a special moment, was as much repre-sentative of the strength of our democ-racy as any of the partisan issues of our times.

Sir Peter served more than 30 years in the Army, including as CA and CDF.

Gen Sir Peter Cosgrove sworn in as 26th Governor-General

Commander in Chief: Governor-General Gen Sir Peter Cosgrove inspects Australia’s Federation Guard after his swearing in ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra.

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Army April 10, 2014 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 7

A GOLDEN rose has been launched at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show to mark the 50th anniversary of the SASR.

The SASR Golden Jubilee Rose was propagated by Landsdale Rose Gardens in the regiment’s home state of WA.

Special Operations Commander Australia Brig Dan McDaniel said the SASR Golden Jubilee was an occasion to celebrate the achieve-ments of the regiment since 1964 and honour the supporting role of the wider SASR family.

“For 50 years the SASR has represented the peak standard of soldiering, through its rigorous selection and training procedures, and in operations at home and overseas, with the motto ‘who dares wins’,” Brig McDaniel said.

“In that time, 48 SASR mem-bers have died on operations or in training incidents. Another 20 have died in other circumstances and more than 200 have been wounded.

“As well as celebrating the achievements of the regiment, the SASR Golden Jubilee is a chance to recognise the wider SAS fam-ily – including the SASR, the SAS Resources Fund, the SAS

Rose launched to celebrate SASR’s golden anniversary

Historical Foundation, the SASR Auxiliary and the Australian SAS Association – who supported the families of the fallen and those who have been injured in body or mind.”

SASR CO Lt-Col G said part of money from sales of the Golden Jubilee Rose would go to the SAS Resources Fund.

“The SAS Resources Fund is a charitable trust established after the Black Hawk disaster of June 1996,

in which 15 SASR members and three members of 5 Avn Regt were killed,” Lt-Col G said.

“By buying the SASR Golden Jubilee Rose, the public can show support for the SAS family and for those who have been killed or wounded in the service of the regi-ment and our nation.”

The SASR Golden Jubilee Rose is available from members of the Rose Introducers of Australia chain and Bunnings retail garden centres.

Special occasion: Toni-Ann Diddams places SASR Golden Jubilee roses at the memorial plinth for her husband, Sgt Blaine Diddams, in the SASR Garden of Reflection.

VADM David Johnston will suc-ceed Lt-Gen Ash Power as the Chief of Joint Operations Command on May 20.

Announcing the appointment, CDF Gen David Hurley said VAdm Johnston was the standout choice for the role.

“He has extensive operational and com-mand experience across the tri-service, coalition, whole-of-government environ-ment,” Gen Hurley said.

Currently posted to Navy HQ, VAdm Johnston deployed on Operation Slipper in 2010 as the Deputy Commander JTF 633. On his return to Australia, then-RAdm Johnston was appointed Deputy Commander Exercise Talisman Sabre 2011, followed by postings as Deputy Commander Joint Operations and Commander Border Protection Command.

“VAdm Johnston is a highly capable commander who is widely respected across the organisation,” Gen Hurley said. “I am confident the ADF will benefit from the strong practical understanding he will bring to his new role.”

The CDF congratulated VAdm Johnston on his appointment and thanked Lt-Gen Power.

“Lt-Gen Power has done an outstanding job com-manding all ADF operations over the past three years,” Gen Hurley said.

“He has overseen the end of Australian operations in Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands, and most notably, the transition to Afghan National Security Forces in Uruzgan followed by the withdrawal of ADF personnel and equipment from the province,” he said.

During Lt-Gen Power’s tenure, the ADF also deployed humanitarian and disaster relief on Operations Yasi Assist, Queensland Flood Assist I and II, Christchurch Assist and Philippines Assist.

Most recently, Lt-Gen Power has overseen Operation Southern Indian Ocean, the ADF’s contribution to the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines aircraft.

“After almost 40 years’ service in the Australian Army, Lt-Gen Power has served this country with distinc-tion and I wish him well for the future,” Gen Hurley said.

New joint ops commander

AIR-Mshl Mark Binskin will become the 20th CDF and Lt-Gen David Morrison will stay on as CA for another year, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced on April 4.

Air-Mshl Binskin, currently VCDF, will be officially sworn in as CDF when Gen David Hurley completes his tenure on July 3.

Announcing the appointment, the Prime Minister said Air-Mshl Binskin demonstrated outstanding leadership in his current role and previously as Chief of Air Force.

“He has held a range of com-mand positions and is a strong choice to guide the ADF over the next four years as we wind down operations in Afghanistan and

introduce a range of new military capabilities,” Mr Abbott said.

Gen Hurley has served with dis-tinction in a career spanning more than 40 years, including overseeing operations in Afghanistan, Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands.

Chief of Navy VAdm Ray Griggs will be appointed VCDF and RAdm Tim Barrett will become CN.

Along with the CA, the Chief of Air Force Air-Mshl Geoff Brown will remain in his position until July 2015.

The 12-month extensions bring these positions into line with new four-year tenure arrangements for statutory appointments.

AIR-Mshl Binskin joined the Air Force in 1984 after an ini-tial period of service with the Navy from 1978.

His flying qualifications include Fighter Combat Instructor and Tactical Reconnaissance Pilot. He has more than 3500 hours in single-seat fighter aircraft.

During Australia’s 2003 contribution to the war in Iraq, Air-Mshl Binskin served as chief of staff at HQ Australian Theatre. Following this, he served

as the Director of the US Central Air Force Combined Air and Space Operations Centre, where he was responsible for the conduct of coalition air operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. For this service he was awarded a Commendation for Distinguished Service.

Air-Mshl Binskin was Chief of Air Force from 2008-11 and was appointed VCDF on July 4, 2011.

AIR-MSHL MARK BINSKIN

Leaders to change New CDF appointed while CA stays on for another year

New bosses: From left,

Lt-Gen David Morrison, VAdm

Ray Griggs, Air-Mshl Mark

Binskin, RAdm Tim Barrett and Air-Mshl Geoff

Brown will make up the ADF’s senior

leadership group from

July 4.Photo by Steve Dent

Army April 10, 2014NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews8

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Capt William Heck

IT WAS the night of Bastille Day 1918, and while most Allied troops were celebrating their recent vic-tory in Villers-Bretonneux, 13 Queensland soldiers from 7 Bde slipped out into no-man’s land.

Their ambitious task was to recover a 30-tonne German tank, and despite a German artillery barrage and gas attack, they captured Mephisto, one of only 20 A7V Sturmpanzerwagen’s pro-duced by the Germans in the closing days of WWI.

It was the first German tank ever captured and it was believed to have been involved in the first ever tank-on-tank battle that took place during the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux.

Mephisto now sits in a climate con-trolled car-coon in the Workshops Rail Museum at Ipswich on open storage display, waiting on the development of its more permanent display.

Museum curator Dr Geraldine Mate said the car-coon not only protected Mephisto from dust and water, it gave some buffer from humidity and temper-ature variation, and importantly it also allowed the public to continue to see it.

“The 2011 floods gave us the opportunity to do some conservation work around ensuring the metal was

stable and setting it up so that there was no ongoing deterioration through corrosion,” she said.

“The conservator who did the work said to me that he felt it was in such good condition that he could actually kick the engine over.”

M e p h i s t o w a s d o n a t e d t o Queensland as a war trophy by the Commander of 7 Bde and has called Brisbane home since it was unloaded at Norman Wharf in 1919.

It was towed to the Old Queensland Museum on Gregory Terrace by two Brisbane City Council steamrollers, tearing up the bitumen in its wake, and remained there on constant display for more than 60 years.

Dr Mate said there had been a lot of international interest in Mephisto over the years because it was literally the only one of its kind left in the world.

“The museum has been working with forensic ballistic experts to try and work out how the tank ended up in the shell crater in the first place,” she said.

“There are marks from bullets, mor-tars and artillery which all tell a story, and we are gradually piecing that story together with a paper being published on it shortly.

“Mephisto is a very special exhibit and we are very proud it lives in Queensland.”

Car-coon keeps piece of history safe

History captured: Soldiers from 6RAR check out WWI German tank Mephisto (pictured inset after its capture at Villers-Bretonneux) at the Workshops Rail Museum. Back row from left, Ptes Jason Haumono, Michael Lawrance, Aidan Rudd, Grant Cockburn, Paul Tieppo and Marc Cornock. Front row from left, Pte Ned Isaacson, Pte Craig Hawkins, Glenn Price, Dr Geraldine Mate, Cpl Darath Rous and LCpl Daniel Merrick.

Tank protected while on display

“Army April 10, 2014 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 9

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armynews@defencenews. gov.au

Shock and awe Pre-deployment medical training aims for realism to test soldier skillsCpl Max Bree

AN EXPLOSION r ips in to a Bushmaster just outside a compound held by Australian soldiers.

A second blast goes off before sol-diers move in to pull screaming victims from the “burning” vehicle.

Blood covers soldiers as they begin to treat people with limbs torn off and hor-rific burns.

But the soldiers aren’t in hostile ter-ritory; they’re at Lavarack Barracks on pre-deployment Mission Specific Health training before going on Operation Slipper.

About 200 soldiers were put through day and night scenarios from March 17-19 during a Collective Combat Medical Training exercise.

Maj Paul Jacobsen, of 1 Div’s Force Preparation Health Cell, said the train-ing tested medics and combat first aiders from the Force Protection Element.

“It’s designed to bring their skills up to a higher standard,” he said. “It refines their skills and takes them out of their comfort zone with a lot of pressure and simulation.”

Pyrotechnics simulated IED blasts, fake blood spilt from amputee actors’ missing limbs and professional makeup gave extra realism for soldiers preparing to deploy to Afghanistan.

“Having all those things raises the effect and makes it more realistic,” Maj Jacobsen said. “It’s primarily for the medics and CFAs but it’s also for the

Army first aiders (AFAs); it gives them more exposure to the assistance they may have to provide.”

Pte Jake Tapsell-Miller, of 1RAR, said he wasn’t expecting to see real peo-ple missing limbs.

“At first it was pretty confronting,” he said. “It was surprising having actual amputees [roleplaying casualties] but I reckon everyone handled it pretty well.”

As a CFA, Pte Tapsell-Miller’s skills were put to the test.

“The toughest part was going from case to case,” he said. “As a CFA you’re doing most of the stuff; the AFA’s do their best but they can’t do everything, so you have to step it up a lot.”

Maj Jacobsen said the special effects were well received by soldiers.

“They love it,” he said. “It’s not just a mannequin, they’re a real person, they’re yelling, they’re screaming; it gives that extra effect and puts them under pressure to improve their skills.”

It was surprising having actual

amputees [roleplaying casualties] but I reckon everyone

handled it pretty well.– Pte Jake Tapsell-Miller, 1RAR

First responder: Pte Mathew Tinson treats a simulated casualty during pre-deployment medical training. Inset, a scenario begins with a simulated IED strike. Photos by Cpl Max Bree

Triage: LCpl Sean Lynch (left) and Pte

Jack Scarfe assess a simulated casualty.

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Sgt Dave Morley

A VIETNAM War Military Medal recipient, known as a “digger’s dig-ger” and for his direct no-nonsense approach, succumbed to cancer on March 12.

WO1 Ken Johnston (retd) enlist-ed in the Citizens’ Military Forces in February 1966 and discharged from the ARA in March 2002.

He was awarded the MM for two actions as a section commander with B Coy, 2RAR in August and December 1970, resulting in the deaths of 10 enemy.

He was wounded in action on both occasions but continued to direct his section throughout the contacts reflecting “great credit on himself, the Regiment and the Australian Army”.

WO1 Johnston had previously served in Vietnam with SASR in 1968, and had hoped to return for a third tour, with Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) but his wounds precluded this.

Former B Coy, 2RAR, digger, Pte John Griffin, who served with WO1 Johnston in Vietnam, said he was the best soldier he had ever met.

“He was a leader among men, respected by all and his bush craft was second to none,” he said.

Lt -Col Graeme Mickelberg , a former ARA infantry officer, now living in southern Queensland, said he first met WO1 Johnston when he posted in to B Coy, 2/4RAR, as a second lieutenant in July 1974.

“Ken was away when I first arrived, but I was told he was one of my section commanders and that he was tough, aggressive and professional in his approach,” he said.

“When he did arrive back in the unit he immediately introduced him-self to me and told me that he would make sure he gave the advice needed to

ensure I did not mess his men around.“He was totally reliable and

although he went out of his way to ensure his soldiers had what they needed, if their skills were lax he was uncompromising in his criticism and determined to remedy their shortcomings.”

Lt-Col Mickelberg said there

were not a lot of characters like WO1 Johnston around anymore.

“That might be because we’re in the age of political correctness, but he was a real godsend to a new platoon com-mander and he became a good friend over the years,” he said.

“His former platoon sergeant and all of the former members of the

section he commanded with 2RAR in Vietnam, other than one who had passed away, attended his funeral.

“This is a clearest indication of the respect they have for WO1 Johnston as a man and as a soldier.”

Lt-Col Steve Bender (retd) was one of more than 400 people, including all surviving members of WO1 Johnston’s section in Vietnam, who attended his funeral in Melbourne on March 18.

He said the sadness was balanced by the great stories of old and the obvi-ous and deep affection that everyone there had for WO1 Johnston.

“There may be a better man some-where that has carried a rifle but I can’t say I ever met him,” he said.

CO 2RAR L t -Co l Michae l Bassingthwaighte was the official mourner, RSM 2RAR WO1 Brian Buskell carried WO1 Johnston’s med-als and a 2RAR piper played inside the church.

WO1 Johnston’s daughter, Sgt Jasmine Johnston, is an Op Int at 1 Int Bn, Gallipoli Barracks.

She said to her and her two broth-ers, their father was their leader and mentor.

“He showed us how to live life with integrity,” she said.

“His unconditional love for us, and his sense of pride in us, championed us on as individuals to achieve success in life and overcome obstacles.”

WO1 Johnston received the OAM on Australia Day 1990 for his service as RSM of the then Land Command Battle School at Tully.

‘Digger’s digger’ farewelled Soldiers say goodbye to well-respected RSM WO1 Ken Johnston

Respected: WO1 Ken Johnston (retd), inset right, was farewelled by many serving and former senior soldiers, alongside family including his daughter, Sgt Jasmine Johnston (inset left).

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Army April 10, 2014NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews12

Maj John McPherson

SOLDIERS from Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory have come together for one of their first activities as a newly restructured Combat Brigade (Cbt Bde) under Plan Beersheba.

Plan Beersheba outlines how the Army is undergoing a sustainable three-stage force generation cycle in which three Cbt Bdes are created to maximise Army capabilities. Each Cbt Bde is comprised of elements from a regular Army brigade and two reserve brigades that include infantry, armour, artillery, engineers, logistics and communications.

All of those capabilities came together in Exercise Silicon Predator at Robertson Barracks in March.

The exercise included reserve ele-ments from 4 Bde in Victoria and 9 Bde in South Australia, which joined 1 Bde to become familiar with exercising as a Cbt Bde. The commanders and RSMs of all three brigades were personally on hand to evaluate proceedings.

The Assistant Commander Training of 9 Bde, Col Peter Moore, said it was a hands-on introduction to the new structure.

“It’s the first step in posturing 4 Bde and 9 Bde to support 1 Bde under Plan Beersheeba,” he said.

“We’re now beginning to see the final pieces of the Army restructure falling into place.”

The thinking was the same from 4 Bde, where 8/7RVR OPSO Maj John Spencer said it was an opportunity to start building relationships for future brigade-level activities.

“We’ll take the lead as Battle Group Jacka for 2016 and deploy a battle

Brigades build ties Plan Beersheba starts to take shape in Darwin

group with 1 Bde for Exercise Hamel 2016,” he said.

“Being part of Ex Silicon Predator has given us an opportunity to see how the brigade headquarters works and what our role will be, and how we con-tribute as a reserve element within the Cbt Bde concept.”

Commander 1 Bde Brig John Frewen said he was pleased with the way the three brigades came together and interacted under the Cbt Bde struc-ture.

“There’s no doubt it’s an ongoing learning process, which we’ll continue to fine tune,” he said. “However, now each of the participants has a far clearer understanding of what they bring to the table under the new restructure.”

Being part of Ex Silicon Predator has given us an

opportunity to see how the brigade

headquarters works and what our role will be, and how we contribute as

a Reserve element within the Cbt Bde

concept.– Maj John Spencer, OPSO 8/7RVR

Mapped out: 1 Bde OPSO Capt Nick Cooper explains battle group positioning to participants of Ex Silicon Predator at Robertson Barracks.

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Army April 10, 2014 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 13

Cpl Max Bree

INSTRUCTORS at Tully learnt a few things about survival from their Timorese students during the first training session run for members of the Timor-Leste Defence Force from March 10-19.

While Aussie instructors passed on warfighting skills, Sgt Daniel Lobascher, of the Jungle Training Wing, said the Falintil – Forcas de Defesa de Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) soldiers also taught the instructors a few lessons.

“Their guys knew a lot about what you can eat in the jungle, they’ve been showing us that,” he said. “Some of the guys here were guerillas in the conflict, living off the jungle for years over there.

“They said there’s similar plants here to what they have in Timor-Leste.”

The Timor-Leste personnel received training in section skills, formations and contact drills in close country.

They also covered close country camp searches and section attacks as part of Junior Officer Combat Instructor Training, sponsored by

Australia’s Defence Cooperation Program with Timor-Leste.

“It’s a bit of a shock coming to Australia. This sort of jungle is a bit different to what they’re used to; this is a lot closer and more dense,” Sgt Lobascher said.

Lt Tomas Baptista De Sousa was part of the F-FDTL contingent, which

included soldiers and marines ranked from sergeant to lieutenant.

“I liked the bay-onet assault course, the ambush and the patrolling,” he said. “In Timor-Leste we never learnt bayonet fighting and now we’ve done it for the first time.

“The hardest part was the trekking; it takes a long time.

It’s hard for us but now we’ve done it I think we’re better.”

Lt De Sousa praised the Australian instructors and hoped another training activity could be arranged.

“The instructors are very kind and very intelligent,” he said. “During the two weeks they never got angry if we did something wrong and were very patient.

“We learnt a lot and I hope we will be able to come back maybe to train for a month or something like that.”

Timorese troops hit Tully Soldiers and marines from Timor-Leste take the next step in jungle warfare training in North Queensland

This sort of jungle is a bit different to what they’re used to; this is a lot closer and

more dense.Sgt Daniel Lobascher, Jungle

Training Wing instructor

Waterworks: Soldiers from Timor-Leste make their way through Tully’s gruelling obstacle course as Jungle Training Wing instructors look on. Photos by Cpl Max Bree

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Army April 10, 2014 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 15

Support for G20THE G20 Leaders’ Summit is to be held in Brisbane in November and Comcar will provide transport services. Expressions of interest are sought from Defence personnel as both event support officers and drivers. A strong knowledge of the Brisbane CBD and surrounds is essential. For more information, contact the Comcar event management team at comcar.g20@finance.gov.au

Young vets soughtTHE 2014 Anzac Day marches in Canberra and all state capitals will be led by the veterans of the post 1975 period and the call has gone out to all those who served operationally in this period to participate. Initiated by state RSL branches, the aim is to give the community an opportunity to support and thank the veterans of recent operations. Details of the march arrangements in each state can be found on RSL state branch websites, with links from the national RSL website at www.rsl.org.au

WWI medallionA WWI commemorative medallion has been struck to support serving and former ADF personnel and their families. All proceeds from the medallion will go to RSLs through-out the country. The medallion will be avail-able at local RSL clubs for $60 leading up to Anzac Day and during the next four years.

Fundraising DVDA DVD called Doin’ it for the Troops has been released to raise money for PTSD research and projects. The DVD is available from The Repat Foundation for $24.95. It features live performances by Australian singers including Kylie Minogue, John Farnham, Doc Neeson and Beccy Cole and will be officially launched on April 23. For more information go to www.therepatfoundation.org.au/doin-it-for-the-troops-dvd/

IN BRIEF

LS Yuri Ramsey

GET on your bike, challenge your-self and help mend broken hearts all over Australia.

This is the message from Maj David French who is looking for peo-ple to get involved in the Ride for HeartKids charity event, now in its second year, and make it as successful as possible.

“The goal is to set yourself a cycling challenge, a fundraising target and then seek to raise the money to meet that goal,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter how big or small your challenge is, just get actively involved and support a great organisa-tion.”

Hear tKids , a not - for-profi t organisation, supports families of children who are suffering from childhood heart disease (CHD).

It also helps raise funds for research into CHD, raises awareness and runs activities such as camps for teenagers affected by CHD.

CHD is the greatest killer of Australian kids under one year old, with six babies born in Australia every day suffering CHD.

Maj French became involved with HeartKids due to personal experience.

“My oldest son William, who is now seven, had heart surgery when he was five days old,” Maj French said.

“He is kicking strong now, but after his heart surgery we were in The Royal Children’s Hospital in

Melbourne for two weeks including a short stint in the intensive care unit.

“When we were in hospital we saw kids and families in a much worse way than we were.

“Some had been there for months while some kids didn’t make it.

“We witnessed HeartKids do great things for those kids and families and while we didn’t call on those services ourselves, we believe they are a great charity which does a lot with a little and are very worthy of support.”

Determined to assist HeartKids, Maj French participated in the first Ride for HeartKids where he rode from Canberra to Sydney and raised $11,000 for the charity.

“Hopefully more people can get involved this year and build this up to the point where every state can have their own HeartKids event once per year,” Maj French said.

“At the moment we have indi-viduals participating in SA, ACT and Queensland and we’re just about to confirm some in WA and Victoria.”

Maj French said entrants could use the motivation of riding for HeartKids to get involved in the community and make a positive contribution to a small charity.

“You don’t have to be an expert to get involved,” he said.

For more information contact Maj French at david.french3@defence.gov.au or go to www.facebook.com/RideForHeartKids/info/ or www.heartkids.org.au

Take the challenge Design your own cycling trial to raise money for children suffering from heart disease

Ride on: Maj David French will ride from Canberra to Sydney to raise money for

HeartKids, a charity supporting families of children suffering from heart disease.

Photo by LS Yuri Ramsey

“Army April 10, 2014 CENTREPIECEwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews16 17

After several years focused on counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan, 2/14LHR (QMI) is getting back to conventional warfighting, Cpl Nick Wiseman reports.

BACK IN THE FIGHTSOLDIERS from 2/14LHR

(QMI) and supporting ele-ments took to the field to conduct some of the first exercises in the lead-up to 7 Bde’s Combined Arms

Training Activity (CATA) later this year.Throughout March, the unit spent time

in various locations throughout south-east Queensland targeting foundation warfighting

skills in a mix of dry and live-fire scenarios.CO 2/14LHR (QMI) Lt-Col Ash

Collingburn said the ASLAV-specific field training could be described with the old crawl, walk and run methodology.

“Our stage-four training is the individual vehicle crew going through live-fire both static and mobile,” he said.

“Stage five is troop-level live-fire, which we’ve just completed, and we’ll conduct stage six before the CATA, which concen-

trates on working as a combined-arms team.”With cavalry troops no longer operating

in Afghanistan, Lt-Col Collingburn said it was time to get back to the basics of mid-intensity foundation warfighting.

“I think in the last decade we’ve become really good at counterinsurgency,” he said.

“A lot of the core skills we’re focusing on in this exercise are getting back to the basics of cavalry tasks and we’re all learning a lot as we go.

“We’ve had a large turnover of personnel over the Christmas period so everybody is finding their place on the exercise and there are some great lessons coming out for those crews.”

Lt-Col Collingburn added that despite the bulk of Australian operations in Afghanistan drawing to a close, most soldiers were posi-tive about being back in the bush.

“There is always something else and they’re now getting back to our core busi-

ness and that’s very exciting for them,” he said.

“What is particularly exciting for the armoured corps soldier is Plan Beersheba and the plan for the Armoured Cavalry Regiment.

“Here at 2/14 LHR (QMI), we’ll be watching very closely over the next two years to see how the other two ACRs form and start transitioning ourselves from mid-2016.”

With elements of 7CSSB, 11CHC and 1 Regt RAA supporting them in the field, Lt-Col Collingburn said it was great to see the combined-arms approach to training working.

“One of the great things we can take away from operations in the last decade and a half is the way we’ve fought,” he said.

“We’ve deployed as combat teams and battle groups and that’s what we’re used to doing.

“The combat brigade or ACR approach is the natural next step and we’ve just con-ducted such training out here in our stage-five live-fire that involved artillery and we’ve embedded joint fires teams in our troops.”

Although the CATA is the goal for this year’s training, the exercises will also be preparation towards next year’s certification and 7 Bde becoming the ready brigade at Exercise Hamel 2015.

One of the great things we can take away from

operations ... is the way we’ve fought.

– Lt-Col Ash Collingburn, CO 2/14LHR (QMI)

Live-fire training sets benchmarks‘THE key to cavalry opera-

tions is being able to expertly manoeuvre the vehicle before

engaging the enemy,” said Troop Corporal Cpl Marcelo Pullen during a break in the stage-four live-fire activi-ties at Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

That training was conducted by troops before rolling wheels at Shoalwater Bay, where soldiers focused on individual vehicles through to patrol and troop levels to shake out the vehicles and soldiers for the new year.

Cpl Pullen said it was a key time for a vehicle crew to bond, especially as there were many new members to the unit.

“We’ve all got new drivers so we get to see what they’ve learnt and build on that,” he said.

“It went well and we’ve discovered we have a lot of characters who raise the morale.”

After completing the basic training requirements, the unit moved in stag-gered formation to Shoalwater Bay for live-firing focusing on gunnery.

Cpl Pullen said the level of training tested the ability of the crew.

“It’s the chance for a crew to fire live ammunition into a target area and exposes the crew to a more realistic environment rather than just simulation,” he said.

“It gives us the ability to show where we really are.”

Although crews are actively tested with their gunnery on stage four, stage five activities were more command focused, with the troop sergeant and troop leader assessed on a live-fire battle run.

Troop Leader Lt Rob Jarvie said it

was good to get out and get some live-fire training done so early in the year, which would set the unit up well for the CATA.

“The stage-four also gives the troops an opportunity to test the ability of tra-versing cross-country in a tactical setting before the stage-five tactical assessment,” he said.

“Both sets of activities allow us all to practise our skills so when we move into more complex tasks, such as combat team and battlegroup activities, we’re all confi-dent about everyone’s abilities.”

A LOT of logistics for dismounted troops are handled far from the front line, but keeping an army of armoured vehicles moving requires a dedicated set of logistical troops embedded into every cavalry squadron.

Basic essentials such as food and water are often taken for granted, but when armoured vehicles and tactical training over an assortment of terrain types are added into the mix the logistical demands require a dedicated team of specialists.

B SQN 2/14 LHR (QMI) quartermaster Cpl Robyn Blanch handled much of the logistical requirements for her squad-

ron and said her team worked alongside mechanical and medical specialists.

“It can be a challenge working with armoured vehicles,” she said.

“It’s not conventional supplies like infantry or a CSSB, so we are carrying fuel, tyres, different types of ammunition along with water and rations.

“As our trucks are not armoured, we are embedded with the RAEME element, whose recovery vehicles are ASLAVs, and rely on their protection.”

That protection was also exercised throughout the training activity, with Cpl Blanch’s team engaged by enemy while in the middle of resupplying troops.

Her team would typically set up the resupply trucks and open both sides so the armoured vehicles could come down each side with their guns facing out and restock expended items.

By doing this, those vehicles could also afford the logistical element with further protection from the enemy.

Cpl Blanch, who is in her third year at the unit, said there were some unique requirements due to the nature of the role.

“Some of the larger equipment requires a lot of manual labour and a higher risk of injury that you need to plan for,” she said.

“It can be exhausting work but I do enjoy it.”

Keep the supplies rolling inConvoy: Support

elements gather to replenish stores, fuel,

rations and water.

Fired up: Cpl Marcelo Pullen prepares his vehicle to take part in a live-fire exercise at Shoalwater Bay.

On a roll: ASLAVs from 2/14LHR (QMI) prowl through

the scrub at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

Photos by Cpl Nick Wiseman

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Army April 10, 2014 FEATURESwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 19

DIETARY supplements are widely used by high perfor-mance athletes and Army personnel.

To use them safely and effectively it’s important to understand the risks associated with their ingredients and intended use.

Director of Army Health Col Andrew Williams says supplements come in many forms ranging from bland pow-ders to super-sweet snack bars.

“Often they may contain caffeine, natural or artificial hormones, choline, creatine phosphate, glutamine or glu-cosamine,” Col Williams says.

“It’s important to read the labels of supplements carefully and confirm they are approved by agencies such as the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

“This is even more important if you are taking prescription medicine, as there’s always the potential for unknown effects; mixing drinks and drugs with dietary supplements can have unintend-ed and sometimes serious consequences to the user’s health.”

Some supplements are prescribed by qualified health practitioners for Army personnel who have an inadequate diet or are recovering from an injury.

“The vast majority of people taking supplements, however, do not require them for diagnosed medical conditions and alternatively may be looking to find

a ‘quick fix’, ‘magic powder’, potion or pill which is marketed to assist in their pursuit of weight loss, muscle gain or recovery,” Col Williams says.

“The Army places physical and men-tal demands on its people in order to maintain operational readiness.

“These demands often include indi-viduals overcoming fatigue, maintaining strength and endurance for long periods and maintaining high levels of mental alertness with little sleep.

“It’s no surprise personnel are keen to find something which is readily avail-able and will address their perceived physical needs.”

Most dietary supplements claim to assist in weight gain, weight loss, enhanced performance or stamina and mental performance.

Col Williams says personnel taking these supplements are assuming they’re assisting them in their health and well-being, when in reality they could be doing the exact opposite.

“There are two issues people should be aware of if they take supplements,” he says.

“The first is non-therapeutic sub-stances are not as stringently regulated in some countries and therefore some of the supplements available, especially from overseas sources, may not be what they claim to be and could be illegal.

“Secondly, people may also be getting ripped off, especially if ordering

supplements online. They need to be aware of where the supplements are supplied from.

“Gym users have been caught out by ordering from some websites that are marketed as ‘Australian’, but actually run from Thailand where steroids are readily available.”

Some non-reputable websites ship their products through Europe to avoid suspicion.

“Many people are unaware of the potential risk you can place on your health by ordering online from a non-reputable website,” Col Williams says.

“In the ADF you can put your career at risk by taking supplements which contain prohibited substances.”

However, Col Williams says not all supplements are bad.

“If your diet is inadequate or you are recovering from an illness or injury, you may be prescribed dietary supplements to assist in your recovery,” he says.

“However, most supplements are over-priced and some are definitely dangerous. Very few are endorsed by scientists and sports physicians.”

Despite the market hype and the claims on the labels, the science is still out on the effectiveness of supplements.

Col Williams says no two people who use supplements are the same.

“Our physiology, ability to burn fat, perform and react to various vitamins,

hormones and amino acids is different from that of another person putting the same substances into their body,” Col Williams says.

“The marketing will have you believe otherwise.

“There’s also the cost of supple-ments to consider. Clever marketeers and companies greedy for your dollar

are cashing in on Army personnel deter-mined to reach and sustain peak physi-cal fitness and performance.

“If you’re not informed, you are potentially taking supplements which may have serious consequences to your health, but there’s most likely the finan-cial risk that supplements will have no positive effect on your health at all.”

What’s your poison?The Director of Army Health has a simple message for soldiers: know what you are putting in your body.

“24th April 2014.

Army April 10, 2014FEATURES www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews20

Joining in before joining upPre-recruiting sets potential soldiers up for success, Cpl Nick Wiseman reports.

‘THE best decision I ever made,” said Pte Peter Rosas of taking part in the indige-nous pre-recruitment course

before joining the regular Army.The course is typically run over

six-to-eight weeks and is designed to prepare Indigenous Australians for the ADF recruiting process and set them up for a rewarding career.

Pte Rosas, currently posted to 51FNQR, said he found the course hard at first but he quickly adapted.

“I wasn’t that fit before I joined,” he said.

“The course helped me achieve the fitness to get through Kapooka with regular PT sessions involving everything from long walks and runs to intense combat physical training carrying heavy equipment.”

Pte Rosas said the sessions gave him a feeling of self-accomplishment tha t he was do ing someth ing worthwhile.

“I knew this was the career for me,” he said.

After the course was completed he sat for his assessment days and inter-views to join the regular Army and con-tinued to maintain his fitness levels from the course.

Not long later he received his call and found himself on a bus to Kapooka, ready to embark on a new

First look: Pte Peter Rosas (front row, fifth from left) prepared for Army and Navy life during the Indigenous pre-recruitment course, which he says was the best decision he ever made, before joining the regular Army.

adventure, but one with which he was already somewhat familiar.

“Having been on the course I knew what to expect, which definitely made my time just a little bit easier,” he said.

“Kapooka was still challenging and my advice to anyone joining up is to make sure this is what you want – it’s not something you should go into half-hearted.”

Having enlisted in the regular Army on September 23, 2012, Pte Rosas is now posted as the registry clerk at 51FNQR, which helps him stay close to his family.

He was grateful to everyone involved with the course for helping him to achieve his goal.

“Not only did I receive help and sup-port during the course but they remained in touch and supported me through the whole journey,” he said.

Having been on the course I knew what

to expect, which definitely made my time just a little bit

easier.– Pte Peter Rosas, 51FNQR

ARMY now has eight new Indigenous Recruiting Officers to mentor and support Indigenous candidates through the recruiting pipeline.

The Indigenous Recruiting Officers are based in Brisbane, Townsville, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide.

In addition two Indigenous mentors have been posted to the Army Recruit Training Centre at Kapooka.

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Army April 10, 2014 FEATURESwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 21

LEARNING the Navy Ode was “something different” for a Russell-based NCO who was

called on at short notice on February 28 to do a reading about a sailor killed in action on HMAS Perth 72 years ago.

Cpl Rebecca Braddy, of APAC ACT, has conducted six readings at AWM Last Post ceremonies since July last year.

“I felt that it was both a duty and an honour as a current serv-ing member to volunteer as a reader for the Last Post ceremo-ny,” she said.

“It is a small offering to those who sacrificed their lives in defence of our nation.

“My latest reading was for Mechanician Robert Naismith who gave his life in 1942, one of 357 crew members of HMAS Perth who were killed when their ship was sunk during the Japanese invasion in the Sunda Strait.”

Cpl Braddy said one of the requirements for a Navy reading was that a stanza from the Navy Ode was recited before The Ode.

“I had not been aware that there was a Navy Ode until being

Chance to honour fallenReading the story of a fallen Australian at the War Memorial is a moving experience open to all serving soldiers, Sgt Dave Morley reports.

Most of the readings ... are

for ORs who have sacrificed their lives and it is a privilege

to be able to do this on their and

their families’ behalf.

– Cpl Rebecca Braddy, APAC ACT

required to learn it as we only recite The Ode on occasions such as Remembrance Day and Anzac Day,” she said.

In April 2013, a CDF-directed initiative to honour Australia’s

102,000 fallen ADF members commenced at the AWM.

As part of the Last Post cer-emony, which is conducted every afternoon at 4.55pm, a short per-

sonal story of a fallen sailor, sol-dier or airman is read by an ADF member.

Cpl Braddy said she would recommend the experience to others.

“Most of the readings that are conducted are for ORs who have sacrificed their lives and it is a privilege to be able to do this on their and their families’ behalf,” she said.

“It provides an opportunity to give something back to the Defence community both past and present.

“The Last Post ceremony is an excellent opportunity to experience a different perspec-tive on speaking to an audience as it is directed to the popula-tion as a whole rather than just to Defence.”

An influence on Cpl Braddy joining the Army was her grand-father’s service in the 2nd AIF in WWII and her cousin’s ser-vice in Rwanda during the 1990s, so being able to honour other personnel in historical readings holds a special place in her heart.

Members who are interested in becoming an AWM Last Post ceremony reader should contact Maj Ledy Rowe at AHQ.

Tribute: Cpl Rebecca Braddy reads the story of Mechanician Robert Naismith at the Australian War

Memorial’s Last Post Ceremony. Photo by Cpl Nick Wiseman

“

Army April 10, 2014 FEATURESwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 23

A US Army pilot whose skill saved an Australian officer’s life during a Black Hawk incident in Sinai in August

2012 has been recognised with the Broken Wing award.

The pilot, Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3) Jason Starr, received the award at Ft Rucker, Alabama.

The incident started when the aircraft was flying a routine mission from MFO South Camp, in the vicinity of Sharm el-Sheikh, to MFO North Camp.

A l o u d b a n g was heard, resulting in one of the Black Hawk’s rotors being shredded and the aircraft beginning to shake violently while starting to fall from the sky.

M a j M a r t y n Rutty, now a human r e s o u r c e s o f f i c -er a t Canberra’s Brindabella Park, was the only pas-senger in the Black Hawk at the time.

H e w a s t h e n senior plans officer (operations) for the MFO on Operation Mazurka.

He said it suddenly felt like he was on some kind of terrifying amusement park ride.

“The big difference was that we were about 6500 feet in the air, flying over water, and it was near-on pitch black inside and outside the aircraft,” he said.

“I had no idea what had happened, there was no warning. My first indication that something was wrong was when the helicopter began to shake violently.

“Fortunately, the aircraft continued to move forward although it was bouncing up and down a lot, with an appreciable increase in the ambient noise levels.

“I thought there might have been a problem with the transmission system.”

Maj Rutty said he expected the worst while hoping for the best.

“I knew that my chance of survival was in the balance and silently cursed myself for not ensuring that I had undertaken helicopter underwater escape

training (HUET) earlier in my career,” he said.

“I thought we would end up in the water one way or the other, either crash-ing or an emergency water landing.

“From initial incident to landing was about 10 minutes, an appreciable length of time.”

Maj Rutty said he was exceptionally impressed with the skills of CW3 Starr.

“I’m quite sure that it was his pro-fessionalism, coupled with his experi-ence and relative coolness under extreme

circumstances that averted a disaster,” he said.

“About six weeks before the incident I was a passenger on another UH60 flight in the Sinai with CW3 Starr that had to make a hasty pre-cautionary landing when the ‘metallic chip warning’ on the helo sounded.

“I walked away from that one, too.”

W O 1 A d r i a n H o d g e s , R S M 10/27RSAR, a mate of CW3 Starr since they met in Sinai in 2004, said he was the

quintessential US soldier; “patriotic and a dedicated professional”.

“Outside of work hours he is a laid back brilliant person to share good times with and at work he is a highly regarded pilot,” he said.

“He is a down-to-earth, honest person who would give you the shirt off his back and passionately believes in the US and Australian military alliance.”

WO1 Hodges said when he first met CW3 Starr in Sinai in 2004 he was flying Hueys with the US Avn Coy.

“When I visited Jason and his family in Alabama last December, I heard first hand of his brave act and felt passion-ately about his story being told,” he said.

Maj Rutty said the other two crew members, co-pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) Joel Faulkner and crew chief Staff Sergeant Ryan, were also worthy of mention as they both contributed to a successful outcome on the night.

An Australian officer on Op Mazurka was a passenger on a flight to MFO North Camp when one of the helicopter’s rotors was torn to pieces, Sgt Dave Morley reports.

Mid-air emergency

My first indication that something

was wrong was when the

helicopter began to shake violently.

– Maj Martyn Rutty, workforce intelligence analyst

Close call: Maj Martyn Rutty, pictured inset fourth from the right, was the sole passenger on this Black Hawk when the rotor was shredded mid flight.

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Army April 10, 2014LETTERS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews24

AS AN infantryman, environmen-tal scientist and outdoorsman, the recent display in the foyer of R1 at Russell Offices of the new camou-flage uniforms for Army and Air Force has me stumped.

I fear that they have been con-ceived without due regard to lessons learnt throughout history on elemen-tary concealment and detection.

Soldiers are educated on the six tenets of “why things are seen” – shape, shadow, silhouette, surface, spacing and movement. These princi-ples are taught, revised and practised.

Why is it that these new uniforms have a distinctive tailored shape and a micro camouflage that at a distance of 15m creates a clear silhouette and defined shape? The Air Force uniform with its different hues of blue is even worse – it creates a black silhouette.

Whatever happened to a disruptive pattern with aspects of both micro and macro camouflage? And why such a form-fitting design? Previously the cut of the uniform (loosely hanging off the body) was intended to disguise the shape of the human form and to pro-mote air circulation around the body.

With the cut of this new uniform, the front waist pockets resemble a jeans pocket. They will simply fill up with dirt, mud and water during the action of crawling. This is why the pocket has previously had the opening to the side of the wearer.

I’m afraid that this uniform on dis-play is more about style and trends than function. We need to learn from our extensive history – not the history of the last 10 years – and apply those lessons for use in all seasons, weather and terrains.Maj Scott HeimanArmy Headquarters

Director General Army Operations Brig Graeme Finney responds:THANK you Maj Heiman for con-tributing to the discussion about our combat uniforms and the roles they play. I’d like to address your concerns on a point-by-point basis.RAAF General Purpose Uniform The RAAF GPU is not a combat uni-form and, therefore, not designed to address the tenets of why things are seen. Rather it provides the RAAF a distinctive and recognisable uniform that meets their requirements.Australian Multicam Pattern Operational Combat Uniform The uniform on display in the R1 foyer is not the “new camouflage uniform for Army”. Rather it was the uniform procured for use in the MEAO as a direct result of lessons learnt by contemporary conventional and unconventional infantry soldiers in that theatre.

The new uniform will be the Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform currently scheduled to be rolled out to 3 Bde later this year.

Tailored shape The fitting of the uniform is designed to improve comfort for the soldier when wearing body armour and based on operational experience. The requirement for body armour is a demand of modern conflict that renders irrelevant the argument for a combat uniform to be “loosely hang-ing off the body” to “disguise the shape of the human form” and “pro-mote air circulation around the body”.Concealment and detection On concerns regarding the shape and silhouette components, the wearing of body armour goes some way to explaining the challenge regarding shape and the resolution of camou-flage shapes on all uniforms is lost at range, thus generating a silhouette. However, our soldiers are still trained and practised in the use of cover and concealment, selection of fire posi-tions and other infantry field skills to remain concealed and avoid detection.Pocket position Extensive soldier feedback has indi-cated that the pockets on the front of the combat pants are of value to con-temporary infantry soldiers who have ample experience conducting fire and movement in training and combat.Camouflage pattern The new AMCU camouflage pattern, while maintaining the distinctive col-ours of the DPCU, has been developed in conjunction with DSTO.

New cams’ fashion focus Does the tailored shape and pocket placement of modern combat uniforms disregard practicality for style?

Concealment: The Australian

Multicam Camouflage

Uniform is designed to be worn with body

armour and therefore offers a more tailored fit.

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Army April 10, 2014 LETTERSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 25

TELL US YOUR STORY

If you have an interesting story to tell, get in touch with Army and get it in print.Contact the editorial team by email to

armynews@defencenews. gov.au

I READ with horror an article titled “Chin-ups will lift your game” (Army #1323, page 26) as these exercises are, as in my case, a significant and potential career ender when ‘heaves’ were all the Army fitness rage in the ’90s.

I sustained a crippling shoul-der/scapular injury in the early ’90s while doing chip-ups – even after an appropriate warm-up session.

That put me in hospital, plagued my career until 2001 and earned me a white card from DVA and the inability to perform certain over-arm activities for the rest of my life.

At the time I was fit, very health and particularly ‘gung-ho’ and that made no difference. I was also under the impression that they had been discontinued because of dangers.

I do not think that the human anatomy was designed to do this activity. Besides as a great watcher of nature shows on TV I cannot recall ever seeing even the most adept chimpanzee or orang-utan do a chin-up.

My ‘old soldier’ advice –

think twice before you inflict this activity on yourself or your soldiers. DVA’s got enough work to do.

Andy GilmourFormer soldier

Director Army Health Col Andrew Williams responds:ARMY runs a range of physical training activities intended to maintain and improve the physi-cal robustness of all members, regular and reserve.

It is important that all mem-bers have a common baseline fitness level and are physically fit for their specific role.

Baseline fitness is assessed through the Basic Fitness Assessment (BFA), with which I’m sure you will be familiar.

More recently Army has introduced the Physical Employment Standards Assessment (PESA). The PESA is designed to assess an individu-al’s physical fitness to undertake the specific job in which they are employed.

In preparing soldiers to meet both the baseline and specific employment standards, PTIs

provide progressive training programs. These programs are adjusted to the age, length of service and fitness of the indi-viduals concerned, and of course all such activities are subject to a proper risk assessment.

Nonetheless, no physical fit-ness training is without danger and inevitably a small number of individuals will be injured. Our robust risk assessment process is designed to keep such injury to the absolute minimum, and there are certainly some activi-ties which our PTIs recommend soldiers do not attempt until they have received proper training.

Chin-ups are one such activity, as the risk of injury is significantly increased if poor technique is used.

I cannot comment on the cause of your own injury, but our analysis of injury during chin-ups/heaves led to a change in policy in 2012. It is now no long-er the practice for the arm to be fully extended at the bottom of a chin-up and there should always be a slight flexion at the elbow. This simple change has reduced chin-up associated injury.

Beware the dangers of poor heave technique

Drink driving kills careers Even a low-range drink driving charge can cost you your job under new policyDURING the latest round of manda-tory training briefs I was alarmed to learn of the ADF’s policy on mem-bers who are caught drink driving by civilian police.

To have a policy whereby a mem-ber is automatically discharged from Defence for a high blood-alcohol con-tent raises some concerns.

The first of these being the differ-ence in state legislations. Let’s take Victoria and NSW. In Victoria, it is not mandatory to provide a breath sample (there are separate penalties for refus-ing, but that’s another issue).

If a member is intercepted in Victoria and has been drinking, they could refuse to provide a breath sam-ple and no high reading would be obtained.

However, NSW has an arrest

power. The same driver, if intercepted in NSW would be arrested until they provided a sample. Being a nation-al employer, there is no fairness in applying a policy which relies on the jurisdiction of individual states and territories.

The second issue I see with this policy surrounds the safety of members.

By this I am referring to a situation where a member who has had a few drinks is intercepted by police. Instead of pulling over and facing the conse-quences, they may now have more to lose and consider the option of trying to evade the police unit instead. This would clearly place at risk the pub-lic, police members and the Defence member themselves.

My question would be why a pol-icy which cannot have fairness across

state legislations and has the potential to cause injury would be implemented when the state judicial systems have penalties already imposed for these actions? Cpl Ron Morris5/6RVR

Director Military Discipline Law Capt (Navy) Scott Ritchie responds:THE Force Protection-Alcohol (FP-A) presentation is part of annual Army force preservation awareness training.

The FP-A presentation mentions the new alcohol management policy that will be implemented this year. The relevant excerpt from the notes states:

DI(G) PERS 15-1 Management of Alcohol in the ADF was written in 1980. It was seriously outdated and needed a complete rewrite.

The new policy on the management

of alcohol in the ADF will be released in early 2014. Additionally, the Mili tary Personnel Manual (Milpersman) will be released in 2014 and it will include all the process associated with the management of alcohol.

Both the DI(G) and the alcohol sec-tion in the Milpersman will provide the required policy and information for all commanders.

Be aware that upon release of the DI(G) and Milpersman there will be stronger admin action for those mem-bers who are charged with and found guilty of driving under the influence in a civil court, irrespective of wheth-er a civil punishment or conviction is awarded or not.

The admin action that will occur is as follows: Low-range DUI, which is a blood

alcohol concentration between 0.05 and 0.079, will result in a notice to show cause for formal warning

Mid-range DUI, which is a blood alcohol concentration between 0.08 and 0.149, will result in a notice to show cause for reduction in rank or censure

High-range DUI, which is a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 and above, will result in a notice to show cause for termination.

Any second DUI offence, irrespec-tive of the blood alcohol concentra-tion, will result in a notice to show cause for termination.It is clear that the new policy,

although strict, is not quite as Cpl Morris understands it, and so it is like-ly that either the presenter misstated the policy or Cpl Morris misheard it.

Weight lifting: In 2012 the Army changed its heave technique to reduce the risk of injury.Photo by LAC Mark Friend

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Army April 10, 2014 PERSONNELwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 27

Progress for ADF women Final review audit completedTHE ADF has made significant pro-gress in a number of areas that will improve gender diversity and enhance capability, according to the fourth and final audit report on the Review into the Treatment of Women.

The Australian Human Rights Commission released its closing report on March 26 following one of the most comprehensive and detailed examina-tions of gender in any military in the world.

CDF Gen David Hurley reinforced the need to maintain the positive momentum.

“Tangible actions, like establishing the Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Office, demonstrate our com-mitment to change,” he said.

“However, the results from the audit report indicate that we still have some way to go to achieve the deep cultural reform we seek.”

The audit report highlighted areas where Defence could continue to drive efforts to better support its female workforce.

The Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Review Head, Elizabeth Broderick, said the Commission’s original report foreshad-owed 21 recommendations designed to assist the ADF.

“This would be achieved by addressing the problem of a shrink-ing talent pool, the significant cost of unwanted departures, the lack of diver-sity among leadership and the unac-ceptable behaviour sometimes faced by women,” Ms Broderick said.

The Audit Report found the ADF had made significant progress in:

Improving the response systems to sexual misconduct through the estab-lishment of the Sexual Misconduct, Prevention and Response Office and the implementation of a restricted or confidential reporting system.

Publishing the ‘Women in the ADF’ Report which provides an important and public baseline against which to track progress and the achievement of gender equality.

Reviewing the practice of selecting the most senior strategic leadership positions from primarily combat corps from which women have until recently been excluded.

Implementing innovative recruitment models and the setting of a recruit-ment target (25 per cent for Navy, 25 per cent for Air Force and 15 per cent for Army by 2023), already with promising results.

Introducing gender targets for women in areas that are made up of less than 15 per cent women.

CDF Gen David Hurley has appoint-ed the first gender adviser to the Chief of the Defence Force. Julie McKay, of UN Women Australia, commenced her appointment at the beginning of April.

Ms McKay will provide specialist advice on gender issues.

“Ms McKay is a well-known advo-cate for women and I look forward to gaining her insight as we continue to work towards a more inclusive organisation,” Gen Hurley said.

“Appointing a gender adviser who has experience outside the Defence organisation will provide us with an opportunity to broaden our own perspective and increase our under-standing of women’s issues across the community and business sector.”

Ms McKay will continue in her role as executive director of the Australian National Committee for UN Women and will manage both positions on a part-time basis. Ms McKay has also been a member of the Secretary and CDF Gender Equality Advisory Board since 2012.

Increasing efforts to allow male and female members access to flexible work arrangements.Commissioner Broderick also urged

the ADF to create a healthy culture in its bases and units, review job design and statements of duty, deliver a robust sexual ethics program and proactively communicate the benefits of cultural changes, while being constantly alert to any backlash against women as a result.

“This review’s four reports rep-resent one of the most comprehen-sive and detailed examinations of gender in any military in the world,” Commissioner Broderick said.

The Audit Report is available at http://defencereview.humanrights.gov.au/

NEW ADVISER

... the results from the audit report indicate that we

still have some way to go to achieve the deep cultural reform we seek.

– Gen David Hurley, CDF

ARMY personnel will have access to the PMKeyS Self Service (PSS) through their internet at home when the initiative rolls out on April 11 and 25.

Defence People Group and the Chief Information Officer Group have partnered to deliver the PSS Home Portal, an initia-tive that provides Defence members with secure internet access to PMKeyS Self Service without the need to log into the Defence Restricted Network either directly or via the Defence Remote Electronic Access Mobility Service.

The First Assistant Secretary of Human Resource Delivery, Craig Pandy, said the PSS Home Portal was a Defence One capability that provided another avenue of access to PMKeyS Self Service using personal desktop computers, laptops, most personal tablets and mobile devices, all from home or the mess.

“Access to PMKeyS Self Service is available beyond the standard working day up to 10pm on most

nights and during the weekend,” Mr Pandy said.

“The PMKeyS Self Service Home Portal has great potential for expansion in the future, but already it is a valuable tool for

Defence people, and in particular those without DRN access in reserve units, on long-term leave and overseas.”

Access is dependent on having your mobile phone number and personal email address recorded in PMKeyS.

The PSS Home Portal can be used to: View payslips and payment summaries. Update personal particulars. Check leave balance. Apply for leave. Reservists can submit attendance and

allowance claims online. Air Force and Joint Operations person-

nel were the first to receive access to the new portal on March 14, followed by Navy on March 28. Army personnel are sched-uled to receive access from April 11.

For more information regarding availability go to the PMKeyS intranet site.

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Army April 10, 2014www.defence.gov.au/news/armynewsLIFESTYLE PEOPLE28

RATHER than ease into competitive cycling, Maj Michael Mudie launched headfirst into the Capital Punishment 100km Mountain Bike Enduro in March to raise money for Soldier On.

“I spent most of the holidays training, breaking both my bike and myself on more than one occasion,” Maj Mudie said.

He set up a fundraising page in early January and was shocked to receive more than $1000 in dona-tions from friends and strangers within two days.

“I have been humbled by the generous support for Soldier On from across such a diverse range of people who wanted to give to this worthwhile charity,” he said.

“Those donations coupled with funds raised by the Australian Command and Staff College brought the total raised for Soldier On to $3170 by race day.”

Riders started near HQJOC at Bungendore, traversed mountain bike trails through Kowen Forest and Sparrow Hill, crossed the Majura Military Training Area into Majura Pines, rode over Black Mountain, passed the National Arboretum and finished at Stromlo Forest Park.

Maj Mudie completed the ride in 5hr 12min.

“I was very happy to finish the race with both the bike and me in one piece,” he said.

First-time rider supports Soldier On

All aboard: Capt Lucas Koppen, Training Adviser Manager of the Defence Cooperation Program Timor-Leste, supervises F-FDTL soldiers boarding a Hercules bound for Queensland to conduct jungle training. Full story page 13. Photo by Cpl David Said

Kitted out: LCpl Kynnan Hunt, of 1RAR, lets Weir State School student Sebastian Morrison try on his body amour and helmet as part of the ‘Aim High’ program in Townsville. Photo by LCpl Kyle Genner

Rolling on: Tpr Ed Howson, of 2/14LHR (QMI) commands an ASLAV at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

Full story pages 16-17.Photo by Cpl Nick Wiseman

Saving lives: Ptes James Grimes (left) and Jason Nunn treat a simulated casualty during pre-deployment training. Full story page 9. Photo by Cpl Max Bree

Teamwork: Movements officer Capt Natalie Adams meets US Marine Maj Jacob Evans in Darwin. Full story page 6.Photo by Cpl Mark Doran

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Army April 10, 2014 LIFESTYLE FUNwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 29

Mr Phillip NelsonLEPDP ManagerForces CommandVictoria BarracksPaddington NSW 2012Ph: (02) 8335 5903Fax: (02) 8335 6506phillip.nelson@defence.gov.au

DIKKO By Bob Dikkenberg

SAY AGAIN, OVER

If you can think of a clever caption for the picture above, email captioncomp@defencenews.gov.au with “caption comp April 10” as the subject. Keep entries under 25 words and include your name, rank and unit.

Last edition’s winner“Once upon a time there was a little boy and a little girl who wanted to become invisible.”

Pte Cheryl Melling APAC – South Queensland“Do I read these kids a pamphlet about WHS or do I do a little sniping? Decisions, decisions.”

Cpl Witold Bialkowski31/42RQR

THE Royal Australian Army Pay Corps will celebrate its centenary on September 21.

The main celebratory event will be a mixed regimental dinner at Anzac Hall at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on September 20.

All present and past members of the corps are invited to attend with one guest.

Tickets are expected to be released by July 1.

The booking is for 300 but may be extended depending on the interest

received. The cost is estimated at $165 per person for a three course meal with beverage package and entertainment from the RMC band and Rugby Choir.

Full payment by attendees into the corps fund will be required no later than September 6.

Limited service accommodation has been organised for eligible personnel. Please note that Floriade will be running in Canberra at the same time, so accom-modation may need to be booked early.

All bookings and enquiries to Maj Wayne Spence at wayne.spence@defence.com.au

Dinner to celebrate Pay Corps centenary

The Australian Army from Whitlam to HowardBy John BlaxlandPublisher: Cambridge University PressRRP: $40.87 (hard cover)Reviewer: Bob Lowry

AS THE title neatly encapsulates, the Army is an instrument of pol-itics and this book is about the use of the Australian Army during the period embraced by these two political leaders.

As Blaxland clearly articulates, armies do not exist in isolation; they are a microcosm of their own socie-ties and operate in conjunction with other forces – friendly, hostile and vacillating – under conditions at home and abroad that demand con-stant adaptation and change.

The book is based on secondary sources, interviews, peer reviews and contributions, and the author’s own experience as an Australian Army officer. Blaxland is a senior fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at ANU, holds a PhD in War Studies, and is a 28-year Army veteran with service in East Timor, the US, Thailand and elsewhere. Because of its contemporary nature he did not have access to primary sources.

Blaxland describes how the Australian Army adapted from the end of ‘forward defence’ to ‘conti-nental defence’ post-Vietnam to a hybrid version of these two concepts in the Howard era to meet economic and political imperatives. The book is not about Defence policy or grand strategy. It is not concerned with whether forces should have been committed to Afghanistan or Iraq or elsewhere, except in so far as it

Valuable insight Former officer offers detailed look at 30 years of Army

conditioned the nature of the forces deployed and the conditions under which they operated.

Blaxland aptly outlines how Army maintained its professional-ism during the lean years which saw it shrink to four operationally ready infantry battalions and then gear up to meet the intensifying chal-lenges from 1999 onwards. He also captures the dedication and cour-age shown by those committed to operations without descending to chauvinism.

Blaxland also points to tensions in Army resulting from political constraints as the government sought to balance its international obligations with its imperatives to not trigger conscription, or imperil its electoral prospects due to unacceptable casualties. He

contends this sometimes affected morale and international status when, for example, troops on one occasion could not help British forces in Iraq because of restrictive rules of engagement or advisers in Afghanistan were not permitted to accompany their forces on operations.

Blaxland covers many other debates as well as the Army’s exten-sive domestic and overseas opera-tions and commitments in this well-written and comprehensive work. It will be of interest to members and families of those who have served in the Army during this period, mil-itary buffs, and to citizens interest-ed in the practicalities of using the Army as an instrument of national policy. It will be a valuable basic reference book for years to come.

Readiness: The Army’s maintenance of high training

standards throughout post-Vietnam ‘lean years’ to 1999’s

Interfet deployment is one of the key topics covered in

John Blaxland’s book.

Army April 10, 2014www.defence.gov.au/news/armynewsLIFESTYLE30

M ANY stores offer interest-free deals that let you take goods home before you pay

for them. But interest-free doesn’t mean

cost-free – there are fees and charg-es that could trip you up.

This type of credit can be a use-ful way to pay for an expensive item, provided you can afford to pay off the debt in full by the end of the interest-free period.

There are two ways you can pay for interest-free deals: Payment by instalments – you make

regular payments each month.

Buy now, pay later – you don’t make any payments until the end of the interest-free period.

Before you sign up it’s impor-tant to know that:

The minimum monthly repay-ment won’t pay off your debt in full within the interest-free period.

The rate you’ll be charged if you miss a repayment or don’t pay off the debt within the interest-free period is often around 29 per cent, which is much higher than most credit cards.

Australian Securities and Investment Commission chairman Greg Medcraft urges caution.

Ways to win your interest

Don’t cheat on a chitBeing on medical restrictions is never ideal, as Lt Rob Orr writes.

M embers on medical restric-tions (chits) are often viewed with terms like ‘chitmon-geres’ and even ‘malingerer’.

This stigma may lead to personnel abandoning their restrictions before being fully recovered or, even worse, not seeing medical staff for fear of being placed on a medical restriction.

While there are the few who manip-ulate the system for their own benefit, the overwhelming majority of medi-cally restricted personnel (temporarily or permanently) should not be stereo-typically labelled for the indiscretions of a few.

Medical restrictions are a means of marking an injured human body as needing repairs and reconditioning.

With this in mind, consider the fol-lowing when on a medical restriction:

RecoveryTake the time to recover properly, including doing the exercises pre-scribed by a physiotherapist/PTI for as long as deemed necessary.

Avoid returning to a sporting field until you have been assessed as being physically capable of doing so. Better to miss one coming weekend game than the rest of the season.

Stay activeWhen on a restriction, stay as active as you can within those limitations.

For example, ‘no lower-body PT’ does not mean ‘no PT’. Again physio-therapists/PTIs can assist you to remain active.

Obey the chitPersonnel have been given medical restrictions for a reason. If they choose to ignore restrictions, they are disre-garding medical advice given by medi-cal personnel and are delaying their own recovery.

Remember, just because there is no pain, does not mean the injury has healed completely.

Consider dietWhen the body needs to repair, good nutrition is essential.

The decrease in physical activity means a decrease in calorie expendi-ture, thus the susceptibility to gain weight is increased.

Consider this. You are on a restric-tion due to a knee injury and cannot do much aerobic-based activity for a month.

During this month you gain sev-eral kilograms as you have not adjusted your eating habits.

As your body starts to recover, your injured knee must now cope with the added stress of additional body weight and the chance of re-injury is increased.

Encourage and involvePeers and superiors should encourage the member on a restriction to remain involved with their section/unit and the member should be included in activities that do not contradict their restrictions.

With this in mind, the member on restriction should likewise explore ways in which to maintain involvement with their section/unit.

Further informationIf unsure of what you are capable of performing, ring the medical staff who issued the restriction for clarification.

As long as there is no need to breach medical-in-confidence, they will be able to assist you in determining how best to be employed and involved.

Ironically, many will not appreciate the challenges, both personal and pro-fessional, that an injured member goes through when on a restriction. That is until they are injured and have to deal with the frustrations of a medically-restricted member.

Lt Rob Orr is a former Army PTI and is now a reservist and assistant professor at the Bond Institute of Sport and Health.

Restricted: Following the conditions outlined in a medical chit helps ensure

a speedy recovery from injury. Photo by Cpl Nick Wiseman

Work out your repayments – Use the interest-free deal calculator on ASIC’s MoneySmart website to work out your own repayment plan. This way you can be sure to pay off the full purchase price before the interest-free period runs out.

Check the fees and charges – Even when an ad says “no deposit, no interest, nothing to pay”, you still have to pay fees. For example there could be a $25 application fee and a $4.95 monthly fee. There may also be fees for late payments or for paying your purchase off early.

Check the credit contract – Only use an inter-est-free deal if the credit contract allows you to pay more than the minimum monthly amount. The contract will also list the fees and charges.

Don’t use the credit card – Don’t be tempted to use the credit card that comes with the deal; it will probably have a higher interest rate than a regular credit card. Any extra items you buy with the card may also not be interest-free.

Check when the no-payment period ends – If you take up a ‘buy now, pay later’ deal and don’t make any payments until the end of the no-payment period, you’ll be charged high interest on the full amount at the end of the period. Work out what you need to repay regularly so you don’t get stung by high interest.

Check your other options – Compare the interest-free deal with alternatives such as lay-by or a debit card.

For more tools and tips to help you manage your money go to www.moneysmart.gov.au

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SPORTwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynewsArmy April 10, 2014 31

THE ACT Regional Golf Championship will be held at the Gold Creek Golf Club on April 17.

Players need to have an Australian Golf Union handi-cap and belong to the ADF Golf Association (ADFGA), to be eligible to play.

Entry fee is $30, which covers a shirt, the round of golf, lunch and prizes. Winners receive automatic entry to the ADF National Championship in December each year (entry fee last year was $300).

For more information contact Maj Frank Brindle or WO1 Peter Coles.

ACT golf titles near

ADF netballers are ready to take on competition from around the world at the Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association Championships in Brisbane from April 20-26.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the cham-pionship, with the ADF up against the best from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Asia, the South Pacific Islands and New Zealand.

Australian Defence Netball Association president WgCdr Nick Osborne said participation gave Defence players the opportunity to display their skills in an elite level competition.

“Most of the other teams have been together for sev-eral months and have had a lot of practice – our Defence teams have only had a chance to get together in the last couple of weeks.

Members were competitively selected to join the ADF representative teams at the combined services national netball carnival held in Canberra last August.

The ADNA teams will attend a training camp at Enoggera Barracks from April 14-19.

Aussie titles await

Five to form ADF teamCpl Aaron Curran

FIVE Army rugby league players will don the ADF guernsey after gaining selection in the Combined Australian Services Rugby League (CASRL) team.

Sgts Danny Tavita and Jason Brand, Cpl Travis Nicholson, Tpr Jack Blaine and Pte Mahn Darley will represent the ADF along with eight Air Force and four Navy players.

Army has a solid representation in the starting 17 of the CASRL team to take on the PNGDF in Papua New Guinea in October.

The team was selected after the Interservice Rugby League Championships at Ipswich, won for the first time by Air Force on March 15.

CASRL president AirCdre Bob Rodgers said the ADF team was as strong as ever.

“Last year we won the Armed Forces World Cup and the team that will be competing in 2015 will be as good if not better than the one we had last year,” he said.

For a long time, the three-way ISRL competition has been dominated by Army but AirCdre Rodgers sees that trend changing.

“Once upon a time a lot of the strength of the com-bined side came out of Army.

“In the last few years Navy was starting to become more dominant and now Air Force is asserting itself.

“To me, that results in a truly representative combined side.”

Recognition for refs

In touch: Sgt Katie Donnelly takes the ball forward for the ADF senior mixed side at the National Touch League. Inset, ADF touch football referee WO1 Ken Golden.Photo by Flt-Lt Brendan Rothery

ADF whistle-blowers win accolades at National Touch League

Natural selection: Cpl Travis Nicholson is one of five Army players named in the ADF side.Photo by LAC Brenton Kwaterski

Michael Weaver

BEING a touch football referee can be difficult at the best of times, but the perseverance of a team of ADF whistle-blowers won accolades at the National Touch League at Coffs Harbour from March 12-15.

The ADF Touch Association (ADFTA) took a con-tingent of eight referees and three referee coaches to the National Touch League, the premier event for Touch Football Australia, featuring teams from the ADF, Victoria, NSW, Queensland, NT, South Australia, Japan and Papua New Guinea.

The ADF Touch Association Warriors fielded five teams in the tournament – the men’s 30s, men’s 40s, sen-ior mixed, men’s 45s and mixed open.

Although none of the Defence referees made the five-man squad to represent Australia at the Trans-Tasman Test series in April at Mudgee, WO1 Ken Golden was appointed as an Australian referee coach for the series, giving him his second Australian representative selection in this role since 2005.

WO1 Golden said it was always great for referees to receive some accolades, although most liked to just get on with the game.

“ADFTA can be very proud of their referee team and now with three new level-six referees, the standard of touch refereeing at the ADFTA National Championships will step up another level,” he said.

The ADFTA referees performed extremely well at this year’s National Touch League, with representation coming from Army, Air Force and the Defence public service.

Army was represented by WO1 Greg Taylor, who was appointed to the men’s 50s grand final and is ranked 27 in Australia.

Pte Tony Calabria was commended for outstand-ing leadership during the tournament while also being appointed to the semi-final of the men’s open division.

Fellow Army referee Pte Adrian James succumbed to an injury.

The Defence Warriors had mixed results across its divisions, with the men’s 40s team the best performed, losing only one game in the round robin section before bowing out in the semi-final to finish third overall.

The ADF mixed open team won three of its eight matches and managed a last-minute 8-7 victory in its final game against the Sydney Scorpions to secure 9th place overall.

The mixed opens also played a friendly game against Japan and won.

The men’s 30s won three games, while the men’s 45s managed one win against quality opposition.

The senior mixed team finished the tournament with two wins.

April 10, 2014

DECIDING FACTORAccolades for ADF referees as touch footballers contest national league in Coffs Harbour PAGE 31

INSIDE:

Evasive: Cfn Joshua Woo, of 7CSR, evades an outstretched hand during the National Touch League in Coffs Harbour.Photo by Dale Watson, Energy Images

Star Army rugby league players selected

for CASRL team

FAMOUS FIVE

ADF netballers prepare to take on the world in

Australian titles

TITLES AWAIT

ACT golf tournament open to ADF Golf

Association members

GET INTO SWING