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Deployments and peacekeeping exercises are your chance to travel Australia and the world while working on important humanitarian and disaster relief programs. Below are just a few examples of recent Navy deployments and exercises.
Over 1700 Defence personnel from six nations participated in the multi-national maritime Exercise, KAKADU VII, held in Northern Australia in August of 2005. This included defence personnel from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Observers from the Navies of India, France, the Republic of Korea and Thailand also visited during the exercise.
"Exercise KAKADU VII provides valuable training for the Australian Defence Force as we continue to further goodwill and mutual understanding with regional defence forces," Rear Admiral Thomas said. "These exercises are vital in ensuring we can effectively and efficiently work with other regional forces."
The RAN rotates frigates on a six monthly basis to maintain a permanent presence on station in the Arabian Gulf as part of Operation CATALYST. The Royal Australian Navy contributes a Major Fleet Unit (MFU) to the maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf. The mission for the MFU has recently changed to allow the ship to undertake counter-piracy and maritime interdiction operations in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden.
In December 2008, Australia, along with 17 other countries, co-sponsored United Nations Security Council Resolution 1846 to extend counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia. Australia's contribution to these operations is achieved by broadening the range of tasks performed by the MFU and Maritime patrol aircraft that are currently deployed in the Middle East. As part of its counter-piracy duties, the MFU on station provides a deterrent presence and may escort merchant shipping in the maritime corridors of the Gulf of Aden, as well as track and report on piracy situations.
