Parliamentarians in Theatres of War

with the Australian Defence Force

Senator David Feeney, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence today launched the 2011 Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program (ADFPP).

ADFPP is a Defence initiative that gives all Australian Senators and Members of Parliament the opportunity to experience first hand what it is like to serve in the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Senator Feeney said: ‘The ADFPP is a unique opportunity for parliamentarians to improve their understanding of defence capabilities, personnel and management issues.’

‘From training in Kandahar to surveillance in the Gulf of Aden. And from patrolling in Timor to flying at RAAF Base East Sale, all Members of Parliament can see first hand the important work of all three services,’ Senator Feeney said.

‘It’s a great opportunity to meet the men and women who so ably serve,’ Senator Feeney said.

Since the program began in 2001, a total of 110 parliamentarians have participated. Parliamentarians are offered a number of ADF attachment options each calendar year, programmed primarily during the autumn and winter recesses.

The attachments range from 5-10 days.  Parliamentarians often work in uniform beside the men and women of the ADF.

Seventeen different attachment options are programmed for this year, including attachment to five Operational areas including: Afghanistan, East Timor and the Solomon islands.

Other options include participating in:

• Joint Exercise TALISMAN SABRE 2011, the latest in a biennial series of major exercises to test readiness and interoperability between the ADF and US forces;
• Long range patrolling duties off Australia’s north with the primarily indigenous members of the North West Mobile Force; and
• A week at the RAAF’s largest operational base at Amberley, which is the home of the new Super Hornet and the heavy transport aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster.

Media contact: Lorna Clarke      0408 345 730

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