Photo By: Petty Officer Damian Pawlenko
Caption: A C130J-30 Hercules aircraft takes off from a dirt airfield in Uruzgan Province, Southern Afghanistan.
Deep Caption:
A contingent of Australian Defence Personnel are working in Afghanistan as part of the Netherlands-led Provincial Reconstruction Team under the NATO International Security Assistance Forces Stage III expansion into Southern Afghanistan.
Australias contribution, known as the Reconstruction Task Force (RTF), will be a mix of engineers and security personnel deployed to Afghanistan for up to 2 years and will work on reconstruction and community-based projects as part of Australias commitment to assisting Afghanistan achieve a stable and secure future.
The majority of the task force will be drawn from the Darwin area and made up of personnel from the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment based in Darwin which will provide combat engineers and tradesmen (carpenters, plumbers, electricians and plant operators) that will undertake the majority of the RTFs construction activities. This will include skills training for the local population to ensure the benefits of the deployment continue well after our personnel have returned home.
The Australian protective force for the RTF is being provided by the Brisbane based Motorised Infantry of the 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, 5/7 Royal Australian Regiment and the Darwin based 2nd Cavalry Regiment. Command, logistics and support elements have come from the Darwin based 1st Brigade.