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31 Jan 2017	Defence Chief launches ‘Navy and the Nation’ Despite the oft sung words in the national anthem, Australians live often detached from the reality that “…our home is girt by sea”. In Canberra on 30 January, senior Defence leaders gathered at the Australian War Memorial to help launch a book that highlights Australia’s reliance on sea trade and a formidable Navy to protect sea lanes and prosperity. In the presence of His Excellency, General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK, MC (Ret’d), Governor General of Australia, Dr Brendan Nelson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, quoted the opening of the national anthem as he spoke at the launch of “Navy and the Nation” written by the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett. More.....
30 Jan 2017	Mission to Seafarers Art Prize The Exhibition of works will be open from the 6th of October to the 27th of October 2017. Many fine works will be on display and for sale. Further information will be available soon.
29 Jan 2017	Darwin’s submarine - 75 years on Outside Darwin’s harbour, a Japanese submarine still lies with her 80-man crew on board. Sunk 75 years ago this month, on 20 January 1942, she is part of the lesser known history of the assaults on northern Australia. The aircraft carriers of the famous February 1942 strike were not the first attack on Australia. They were the second strike – the first attempt to close down the northern port was made a month earlier with a submarine squadron. More.....
29 Jan 2017	35 years of mental health support for veterans Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan today paid tribute to everyone who had contributed to the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service, which celebrates its 35th birthday today. The Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS), known originally as the Vietnam Veterans’ Counselling Service, provides free mental health counselling and support to those who have served our nation. More.....
27 Jan 2017	Indonesian Navy receives first SIGMA 10514 guided missile frigate The Indonesian Navy has received its first SIGMA 10514 guided missile frigate built by PT PAL. The state-owned shipbuilder delivered the frigate on January 23 at its shipyard in Surabaya, after the vessel completed sea trials in September 2016. Named KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata, the vessel is the first of two Perusak Kawal Rudal-class guided-missile frigates constructed modularly in the Netherlands and Indonesia in collaboration with Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS). More.....
26 Jan 2017	USS Enterprise to be decommissioned in February U.S. Navy’s first nuclear-powered powered aircraft-carrier USS Enterprise is set to be commissioned early February, over four years after her inactivation in December 2012. The navy announced on Wednesday that Enterprise would be decommissioned on February 3 in a ceremony closed to the closed. The ceremony will be posted to Facebook later, the navy added. USS Enterprise will be farewelled 56 years after first entering service. More.....
26 Jan 2017	US Navy might replace Kevlar with eel slime U.S. Navy scientists are looking into the possibility of developing a ballistic protection material that would be similar to Kevlar, with the only difference being the fact that the new material would be produced from eel slime. According to the navy, scientists and engineers at Naval Surface Warfare Center have successfully recreated a natural material used for marine wildlife defense to assist military personnel. More.....
26 Jan 2017	Italian FREMM frigate arrives in Western Australia Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate ITS Carabiniere arrived in Western Australia on Wednesday with Italian defense industry representatives aboard. Carabiniere docked in Fremantle where Fincantieri representatives will meet with Australian naval shipbuilding companies and the local supply chain, who are vying for a share of a multi-billion dollar defence program. More.....
26 Jan 2017	Norway deals with dangerous WWII submarine wreck off Fedje A Word War II-era submarine wreck near the island of Fedje, Norway, has been irking the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) ever since the Royal Norwegian Navy discovered the submarine in March 2003. On 9 February 1945, as World War II raged, German submarine U-864 embarked on a journey to ally Japan. It carried 67 tonnes of liquid mercury in steel barrels for the munitions industry, but it never reached its destination. More.....
26 Jan 2017	Grants support veterans and their communities Veterans and their families in towns and cities around Australia will benefit from more than $500,000 in grants to ex-service organisations for community projects. Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan today announced the latest round of 33 grants under the Veteran and Community Grants program. "This round of grants will fund a diverse range of projects and equipment, including the upgrade of facilities to improve venue accessibility, computer equipment and social outings," Mr Tehan said. More.....
26 Jan 2017	NVN's January Newsletter - download..... NOTE from Webmaster: If you are a member and haven't been notified that your monthly newsletter is available to download, the email address you supplied on joining is incorrect or out of date. To correct this, contact the webmaster at: and he will copy and amend your address.
26 Jan 2017	Australia Day 2017 Honours List - Royal Australian Navy The Governor-General and Chancellor of the Order of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd), has approved awards announced today in the Australia Day 2017 Honours List. The Australia Day 2017 Honours List recognises a diverse range of contributions and service across all fields, including professional endeavours, community work, Australia’s Defence Force and Emergency Services. More.....
26 Jan 2017	A good omen for changes ahead at Cerberus Friday the 13th is considered unlucky by some but for HMAS Cerberus 13 January was a day to herald exciting challenges as outgoing Commanding Officer Captain Stephen Bowater, handed command to Captain Tim Standen. The position of Commanding Officer also assumes responsibility as Training Authority - Engineering, and Senior Naval Officer – Victoria, which makes for a busy position with little down time. More.....
24 Jan 2017	Japanese-Australian defence ties strengthened Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett has joined Chief of Staff, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Admiral Yutaka Murakawa, to commemorate the lives lost in the ‘Cowra Breakout’ during the Second World War. Admiral Murakawa was undertaking a counterpart visit to Australia, following on from Prime Minister Abe's recent visit and travelled to Cowra to pay his respects at the Japanese War Cemetery. More.....
23 Jan 2017	Australia develops tool to identify warships’ acoustic signatures Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group (DST) invested several years into developing a tool which will allow the Australian Navy to model acoustic signatures for all classes of naval vessels. The acoustic signature is essentially the noise a vessel makes, a characteristic that could be used by an adversary to identify and track it. Named Australian Rapid Assessment Tool (AusRAT), the tool was developed by DST in partnership with Frazer-Nash Consultancy. More.....
23 Jan 2017	Navy League of Australia(Vic-Tas Div) January newsletter is now available to download.....
21 Jan 2017	Australian Atomic Confessions Compelling documentary, which tells the story of the British atomic bomb tests in Australia, while Aboriginal elders, veterans and nuclear experts discuss Australia's current nuclear ambitions. Featuring interviews with Barry Neil, Max Kimber, Alan Batchelor, John Hutton and fottage of the 50th Anniversary service of Monte Bello at Jervis Bay in 2003. (50 mins. screening, followed by Q&A with director Katherine Aigner}. View flyer..... More info at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/screening-australian-atomic-confessions-tickets-29367833982
20 Jan 2017	Vietnam receives sixth and final submarine from Russia Vietnam’s sixth and final Kilo-class submarine arrived at the port of Cam Ranh, Vietnam on January 20. Ba Ria-Vung Tau (HQ-187), as the submarine is named, is joining the other five submarines built in Russia under a $2 billion contract signed in 2009. More.....
20 Jan 2017	Royal Navy bomb disposal experts detonate German bomb found in the River Thames The Royal Navy has disposed of a Second World War bomb found near the Houses of Parliament in the River Thames. Bomb disposal experts from the Portsmouth-based Southern Diving Unit 2 were called at 7.15pm last night (Thursday) by the Metropolitan Police to London’s Westminster Bridge. The bomb had been found by a dredger operating in the Thames near Victoria Embankment. More.....
20 Jan 2017	Divers shed light on wreck of Royal Navy’s worst wartime accident A diver’s torch casts light on empty cordite cases at the bottom of Scapa Flow and the wreck of the greatest disaster in Royal Navy history. These are the remains of battleship HMS Vanguard, torn apart by a cataclysmic explosion one summer’s night in Orkney a century ago. One hundred years on from the tragedy which killed all but two of the 845 crew aboard the dreadnought, civilian divers have been given special permission to survey the site. More.....
20 Jan 2017	NATO escorts Russian flotilla en route home from Syria NATO said it is monitoring the Russian carrier strike group centered around the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov as it sails back home after spending several months off the coast of Syria. The aircraft carrier took part in Russian military operations in Syria. Admiral Kuznetsov has been monitored since it left Severomosk in October by ships assigned to NATO as well as ships under national control. More.....
19 Jan 2017	The industry cart and the strategic horse by Andrew Davies The Australian Naval Institute recently published the inaugural edition of its Australian Naval Review. I was pleased to be asked to contribute to the first issue, and subscribers to the Institute will be able to read my paper Australia’s naval shipbuilding plans: guided by strategy or industry? I set out to examine the stated rationale for the government’s ambitious program of naval ship and submarine building, and to test that against the timeframes we’ve been told to expect from the nation’s shipyards. More.....
19 Jan 2017	USCGC Polar Star cuts through 60 miles of ice to reach Antarctica U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star carved through more than 60 miles of Antarctic ice in the Ross Sea to arrive at the National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station on Tuesday. By carving a navigable path through seasonal and multi-year ice, the Polar Star assists in the annual delivery of operating supplies and fuel for two of NSF’s three U.S. research stations in Antarctica. The cutter, which was built more than 40 years ago, has a crew of more than 140 people, is 399-feet long, weighs 13,500 tons and uses 75,000 horsepower to muscle its way through ice thicknesses of up to 21 feet. More.....
19 Jan 2017	Watch as Australia’s second air warfare destroyer is built from scratch to launch ASC, the Australian shipbuilder in charge of constructing the Australian Navy Hobart-class air warfare destroyers, recently shared a timelapse video of the second ship in the class, NUSHIP Brisbane, being built at Techport Australia, in Adelaide. The four-minute video shows the entire process of assembling the pre-fabricated sections, all the way from keel laying to the launch.
19 Jan 2017	Royal Navy frigate visits world’s remotest island Days after setting sail from South Georgia, Royal Navy frigate HMS Portland reached what is officially known as the most remote populated island on the planet. The South Atlantic island is called Tristan da Cunha and houses the 6,765ft volcano Queen Mary’s Peak. At 38 square miles, the size of Coventry but with a population of just 265, the island rises out of the South Atlantic 1,200 miles from the nearest inhabited land: Saint Helena, another distant British territory. More.....
19 Jan 2017	Australian, French educational houses sign Future Submarine MoU Australia’s Flinders University signed an academic and research cooperation agreement with four French graduate schools of engineering to work on Australia’s Future Submarine program. The agreement between Flinders and a consortium comprised of ENSTA ParisTech, École Centrale de Nantes, CentraleSupélec and École Polytechnique was signed at a special ceremony signed in Paris this week. More.....
18 Jan 2017	White paper suggests types of ships needed for US Navy ramp up While it is important for the U.S. Navy to increase the number of ships being built, it is even more important to have the shipbuilders construct the ‘right kinds of ships’, a new Senate Armed Services Committee white paper has suggested. A Small Surface Combatant that could begin procurement in 2022 or sooner; smaller, lower cost, conventionally powered aircraft carriers and more missiles and munitions are among the right ingredients that made it into the mix. The reason why a choice must be made lies is the fact that the U.S. Navy and its shipbuilders simply cannot accelerate production fast enough to build 81 ships by 2022, the report said. More.....
17 Jan 2017	Sea Fury & Firefly Deck Landings HMAS Sydney c1951
17 Jan 2017	75th anniversaries of the loss of HMA Ships Vampire, Nestor, Kuttabul and Armidale In 2017 Navy is planning to hold commemorative activities for the 75th anniversaries of the loss of HMA Ships Vampire, Nestor, Kuttabul and Armidale. The Navy would like to find survivors and families so that they can invite them to attend. For further information and to register your interest, go to their website.....
17 Jan 2017	NAA - Stanthorpe and District SubSection Inc. 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. Dear Friends Due to local circumstances, our Celebrations for the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea have been changed to Saturday 6 May 2017. The day’s program is as follows: 3pm: Public Concert of Marching Bands (including the Australian Navy Band) 5pm: Commemorative public ceremony for 75th Anniversary and dedication of the Navy Memorial. 6 for 6.30pm: Coral Sea Anniversary Dinner (group bookings for table seating can be requested with RSVP and payment) Details are provided on the invitation attached, including RSVP and payment details for the dinner. We look forward to hearing from you soon and that you will be able to join us on this celebration day in Stanthorpe. Yours faithfully Norm Gale President Naval Association of Australia Stanthorpe and District SubSection Inc.
16 Jan 2017	Australia’s future submarine: a Class with no equals If the RAN holds firm to the Barracuda Shortfin Block 1A concept offered by DCNS it will acquire an orphan no informed Navy would contemplate commissioning into service. It will own a submarine that will be expensive to build, maintain and operate. It will be a Class that has no equals—sadly for all the wrong reasons. More.....
14 Jan 2017	Signing of the Australia-Japan Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, welcomed the signing of the Australia-Japan Acquisition and Cross‑Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in Sydney today. The ACSA facilitates closer bilateral defence logistics support and cooperation during activities such as combined exercises, training and peacekeeping operations. More.....
13 Jan 2017	Jokowi and the General After the debacle over Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) commander General Gatot Nurmantyo’s short-lived unilateral suspension of military co-operation with Australia, can President Joko Widodo afford to let his military chief serve through until his mandatory retirement next year? It wasn’t the first time that the 56-year-old Nurmantyo has blindsided the country’s commander-in-chief and it mightn’t be the last given his growing reputation as a loose cannon and his apparent ambition to run in the 2019 presidential election. More.....
13 Jan 2017	US Navy officer jailed in bribery case A U.S. federal court has sentenced former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Gentry Debord to more than two years in prison for his involvement in one of the biggest U.S. Navy bribery cases. Debord earlier admitted to accepting bribes from a Malaysian subcontractor in exchange for sensitive information about U.S. Navy operations. An expanding investigation into a bribery scheme orchestrated by a businessman nicknamed “Fat Leonard” has so far resulted in 11 Navy officials getting charged for accepting cash, prostitutes and even Lady Gaga concert tickets as bribe. More.....
12 Jan 2017	Arunta replenishes as part of Combined Maritime Force Deployed to the Middle East region, HMAS Arunta recently completed her first underway replenishment in the Gulf of Aden, in company with United States Naval Ship Walter S. Diehl and Pakistani Naval Ship Shamsheer. Arunta's Navigating Officer, Lieutenant Stuart McPherson enjoyed the opportunity to conduct a replenishment with Walter S. Diehl. With Arunta on Walter S. Diehl's port side and Shamsheer on her starboard side, both frigates simultaneously refuelled from Walter S. Diehl's bunkers. More.....
12 Jan 2017	Taking on the cyber threat In today’s world, where almost everything is connected to a computer network, the opportunity for crime and espionage to flourish is more prevalent than ever. To help meet this threat, Army ran a 50-day Cyberspace Operations Course in partnership with the University of New South Wales Australian Centre for Cyber Security. Open to all services and ranks; the course assisted participants to incorporate cyberspace considerations into planning and operations while reinforcing the importance of security and defensive measures. More.....
12 Jan 2017	After repeated delays, US newest $12.9 billion aircraft carrier to be delivered to navy in April The U.S. Navy said it would receive its newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, in April after the ship previously missed multiple delivery deadlines. Navy spokesman Capt. Thurraya Kent said that the ship would start builder’s sea trials in March while both the acceptance trials and delivery would take place in April 2017. At the time of the statement, the ship was 99 percent overall complete. More.....
12 Jan 2017	Artisan 3D radar completes three years of sea-based trials The BAE Systems-developed Artisan 3D radar system has passed its acceptance trials after three years of integration on the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates. Artisan 3D has also been fitted on the new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth which is due into Portsmouth later this year. According to BAE Systems, the radar can monitor more than 800 objects simultaneously from 200 to 200,000 meters away – and cut through radio interference equal to 10,000 mobile phone signals. More.....
09 Jan 2017	Australian frigate in boarding exercise with US Coast Guard in Bahrain Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Arunta visited Bahrain for her first port visit after starting operations in the Middle East. The visit provided an opportunity for Arunta’s boarding parties to hone their skills for future patrols and train with the United States Coast Guard and agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at the US Coast Guard patrol forces Southwest Asia training facility in Bahrain. More.....
09 Jan 2017	Business backs Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Program Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Dan Tehan has called for more Australian businesses and ex-service organisations to step up and support the Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Program. Mr Tehan said 23 organisations had registered their interest in participating in the Industry Advisory Committee and eight ex-service organisations had registered to participate in the program since its launch in November. A number of companies have also expressed interest in offering employment opportunities to veterans. More.....
09 Jan 2017	Selection trials for Invictus Games 2017 Current and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel will compete for a place in the 2017 Australian Invictus Games team at selection trials this week in Canberra. Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan said about 80 athletes were expected to compete in the trials for a place in Australia’s 40-person team for the third Invictus Games to be held in Toronto, Canada from 23-30 September. More.....
08 Jan 2017	Therapy dog program receives boost Navy personnel at HMAS Cerberus have presented a cheque for more than $31,000 to the Defence Community Dogs program, which supports the training of therapy dogs to help veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Attended by the Governor-General, General Sir Peter Cosgrove, AK, MC (Retd) and Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett; the fundraising cheque was presented to Defence Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive OfficerJon Linehan by Cerberus Commanding Officer, Captain Stephen Bowater. More.....
05 Jan 2017	Spanish frigate deploys to Australia for AWD support Spanish Navy's Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate Cristóbal Colón is scheduled to embark on a long-term deployment to Australia on January 9. Under an agreement between the two navies, the Aegis-equipped frigate will spend 120 days in Australia where it will help train future Australian Hobart-class destroyer sailors of the Australian Navy. More.....
05 Jan 2017	Australian shipbuilder ASC cuts jobs Australian government-owned shipbuilder ASC announced it would cut 130 jobs from its air-warfare destroyer project by the end of February. The cuts are due to a reduced amount of work on the three Hobart-class destroyers. The number of people required for work on the ships has been reducing since early 2015. More.....
03 Jan 2017	2017 is the year of the navy, British MoD says The British Ministry of Defence said that 2017 is set to be the year of the Royal Navy as it prepares to welcome new ships to the fleet. "We are investing billions in growing the Royal Navy for the first time in a generation with new aircraft carriers, submarines, frigates, patrol vessels and aircraft all on their way. 2017 is the start of a new era of maritime power, projecting Britain’s influence globally and delivering security at home," Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said. More.....
01 Jan 2017	Promotion Spanish Armada Style As part of the recent Navy to Navy talks conducted in Spain between the Spanish Armada and the Royal Australian Navy, a unique opportunity was presented enabling the promotion of an Australian officer on board a Spanish warship. Deputy Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Michael Noonan led the Australian delegation to Spain, and the program included a visit to the Arsenal Naval Base in Ferrol, North West Spain where Lieutenant Commander Tom Kenny is the resident Royal Australian Navy Liaison Officer to the Armada 31st Escort Squadron. More.....
01 Jan 2017	Happy New Year To all our members and families, we wish you a safe, healthy and happy 2017.
27 Dec 2016	Russian ‘spy-submarine’ Podmoskovye back in service after 18-year refit The Russian Navy has received a new Delta IV ballistic missile submarine ‘Podmoskovye’ after the boat spent 18 years undergoing refit and modernization at the Zvezdochka shipyard. The Project 667BDRM Delfin-class (NATO classification: Delta IV) submarine had its missile compartment removed and is now capable of deploying “mini-submarines” with the aim of counteracting U.S. and NATO intelligence efforts. More.....
23 Dec 2016	Defence to review cases of withheld or refused honours and awards Minister for Defence Personnel Dan Tehan said today Defence would review the applications it had received for historical cases of former Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel who had their honours and awards withheld or refused. The majority of personnel whose medals were withheld or forfeited served during or shortly after World War II. Mr Tehan said the Government had accepted the first four of five recommendations from the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal report on its Inquiry into the refusal to issue entitlements to, withholding and forfeiture of Defence Honours and Awards. More.....
23 Dec 2016	Petitions to the House of Reps and the Senate The petitions are asking the government to rectify serious shortfalls in the way pensions are calculated, or I should say miscalculated, for former Defence Force Personnel. Below is a file that explains the background and reasons for the petitions. Also there are copies of the two petitions. It would be much appreciated if you, your family members and your friends would sign these petitions, scan them and email them back to the main petitioner Jim Hislop, whose email address is DFRDB Update..... Lower House Petition..... Senate Petition.....

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Request for Committal of Ashes to the Sea. Download form.....

Current Repatriation Benefits for Gold Card Veterans -
As of 01 January 2018
This is a list of products that are available on a Doctor's prescription for Gold Card Repatriation Patients. Download the list.....

DVA Mobile Apps

The new Operation Life mobile application is designed to help those at risk deal with suicidal thoughts and is recommended to be used with the support of a clinician.

The High Res (High Resilience) app helps you manage stress, build resilience and optimise performance on the go.

The PTSD Coach Australia app can help you learn about and manage symptoms that commonly occur after trauma.

ON TRACK with the Right Mix mobile app from the Department of Veterans Affairs helps you to keep track of the number and types of drinks you consume; the amount of money it's costing you and lets you know about the impact the alcohol has on your wellbeing and fitness levels.

Guide to the assessment of rates of veterans’ pensions
Guide to the assessment of rates of veterans’ pensions (GARP) is used to assess the extent of incapacity from war caused or defence caused injury or disease for the purposes of determining the rate of pension. Download.....

Planning ahead kit
Overview: Planning Ahead is a publication designed to help veterans and their families prepare for bereavement. There is also a checklist that can be used to record the contact details of important people, businesses and organisations that may need to be notified in case of your death. Download.....

DVA Concessions Fact Sheets
Factsheet CON01 - Concessions in NSW
Factsheet CON02 - Concessions in Vic
Factsheet CON03 - Concessions in QLD
Factsheet CON04 - Concessions in SA
Factsheet CON05 - Concessions in WA
Factsheet CON06 - Concessions in Tas
Factsheet CON07 - Concessions in NT
Factsheet CON08 - Concessions in ACT

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Check your ship's eligibility for war service.....

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