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30 Jun 2016	Australian surgical team saves US soldier An Australian tri-service medical team on active service in Iraq has successfully removed the appendix of an American soldier. Commander Young serves with the Maritime Operational Health Unit at HMAS Penguin in Sydney and works full-time as an orthopaedic surgeon at Melbourne’s Frankston Hospital under a clinical placement deed organised through Joint Health Command. More.....
30 Jun 2016	Statement by the Vice Chief of the Defence Force to survivors of abuse Thank you for the opportunity for me to acknowledge the courage and the strength of the survivors who have come forward and told their stories; not only those who have come forward to this Commission but those who have come forward to the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce and to Defence more generally. Your stories are changing the ADF and they have strengthened the resolve of the senior leadership of the ADF to stamp out abuse in all its forms and, in particular, child sexual abuse. People and systems have failed you and they have put others at risk. That is simply not good enough. More.....
30 Jun 2016	Engineering focus in Cerberus It was all hands to engineering stations in HMAS Cerberus recently, with the annual Engineering Training Week. The activity brings together engineering and maintenance disciplines for forums and presentations on the strategic direction of Naval Engineering. Engineers types from all ranks and specialities, including Australian Public Service engineers and contractors, congregated to focus on improvements to training and career development. More......
30 Jun 2016	ADF exercises interoperability in major maritime exercise More than 1650 Australian Defence Force personnel have arrived in the United States ahead of a month of focused military training activities with 27 nations from across the globe for Exercise Rim-of-the-Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. Now in its 25th iteration, the ADF has deployed three ships and diving personnel including HMA Ships Canberra, Ballarat and Warramunga, an amphibious landing force from 2nd Royal Australian Regiment and AP-3C Orion aircraft. More.....
29 Jun 2016	The case for an Australian National Security Council For the past decade, successive prime ministers have been grappling with the question of how best to organise the Australian government to face a widening array of oft-interconnected national security issues. Now, with a shifting strategic environment coming into sharper focus and a newly sophisticated Australian Defence Force coming into being, the time is right to reconsider and renew those efforts. More.....
29 Jun 2016	Why Russia is a threat to the international order Almost a quarter of a century after the demise of the USSR, Russia is back on the world stage and in a familiar threatening manner. Some are describing the resurgence of Russia as a return to a new Cold War; others are predicting a coming war with Russia. The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, has described Russia as presenting ‘the greatest threat to our national security’. More.....
28 Jun 2016	Naval Historical Society of Australia (Victorian Chapter) President's June Musings are now available to download.....
27 Jun 2016	NVN's June newsletter 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.
27 Jun 2016	Navy League of Australia(Vic-Tas Div) June newsletter is now available to download.....
26 Jun 2016	Navy begins shift to task groups HMA Ships Canberra, Ballarat and Success have deployed with the Royal New Zealand Navy's HMNZS Te Kaha, to take part in Navy's first task group certification. The task group was tested across the five warfare domains: land, air, maritime, space and cyber. More.....
24 Jun 2016	Illegal fishers intercepted in coral sea Two foreign fishing vessels have been towed into Cairns by HMAS Wollongong after being apprehended in the Coral Sea off Far North Queensland. The boats were intercepted on Tuesday evening near Dianne Bank, around 18 kilometres inside Australian territorial waters within the Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve. Twenty six crew members were aboard the vessels who are believed to be Vietnamese. More.....
22 Jun 2016	Putting ANZUS in its place During the Cold War, we were good allies to the Americans. Our presence in Korea and Vietnam was testament to our bona fides. But prime ministers Whitlam, Fraser, Keating and Hawke all had security policy differences with Washington and, during or after leaving office, expressed views which questioned aspects of the alliance. More.....
22 Jun 2016	Final salvo for Naval officer A naval officer who may have brought down the Japanese Zero fighter which crash-landed on Melville Island on 19 February 1942 has died in Brisbane. Lieutenant Frederick Sydney Sharp, known as Syd, was stationed at East Point on the Port War Signal Station facility which checked shipping in and out of the harbour, during the first air raid on Darwin. More.....
21 Jun 2016	Sea State Tensions are mounting between China and Indonesia after an Indonesian naval vessel fired on a Chinese fishing boat near the Natuna Islands last Friday. Indonesia’s navy said it fired warning shots at several Chinese vessels fishing illegally in its waters. More.....
21 Jun 2016	Offshore balancing: a tutorial for Trump Great sea changes of foreign policy thought are rare in American public life. But there’s abundant evidence that the US is experiencing one now. Polls show that the American people are tired of the world, with a majority believing that it’s high time for the nation to concentrate on its own neglected internal problems. The defence budget has fallen and will continue to fall, and there’s a strong aversion to seeing US soldiers killed and wounded. More.....
20 Jun 2016	Seapower Centre - Sounding Papers Soundings Papers: Legal and Practical Challenges Associated with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the Maritime Environment by Scott Moloney Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are being developed and used by individuals, organisations and military forces at an ever increasing rate. Although not yet ubiquitous, the use of UAV, and other unmanned systems such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), unmanned surface vehicles (USV), and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) to enhance military capability, is growing rapidly. More.....
17 Jun 2016	ADSO Media Statement - Will Veterans be the Forgotten Force in Election 2016? Three weeks out from the election and still no substantive policy announcements from those seeking election to federal parliament. It is not as if the serving and ex-serving community leaders have been silent. They have strongly urged the adoption of positive policies to redress the failures of the past and improve the lot of serving and former ADF members. More.....
16 Jun 2016	US Marines embark on HMAS Adelaide Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, US Army and US Marines from the 2016 Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) forces have embarked today on HMAS Adelaide to transit from Brisbane to Adelaide to join Exercise Hamel. The transit on HMAS Adelaide from 15-23 June provides an opportunity for both forces to practice joint training in a range of areas and work closely together on their amphibious interoperability. More.....
16 Jun 2016	Death of a Royal Australian Navy Sailor in the Middle East 16 June 2016 \| Media Release It is with deep regret the Australian Defence Force can confirm the death of a Royal Australian Navy sailor in the Middle East. The sailor was deployed on Operation Manitou in HMAS Darwin. The ship was in Muscat, Oman on a scheduled port visit and the sailor was on shore leave in the city when he was found unconscious. Despite medical treatment, the sailor could not be revived. Defence is providing support to the sailor’s shipmates and family and asks that media respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time. The Australian Defence Force Investigative Service is assisting local authorities with investigations. As such, it is not appropriate to provide further details at this time. Defence extends its deepest sympathy to the sailor’s family and friends.
16 Jun 2016	Chief of Navy Speeches: Navy as a National Enterprise Chief of Navy address to the Defence and Industry Conference, National Convention Centre, Canberra The Defence White Paper has set the Navy on a new course. Not only has the Navy been fairly and squarely redefined as a system rather than a collection of cobbled-together platforms but, more importantly, Navy has been repositioned as a national enterprise. Prime Minister Turnbull’s announcement that Australia would build 12 French-designed regionally superior submarines confirms the long-term agenda. More.....
15 Jun 2016	SEA 1000: why the French won After all of the fanfare and chest beating on 26 April about how 12 submarines will be built in Adelaide: silence. By all appearances—or rather the lack of them—it seems that the Department of Defence is in no rush and little, if any, activity on Australia’s largest naval shipbuilding project is expected until well after the Federal election. Contract negotiations for the detailed design phase haven’t been scheduled and are unlikely to begin for some months. More.....
14 Jun 2016	Trump’s alliance doctrine: we won’t pay The threats to Asia’s future peace of mind: China versus the US, the South China Sea, North Korea—and then there’s Trump. The Donald is a powerful reminder of the fundamental duality in Asia’s responses to the protections and pressures of the US. More.....
14 Jun 2016	A powerful partnership to counter terrorism: Australia and Indonesia On Wednesday last week on a rainy day in Sydney, Australia’s fight against terrorism took a significant step forward. We’re now looking outward towards wide-ranging and real collaboration with a significant and capable partner and neighbour: Indonesia. More.....
13 Jun 2016	Queens Birthday honours and awards list 2016 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 Queen’s Birthday 2016 Honours List. The Royal Australian Navy congratulates the 19 Navy recipients listed in the Queen’s Birthday 2016 Honours list. They are:.....
10 Jun 2016	Interview With ABC 730 on Mefloquine \| On the Record In response to recent concerns about the use of mefloquine in the ADF Defence is releasing as much information as possible to assist current and ex-serving members and their families. As such, Defence has decided to publish the full interview recently conducted by the ABC’s 730 with the Surgeon General of the ADF discussing the work done by Defence on this issue and the support that is available to those who are affected. The interview can be viewed at http://video.defence.gov.au/play/ZnMWYwNDE6aOl3JcjyiCqNRcXqanM2xC More information on the use of anti-malarial drugs in the ADF is available at www.defence.gov.au/Health/HealthPortal/Malaria/ or by contacting If any ADF member, past or present, is concerned that they might be suffering from mefloquine side-effects it is important that they raise their concerns with a medical practitioner so they may receive proper treatment.
10 Jun 2016	Chief of Navy Speeches: The Navy and the Nation: The role Navy plays in nation building The Navy has featured a little more prominently in public awareness over the last few years - a lot of that is to do with submarines. But there is a broader narrative that I think needs to be considered. One of the core themes in the narrative that I am developing as Chief of Navy has been The Navy and the Nation. More.....
09 Jun 2016	Agenda for Change 2016: defence policy By Kim Beazley The 2016 Defence White Paper didn’t end the contemporary defence debate, it began it. Our strategic environment is full of uncertainties, and material defence capabilities are so situated in a revolutionary moment, that no decades-long projection can survive more than two or three years as a source of comfort for policy makers. More.....
08 Jun 2016	Cyber wrap The ghosts of social media accounts past have come back to haunt millions of people this week, with the release of user credentials for 360 million MySpace users being released for sale online. Selling stolen credentials can be a lucrative business, and reseller LeakedSource.com has reportedly added 1 billion records to its database in the past month. More.....
08 Jun 2016	Wollongong intercepts illegal fishermen HMAS Wollongong has combined with Maritime Border Command personnel and surveillance aircraft to intercept two foreign fishing vessels recently. Two foreign fishing vessels believed to be of Vietnamese origin were apprehended on 2 June, in waters off north Queensland for suspected illegal fishing in Australian waters. More.....
08 Jun 2016	Showcasing innovative defence technologies The Defence Science and Technology Group (DST) is staging open days at its Melbourne laboratory for industry and academia to showcase innovative technologies being developed to give the Australian Defence Force a capability edge. More.....
07 Jun 2016	HMAS Perth deploys for first Middle East Mission HMAS Perth today set course and departed the HMAS Stirling naval base at Rockingham, Western Australia for her first operational deployment to the Middle East region for Operation Manitou. Family, friends and local representatives joined Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer, Commander Australian Fleet, to farewell the 192 personnel who will be deployed until just before Christmas. More.....
07 Jun 2016	ASPI - The Strategist - Sea, Air and Land Updates Sea State The Commander of the US 6th Fleet has warned that Russia is a growing maritime power capable of putting ‘nearly all NATO maritime forces at risk’. In an article for the US Naval Institute’s Proceedings, Vice Admiral James Foggo III detailed a new era in US–Russian submarine warfare, calling it ‘the Fourth Battle of the Atlantic’. More.....
07 Jun 2016	China rumbles in the South China Sea China came to the Shangri-La Dialogue to both romance and rumble. The language of regional romance jars mightily with the grouchy belligerence over the South China Sea. The rich suitor came wooing with honey words, then broke the spell by banging on the table. The China duality was on display in the presentation by Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the People’s Liberation Army. More.....
06 Jun 2016	Expressions of interest - ex HMAS BANKS email from Brian Burton I am currently in negotiations to purchase the ex HMAS Banks. I am interested in talking to ex Navy personnel who would be interested in being involved in the project financially or physically. My vision is to set up a live a board the vessel option [full or part time] for ex Navy personnel who would like to go back to their roots and be part of a crew again [without the yes sir, no sir], also, to help bring the Banks back to her former glory and cruise her up and down the East Coast of Australia as a Navy Museum, Naval Cadet Training Vessel and perhaps along the way a venue for other ex military personnel to have functions/events on board. The vessel is currently fully operational/sea worthy and is situated in Yamba NSW but she is in need of some cosmetic TLC. If you are interested in investing in the project as a partner or being involved in the project as a crew member who would be prepared to contribute $200 per week for accommodation on board plus a contribution towards food and 8 hours per week [in your trade or rating] to help bring the ship back to her former glory [full navy trim] I would be very much interested in talking to you. For further information please contact me, I look forward to your responses and feedback. Regards Brian Burton 0468942194 Email: HMAS Vendetta 1970/1971
06 Jun 2016	Using the ForceNet Internal Navy communication and career management will get a significant boost with major improvements to the ForceNet portal. ForceNet is a secure website that provides access to Defence services and information online. It currently has over 21,000 users who use it for everything from professional group discussions to looking for Reserve work. More.....
05 Jun 2016	Chief of the Defence Force attends annual Shangri-La Dialogue The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, has spent three days discussing regional and global security at the 15th annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. “Some of the common themes we addressed in these meetings included building cooperation on Indo‑Pacific security challenges, continuing tensions in the South China Sea, and recent military provocations by North Korea. More.....
04 Jun 2016	ADSO MEDIA STATEMENTs 31 May - Veterans' Mental Health - Hearing Aids 27 May - British Defence Select Committee Report on Mefloquine Warriors Feel Betrayed 24 May - 'It's Time' to Stump up for our Service Men and Women, and veterans
03 Jun 2016	Navy rescue revisited 50 years on The last survivor of the 1966 sinking of dredge, WD Atlas has donated dramatic footage of the rescue operation to the Fleet Air Arm Museum. Mr Sam De Vries made the donation mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, which claimed 13 lives off the coast of Jervis Bay on 20 May 1966. More.....
03 Jun 2016	Australian Defence Force member arrested in Canberra A male officer cadet from the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) was arrested by Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Policing on Friday, 3 June 2016 in relation to an alleged sexual assault against another Defence member. Defence is assisting ACT Policing with their enquiries and is providing appropriate support to the individuals concerned. As the matter is before the ACT Magistrates Court, Defence will not make any further comment on this matter at this time. However, updates on the progress of these matters will be provided when it is appropriate to do so.
02 Jun 2016	French honour veterans during visit to Fremantle Western Australia recently hosted over 600 French officers and sailors as French Naval Ships Guepratte and Tonnerre paid a six-day visit to Fleet Base West and Fremantle. Christophe Lecourtier, the French Ambassador to Australia, delivered a speech in a ceremony on Guepratte, awarding the Legion of Honour to Australian Second World War Veterans, George Aylmore, Ronald Milton, and Norm Smith. More.....
02 Jun 2016	Hat-trick scores nearly a tonne of drugs in the Middle East HMAS Darwin has seized almost one tonne of heroin during three consecutive vessel interceptions off the coast of Africa as part of Operation MANITOU. Darwin seized approximately 952kg of heroin under the authority of British-led Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) which is responsible for counter-terrorism and maritime security operations within the Middle East Region. The total haul has a value of close to AUD $800 million. More.....
02 Jun 2016	Repatriation of Australians will help bring closure Today’s repatriation of 33 Australians, including 25 servicemen and eight dependants, will help bring closure to their families and the country, said Minister for Defence Marise Payne and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan. More.....
01 Jun 2016	Agenda for Change 2016: oceans of wealth and security Australia’s a three ocean country with significant national interests in the Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans, as well as interests the Coral Sea and in the Arafura and Timor seas. Oceans define our geography. They’re critical to our security, with our dependence on maritime commerce and the maintenance of freedom of movement for shipping. More.....
01 Jun 2016	Australia in the South China Sea: time to act, not react The rapidly changing strategic landscape in the South China Sea threatens to marginalise Australia unless the government takes positive action now to remain a relevant and influential player in the region’s strategic calculus. More.....
01 Jun 2016	Agenda for Change 2016: border security and law enforcement Australia’s law enforcement and border security operating environment is becoming increasingly complex and is evolving rapidly. For the strategic leaders of Australia’s law enforcement and border security agencies, uncertainty in the current operating environment is matched by pervasive policy and funding uncertainties. More.....
31 May 2016	Jutland sacrifices remembered 100 years on The Royal Australian Navy has marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland with a commemorative service at the Navy Memorial in Canberra. The decisive First World War naval engagement – the largest of the war – was fought in the late afternoon of 31 May 1916 and continued until the early hours of 1 June. More.....
31 May 2016	MRCA Rehabilitation Long-Term Study The MRCA Rehabilitation Long-Term Study is a joint DVA-Department of Defence project that will examine the effectiveness of rehabilitation arrangements under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA) within both the Australian Defence Force and DVA, over the long term. More.....
31 May 2016	Naval Historical Society of Australia (Victorian Chapter) President's May Musings are now available to download.....
29 May 2016	Military repatriation chance to welcome home Australians Australia will welcome home 33 Australian service personnel and dependents, including 22 Vietnam War veterans, on Thursday, 2 June in one of the largest, single military repatriations in this country’s history. The returning Australians, 21 Vietnam veterans, three servicemen and eight dependents, had been interred at Terendak Military Cemetery in Malaysia, with the single other casualty of the Vietnam War still interred overseas returning from the Kranji Military Cemetery in Singapore. More.....
27 May 2016	Vietnam veterans' children receive education funding The Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), Simon Lewis PSM, has congratulated 34 students from across Australia who have been selected to receive funding under the Long Tan Bursary scheme. More.....
27 May 2016	Remains of six First World War soldiers identified The Australian Army has confirmed the identification of a further six Australians from the 250 Australian and British World War One soldiers recovered from a mass burial site at Pheasant Wood in France in 2009. The soldiers newly identified are: Second Lieutenant James Benson, Private Justin Hercules Breguet, Private Clifton Sydney Brindal, Private Sidney Broom, Private William Burke, and Private Robert Thomas Maudsley. More.....

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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

War Service

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

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