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31 Aug 2018	Ronald Reagan Strike Group, JMSDF Participate in Bilateral Training The Ronald Reagan Strike Group and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Escort Flotilla 4 Battle Group, participated in bilateral training Aug. 31 while underway in the South China Sea. During the training, units from the two maritime forces sailed in formation, participated in replenishment-at-sea training, exchanged Naval Liaison Officers and practiced manoeuvring procedures. More.....
31 Aug 2018	Japan eyes record spending on military Japan’s Defense Ministry is seeking to more than double spending on missile defense, including purchases of costly American arsenals, to defend against North Korean threats. The record-high 5.3 trillion yen ($47 billion) request for fiscal 2019, approved Friday by the ministry, is up 2.1 percent from last year. Military spending has risen seven consecutive years under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. More.....
31 Aug 2018	Philippine warship runs aground in disputed South China Sea A Philippine navy frigate has run aground on a shoal in the disputed South China Sea and efforts are underway to retrieve it and its crew, who were unhurt. Military spokesman Col. Noel Detoyato said the BRP Gregorio del Pilar ran aground Wednesday night in the vicinity of the shoal, which the Philippines calls Hasa Hasa. The barren shoal is known internationally as Half Moon Shoal and lies on the eastern edge of the hotly contested Spratly archipelago in the disputed sea. More.....
31 Aug 2018	Royal Navy’s HMS Bangor returns home after 3-year deployment Royal Navy’s Scots-based minehunter HMS Bangor (M109) will return to her home port of HM Naval Base Clyde today, on August 31. For the past three years, HMS Bangor has been operating in the Gulf as part of the UK’s commitment in the region to work with international partners to protect vital shipping lanes. More.....
31 Aug 2018	Exercise KAKADU 2018 Preview
31 Aug 2018	Large-scale Exercise Kakadu kicks off Exercise Kakadu, the largest maritime drill off its kind in the Australian Northern Territory, is beginning today. Held biennially, Exercise Kakadu is a joint exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Navy and supported by the Royal Australian Air Force. More countries are attending this year than ever before, with 23 ships, 21 aircraft, a submarine and more than 3,000 personnel from 27 nations participating in a range of activities both ashore in Darwin and at sea. More.....
31 Aug 2018	US Navy’s Nimitz-class ships conduct dual-carrier ops USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) began dual-carrier sustainment and qualification operations on August 29 in the western Atlantic Ocean. “By training and operating together, the USS Harry S. Truman and USS Abraham Lincoln strike groups enhance combat readiness and interoperability, and also demonstrate the inherent flexibility and scalability of carrier strike groups,” Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group Commander Rear Adm. Gene Black explained. More.....
31 Aug 2018	Major simulation training upgrade for Navy The Navy’s ability to effectively train its men and women has been given a major boost with an expansion and upgrade of its fleet of simulation trainers. Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP today announced the significant investment worth more than $80 million. A new bridge simulation trainer will be introduced at HMAS Stirling, in Western Australia, and a new command team trainer and upgrades to other simulators will be installed at HMAS Watson in Sydney. More.....
30 Aug 2018	Russia announces 25-ship Mediterranean Sea drill Just days after media reports on Russia’s naval buildup in the Mediterranean Sea first emerged, the country’s defense ministry on Thursday announced a large-scale drill in the Mediterranean. Prior to the defense ministry’s announcement, the Russian Navy was said to have a little over ten warships sailing off the coast of Syria as the country’s president Bashar al-Assad prepares an operation against rebel positions in the northern Idlib province. More.....
30 Aug 2018	Boeing Defence to join Industry Advisory Committee on Veterans' Employment BOEING Defence Australia has been invited to join the Prime Minister's Industry Advisory Committee on Veterans' Employment (IAC). Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Darren Chester, said Boeing Defence Australia was an excellent fit for the committee as it has demonstrated over a long period its commitment to veterans' employment. More.....
30 Aug 2018	Chief of Navy leads the way in 2018 Defence Blood Challenge The 2018 Defence Blood Challenge has been officially launched at the Civic Plasma Donor Centre in Canberra. In the ten year history of the Defence Blood Challenge, 38,000 Defence personnel have contributed more than 101,000 donations which have gone towards saving approximately half a million lives. The three month challenge, running from 1 September to 8 December, is Australia’s largest annual blood donation event in support of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. More.....
29 Aug 2018	Russia deploys large task group off Syria ahead of potential new Syria attacks Russia has reportedly amassed a large task group in Syrian waters as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad mulls an assault on rebel positions in the northern Idlib province. With over ten warships deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, this is Russia’s largest naval buildup since the country stated supporting the Syrian president in 2015. More.....
29 Aug 2018	HMS Prince of Wales’ operations room comes online two months ahead of schedule The second of two new Royal Navy aircraft carriers, the future HMS Prine of Wales, now has a functional operations room – two months earlier than it was intially expected. The operations room will allow the crew of HMS Prince of Wales to watch for threats, track the movements of the carrier’s F-35B Lightning jets and Merlin helicopters and direct missions as varied as intercepting hostile aircraft, to striking targets on land or delivering humanitarian aid in a disaster zone. More.....
29 Aug 2018	Ex-Service Organisations Receive Funding Boost More than $3.8 million in funding will be provided to veteran organisations providing essential advice, advocacy and welfare services for veterans, serving members and their families along with war widows and widowers through the Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) grants program. Minister for Veterans' Affairs Darren Chester said ex-service organisations (ESOs) were making a real difference in the lives of veterans and Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, by providing essential services they need and this funding will go a long way to continue this. More.....
29 Aug 2018	Russia’s Pacific Fleet recently held a cruise-missile drill which saw guided-missile cruisers, nuclear submarines and mobile coastal defense missile systems launch a total of seven cruise missiles at surface targets in the Sea of Okhotsk.
29 Aug 2018	Top End Reunion - Darwin - 23 - 27 April 2019 For personnel who were/are posted to the Top End Establishments, boats and outstations i.e. Naval shore Establishment, previously known as HMAS Melville, now HMAS Coonawarra; incorporating, et al: DNB; FIMA; Humpty Doo; NHQ; Shoalbay; 11 Mile and all Darwin based patrol boats. Full details on our Reunion page.....
28 Aug 2018	Navy FSU Technical Mastery Secondment Program - Navy Personnel
28 Aug 2018	Navy FSU Technical Mastery Secondment Program - Decision Makers
27 Aug 2018	Gallantry of Australian Far East Prisoners of War recognised Minister for Defence Personnel Darren Chester today announced 28 servicemen will be posthumously awarded the Commendation for Gallantry. The servicemen identified were killed while escaping Japanese Prisoner of War camps or following recapture during World War II. They were imprisoned in camps throughout the Pacific including in Java, Dutch Timor and Burma, as well as along the Burma-Thailand Railway, Ambon, Sandakan, Singapore, Sumatra, Japan, Northern Celebes and New Britain. More.....
27 Aug 2018	Thousands of military engineers feared to have inhaled potentially fatal asbestos chemicals while working on Sea King helicopters Last night, defence chiefs confirmed they had issued an alert in a desperate effort to warn Royal Navy and RAF personnel who have maintained the Sea King since it entered service in 1969. In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of Defence has also contacted foreign governments that bought the helicopter and civilian contractors flying ex-British military Sea Kings. More.....
26 Aug 2018	Leadership challenge on STS Young Endeavour Two members of west Melbourne’s African-Australian community recently sailed on Royal Australian Navy operated tall-ship STS Young Endeavour as part of a leadership challenge. The development opportunity was established by the local member for Gellibrand Tim Watts with support from local business. Winta Eyod, an aspiring actuary studying commerce at Monash University, and Mohammad (Mo) Semra, a first year commerce and international relations student at La Trobe University, joined the ship in Brisbane and sailed to Mackay in July. Neither had set foot on a boat before. Both were motivated to try new things, meet new people and to overcome stereotypes. More.....
25 Aug 2018	NVN's August 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.
25 Aug 2018	The Bravo Zulu Project Special Discounted Offer for Advance Purchases The second volume of Bravo Zulu, scheduled for release in October 2018, traces the history and significant events in Australia’s navy from 1975 to the RAN’s Centennial year of 2014, through the stories of those of its men and women selected to receive honours and awards. It covers the Navy’s amazing response to its call to arms for the 1991 Gulf War and its involvement since that time in enforcing UN sanctions on Iraq, the 2003 Iraq War and the service of its people in Iraq and Afghanistan. One chapter describes the RAN’s crucial role in the 1999-2000 UN operation to bring peace to East Timor. A special offer of discounted prices will run from late July until 29 September 2018 to raise the funding to cover the printing of the book. There are four options: Download full details.....
24 Aug 2018	A look back at Indo-Pacific Endeavour
23 Aug 2018	MIT a step closer to enabling wireless communication between planes and subs Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found a way for wireless communication to circumvent the water-air barrier and enable direct data transmission between underwater and airborne devices. Called “translational acoustic-RF communication” (TARF), the system is still in its early stages but it could be further improved, the researchers say. More.....
23 Aug 2018	Top Gun sequel begins filming aboard USS Abraham Lincoln Film crews from Paramount and Bruckheimer Films are aboard the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln this week shooting footage for the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, the navy has confirmed. Naval Air Force Atlantic spokesperson Cmdr. Dave Hecht confirmed this saying that no actors are aboard adding that the film crew will be shooting footage of air operations until Saturday. More.....
23 Aug 2018	Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 returns to Australia Ships deployed as part of the Royal Australian Navy’s annual maritime task group Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 (IPE18) have returned to Australia following a three-month deployment to the Pacific. HMAS Adelaide docked in Townsville on August 23 to return embarked soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Fellow task group members HMA Ships Melbourne, Toowoomba and Success are on route to their next ports of call. More.....
23 Aug 2018	UK F-35B pilots make final preparations ahead of carrier trials A team of four F-35B test pilots are making final preparations for taking their aircraft aboard Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth next month. Two specially-modified F-35Bs and four pilots – Mr Wilson from BAE, the RN’s Cdr Nathan Gray, Sqn Ldr Andy Edgell and a US Marine Corps aviator – will conduct the trials aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in two phases of trials this autumn, trials broken up by a high-profile visit to New York. More.....
23 Aug 2018	Cerberus sailors tackle uphill challenge Members of HMAS Cerberus represented both the Navy and Air Force this weekend at the You Yangs Dirty Duathlon. The 36km course consisted of two 4km running stages and an 18km ride through the park’s Mountain Bike (MTB) trails. The event was organised by the HMAS Cerberus Cycling Club as an extension of the Wednesday Sport initiative at HMAS Cerberus. More.....
23 Aug 2018	Indo-Pacific Endeavour visit to Honiara
22 Aug 2018	New Zealand Navy getting Norwegian OSV for dive and hydrographic ops The New Zealand government has approved NZ$103 million for the purchase and refit of a second-hand multi-role offshore support vessel that will be used as a dive and hydrographic support vessel by the Royal New Zealand Navy. Following purchase, the 85-meter Norwegian-built survey vessel MV Edda Fonn will be outfitted with the dive and hydrographic systems required by the defense force. More.....
22 Aug 2018	WW1 shipwreck plunderers caught by Royal Navy fined nearly £250,000 A Dutch company whose trawler was caught plundering a WW1 shipwreck will have to pay nearly £250,000 after being caught by the Royal Navy in August 2016. The crew of Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Severn found the hydraulic claws of Dutch-registered salvage ship Friendship lifting £90,000 of steel and copper. The metal was stripped from the wreck of the SS Harrovian, sunk by a German submarine 80 miles southwest of the Scilly Isles in 1916. More.....
21 Aug 2018	Keeping Watch lends a hand to family in need A sailor and mother of two says Navy’s ‘Keeping Watch’ grant program has saved her family from being swamped by medical bills. Both of Able Seaman (AB) Rhiannon Walker’s young children have an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. “One of my children in particular requires substantial support for her disability,” AB Walker said. Over time the family has used many of the available financial support options from private health funding, including the ADF Family Health Program and more recently the government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme. But the bills kept piling up. More.....
20 Aug 2018	Marine vet finally promoted to sergeant 73 years later Cpl. Edgar Harrell floated in the shark-infested Pacific Ocean for four-and-a-half days. He swam aimlessly in the salt water — mixed heavily with black oil and blood — with a group of 80 other men who had jumped off the fiery USS Indianapolis after it has been torpedoed by the Japanese during the closing months of World War II. It was July 30, 1945, and it was 110 degrees. They had no water. Dehydration left their lips covered with sores and their tongues swollen. More.....
20 Aug 2018	Royal Navy sailors recognized for accomplishments under “missile threat” The crew of Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring will be awarded a new medal clasp for bravery shown during Bab al-Mandeb strait escort missions in 2016. Announcing the recognition, the Royal Navy said HMS Daring sailors braved the threat of missile attack to protect merchant ships in the Middle East. The new medal – named the Gulf of Aden Clasp – was approved by Her Majesty The Queen and will be introduced for those who served on board Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring during the missions. More.....
20 Aug 2018	HMAS Sheean returns from three-month Indo-Pacific deployment Royal Australian Navy’s Collins-class submarine HMAS Sheean returned home to Fleet Base West after almost three months of operations in the Indo-Pacific. The navy did not reveal which exercises the submarine joined and how many port visits the crew made. The only known port visit was the one to Malaysia, which took place in July. More.....
19 Aug 2018	Feds indict three more in ongoing Fat Leonard scandal A federal grand jury in San Diego on Friday charged three retired sailors — a captain and two senior enlisted enlisted personnel — in the ongoing Fat Leonard corruption scandal. Unsealed indictments allege that Capt. David Williams Haas, 50, took at least $145,000 in bribes from Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis, the Malaysian tycoon and defense contractor who since his late 2013 arrest in a San Diego sting has ratted out a string of corrupt sailors who steered ships to his port services. Prosecutors have charged 32 defendants and 20 have pleaded guilty to public corruption charges over the past five years. More.....
19 Aug 2018	ADF rescues four seriously injured people in Solomon Islands The Australian Defence Force’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour Task Group (IPE18) has assisted the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in rescuing four seriously injured people after a violent incident occurred in an outlying part of the country. The incident occurred on Bellona Island, about 200 kilometres south of the Solomon Island’s capital Honiara. It is understood a seven year old girl died as a result of the attack last night (Friday). Commander of IPE18, Captain Jim Hutton, said the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force requested assistance from the Joint Task Group through the Australian High Commission. More.....
19 Aug 2018	Unit Citation for Gallantry awarded to RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam The contribution of 196 Royal Australian Navy members as part of a combined Australian and United States helicopter unit during the Vietnam War has been recognised at a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial. The helicopter pilots, gunners, aircrew and support staff were part of Helicopter Flight Vietnam, integrated with the US Army's 135th Assault Helicopter Company (AHC) flying helicopters in both utility and gunship configurations. They transported around 250,000 troops per year into and out of battle over a four year period. More.....
18 Aug 2018	Vice Admiral Mike Noonan on Navy and the Region
18 Aug 2018	Vice Admiral Mike Noonan on leadership in the Royal Australian Navy
18 Aug 2018	Vice Admiral Mike Noonan shares his advice for sailors in Royal Australian Navy
18 Aug 2018	The Formation of the Royal Australian Navy
18 Aug 2018	Female US Navy vet, other women, take on politics A dragon winds around a cherry tree in the tattoo across MJ Hegar’s arm and back, over the shrapnel wounds she had, at one point, not wanted to see with her young children around. But nine years after being shot down in Afghanistan, then winning a lawsuit against the federal government, writing a book and now running for a Texas congressional seat, Hegar isn't hiding much anymore. Hegar is part of a crop of female veterans running for Congress in this year's midterm elections. More.....
18 Aug 2018	Victorian RSL Annual State Remembrance Service - Springvale This advice is issued to enable Unit Associations and other Ex-service Organisations to circulate details of the 2018 RSL Annual State Remembrance Service to their members through their Unit Association newsletters and other publications. The Service details are as follows: Date of Service: Sunday 4th November, 2018 Commencing: 1:00pm Location: Springvale War Cemetery, within the grounds of the Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Princes Highway, Springvale Duration: Approximately one and a half hours. Full details.....
18 Aug 2018	UK restarts frigate competition - but will anyone take part? Britain’s Ministry of Defence is restarting its contest to build five general purpose frigates for the Royal Navy after it terminated the original competition due to insufficient interest from industry. The Defence Equipment & Support organisation, the MoD’s procurement arm, has issued a “prior information notice” informing potential bidders it is moving forward with the Type 31e program, and plans a short period of market engagement with companies or consortia that have expressed interest starting on Aug 20. More.....
17 Aug 2018	Retired admiral, Navy SEAL compares President Trump’s actions to McCarthy-era witch hunts An outspoken retired Navy admiral, who oversaw the Navy SEAL raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, has issued a fiery open letter to President Donald Trump over his revoking the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, comparing his tactics to those who led communist witch hunts in the 1950s. William H. McRaven, commander of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014, published his letter on the Washington Post website today, requesting that Trump also revoke his security clearance, “so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.” More.....
16 Aug 2018	HMAS Cerberus changes command in style Captain Tim Standen has handed over command of HMAS Cerberus to Captain Michael Oborn during a Clear Lower Deck with the ship’s company. In line with Chief of Navy’s focus on training, Captain Standen will now take on the sole role of Director Training Authority-Engineering; a position he has, until now, been fulfilling on top of the role of Commanding Officer Cerberus. Although Captain Standen has found the role of Commanding Officer to be a rewarding challenge, he says he is looking forward to focusing his efforts on shaping Navy’s future engineering training. More.....
15 Aug 2018	Blue Angels finally transiting to Super Hornets The US Navy’s Blue Angels, the famous flight demonstration squadron, are set to receive a new squadron of Super Hornet aircraft following a defense department contract announcement on August 13. The Super Hornets, nine F/A-18E and two F/A-18F, are scheduled to replace the F/A-18C/D Hornets currently flown by the Blue Angels. Super Hornets will first have to be retrofitted into a Blue Angel configuration. This work will be carried out by Boeing under a $17 million contract. More.....
15 Aug 2018	US Navy gets funds for 13 new vessels under 2019 defense bill US president Donald J. Trump has signed a $717 billion National Defense Authorization Act under which the US Navy would get funds for a total of 13 new vessels. Signed by the president at a ceremony at Fort Drum, New York, August 13, the NDAA includes funds for three littoral combat ships, a fourth Ford-class aircraft carrier, a Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, and six icebreakers. More.....
15 Aug 2018	Indo-Pacific Endeavour 18 resumes
15 Aug 2018	73 years since Victory in the Pacific Today Australia acknowledges Victory in the Pacific Day, commemorating 73 years since the end of the Second World War. While Victory in Europe was declared in May 1945, fighting in the Pacific region continued until August 1945. Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester said Victory in the Pacific Day marks the anniversary of Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allies after more than three years of war. “During the Second World War almost 40,000 Australians lost their lives, including more than 17,000 in the war against Japan — some 8,000 of these died in Japanese captivity,” Mr Chester said. More.....
14 Aug 2018	Australian Medical team in Kabul
14 Aug 2018	New Defence childcare contract announced Minister for Defence Personnel Darren Chester today announced that, following a competitive tender process, One Tree Community Services has been selected as a new contract provider for the Defence Childcare Program. “One Tree Community Services, a national not-for-profit organisation, has 45 years’ experience delivering childhood education and care in the community,” Mr Chester said. “I am pleased that One Tree Community Services is joining the Defence Childcare Program family - an initiative that provides support to Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families in many regions across the country.” More.....
14 Aug 2018	IPE18 resumes following RIMPAC success Following the successful conclusion of Exercise Rim of the Pacific, the Australian Defence Force has resumed its major maritime activity, Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 (IPE18). Continuing the effort to deepen Australia’s defence engagement and security partnerships in the south west Pacific, HMA Ships Adelaide and Toowoomba – along with a platoon of Australian soldiers from 2RAR (2nd Battalion Royal Australia Regiment) – and US Marines are on their way to the Solomon Islands’ capital, Honiara. Replenishment ship HMAS Success will visit Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. More.....
13 Aug 2018	Military skills enlisted to help defend Australia's welfare system The Department of Human Services is partnering with a key veterans' employment agency to help give Australia's former service men and women much needed opportunities to re-skill for civilian life. Up to 36 veterans will be engaged by the Department, over the next three years, to train and work within its Cyber Security Branch which defends the welfare system against the very real threat of online attacks. The recruits have all been hand-picked by training provider WithYouWithMe, as part of its "Talent Unleashed" program, which assists former Navy, Army and Air Force personnel to transition into new careers. More.....
13 Aug 2018	Shifting the ‘gender agenda’ debate On 31 July, the minister for women, Kelly O’Dwyer, presented the third progress report to parliament on the Australian national action plan on women, peace and security 2012–2018 (NAP). As you’d expect, the government report paints a positive picture of various efforts that have been undertaken in the two-year reporting period (1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017): women’s participation in the ADF has increased modestly, the value of gender expertise has been recognised in some key policy documents such as the 2016 defence white paper, and most Australians deploying on operations are now receiving training on women, peace and security (WPS). More.....
13 Aug 2018	Austal to build six 80-meter OPVs for the Philippine Navy Australian shipbuilder Austal will be delivering six offshore patrol vessels for the Philippine Navy, the company confirmed on August 13. The confirmation follows Philippine media reports from August 11, which said the Defence Secretary of the Philippines government, Delfin Lorenzana, announced that the Australian company would be delivering the vessels from its shipyard in Cebu. More.....
13 Aug 2018	Diamond jubilee for Father and Son A milestone of combined seventy five years of Service was recognised in a presentation of awards for a serving father and son by Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan, AO, RAN, last week. Warrant Officer Martin Grogan, OAM, who currently manages the HMAS Cerberus museum, was awarded his second Federation Star for 45 years of Service. His son, Captain Sea Training, Captain Darren Grogan, CSM, RAN, received his third clasp for the Defence Long Service Medal during the same presentation. More.....
12 Aug 2018	Stirling chefs wow cooking comp judges A team of Navy chefs from HMAS Stirling has made it to the finals of a national cooking competition. The Nestlé/Broadspectrum Cooking for the Masses competition is open to chefs from Broadspectrum, Compass and the Australian Defence Force. Teams are required to submit an original recipe and, if their application is accepted, are required to create the dish which is then put to a panel of judges. In making it to the finals, Leading Seaman Maritime Logistics – Chef Kahlie Hinds and ABML-C Matthew Lonie were required to pull out all the stops to impress the judges. More.....
10 Aug 2018	Royal Navy frigate wraps up seven-month Asia Pacific deployment Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland returned to her homeport at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport on August 10, concluding a seven-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific. Sutherland and her crew got underway on January 9, becoming the first Royal Navy vessel to operate in Asia Pacific in recent years. On her final stop en route home, Sutherland took an opportunity to embark Parents and Children (PACAS) in Gibraltar to enable them to see what their sons or fathers do and experience life at sea. More.....
10 Aug 2018	Navy continues training contract with ASC The Department of Defence has re-engaged ASC Pty Ltd to continue to deliver Royal Australian Navy’s training services for the Collins class submarine program. Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, said the contract ensures all submarine crews will have the skills and knowledge to operate the Collins Class submarines safely and effectively. More.....
10 Aug 2018	Ex-HMAS Darwin to become a Tasmanian dive wreck After long and distinguished service in the Royal Australian Navy, the decommissioned Adelaide class frigate, ex-HMAS Darwin, will receive a new lease on life as a dive wreck in the waters off Tasmania, enabling the ship’s rich history to continue for future generations. Making the announcement at Fleet Base East today, Minister for Defence, Senator Marise Payne, said she was pleased that the decommissioned frigate would call Tasmania home after sailing over 1 million nautical miles during her 33 years of service. More.....
09 Aug 2018	War on barnacles The term underwater warfare conjures images of submarines launching torpedoes as destroyers drop deadly depth charges. But there’s another intractable and silent battle being waged beneath the waves. While not as potentially lethal for ships and crews, the attacks are relentless and costly – both for the Navy and for Australia’s marine environment. The enemy is marine animal and plant life that attaches itself to the hulls and propellers of ships. This build-up is called fouling. If left unchecked it can double the amount of fuel a ship needs to sustain operational speeds because of the increased friction, which inevitably slows the vessel, increasing its consumption of fuel. More.....
08 Aug 2018	UK destroyer escorts Russian cruiser-destroyer duo through the Channel Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond escorted two Russian warships as they passed through the English Channel on Tuesday. The destroyer sailed from Dover to monitor the Russian destroyer Severomorsk and cruiser Marshal Ustinov as they sailed from their Severomorsk homeport for operations in the North Atlantic. HMS Diamond has spent the last month undertaking various duties around the UK as one of the Royal Navy’s high readiness escort ships. She is at 24 hours’ notice to react to any incident or tasking in or around British waters. More.....
08 Aug 2018	NY Naval Militia commissions new landing-craft style patrol boat The New York Naval Militia welcomed a new 35-foot long, landing-craft style boat-into its fleet of patrol boats on Tuesday, August 7. The “LC-350” – LC for “landing craft” and 350 for the length of the boat – was accepted into service during a short ceremony at Albany’s Jennings Landing park on the Hudson River. The boat can deliver three tons of emergency supplies, a vehicle, or 27 personnel to beaches or shorelines along Long Island or the Hudson River during flooding or other emergency situations. More.....
08 Aug 2018	HMAS Leeuwin shows off hydrographic skills in Indonesia Royal Australian Navy’s hydrographic survey ship HMAS Leeuwin showed off its skills following a port visit to Jakarta, Indonesia. During a five-day passage from Indonesia to Port Klang, Malaysia, the crew were joined by six members of the Indonesian Navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic organization. The aim of the sea ride was to further develop the relationships that had been established during Leeuwin’s port visit to Jakarta. More.....
07 Aug 2018	BAE Systems, Cammell Laird launch Leander frigate website BAE Systems and Cammell Laird have launched a new website for the Leander frigate design they are pitching for the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigates. The website is a result of a partnership between Cammell Laird as shipbuilder and BAE Systems as designer. The site was launched August 6, despite the fact that the Type 31 competition was brought to a halt last month due to what was termed as a lack of “compliant bids”. More.....
05 Aug 2018	How underwater drones will change the Navy’s sub game Standing at the forefront of game-changing innovations in undersea warfare, Navy Cmdr. Scott Smith has only one small request. Don’t call the Navy’s fleet of unmanned undersea vehicles “drones.” “It has a negative connotation,” Smith said. “We think of drone strikes as taking out Taliban, and we’re nowhere near that.” Not yet, anyway. But the Pentagon is trying quickly to get there. More.....
04 Aug 2018	One final salute for an old sailor CO NHQ-SA, CMDR Andrew Burnett attended Rose Court Residential Aged Care Home in Adelaide recently to present the Unit Citation for Gallantry (UCG) to Jeffrey McIntyre, a former member of the RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam (RANHFV). Jeff was a member of the RANHFV October 1967 to October 1968. The presentation was made in front of family and friends in Jeff’s private room. Sadly, Jeff passed away four days after the presentation. More.....
04 Aug 2018	Navy League of Australia(Vic-Tas Div) August newsletter is now available to download.....
03 Aug 2018	Eventful Rim of the Pacific 2018 comes to a close The US Navy-hosted international maritime exercise Rim of the Pacific concluded August 2 after 30 days of exercises and manoeuvres in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. A total of 25 nations, 46 surface ships, five submarines, 17 land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel participated in the 26th edition of RIMPAC. More.....
03 Aug 2018	ADF successfully completes Exercise RIMPAC 2018 More than 1,600 members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) have successfully completed Exercise RIMPAC 2018, the world’s largest multinational maritime exercise. Exercise RIMPAC 2018 culminated this week in a major multi-national amphibious landing activity, following four weeks of gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air-defence exercises, as well as maritime interdiction and vessel boardings, explosive ordnance disposal, diving and salvage operations, and mine clearance operations. Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne said Exercise RIMPAC 2018 had tested and proven the ADF’s capabilities and improved its interoperability with partner nations. More.....
02 Aug 2018	In a first, Chinese PLA Navy ship to join Australian biennial drill Kakadu The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy will be sending a warship to Australian waters where it will take part for the first time in the international, biennial exercise Kakadu. Australia has invited China to join the drill in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries, intensified by China’s growing assertiveness in the South China and East China Seas and sporadic altercations at sea between the two sides. China accused Australia of spying its naval manoeuvres in 2017 while reports earlier this year said Australian ships were “challenged” by the Chinese as they sailed to Vietnam for a port visit. More.....
02 Aug 2018	HMAS Adelaide Air Operations during RIMPAC
02 Aug 2018	Australian Cape-class patrol vessel in 600-kilo cocaine bust The first of two Australian Navy Cape-class patrol boats – ADV Cape Fourcroy – helped seize approximately 600 kilograms of cocaine and arrest two men in an operation on August 1. The operation was headed by the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (QJOCTF) in collaboration with Maritime Border Command (MBC) – a multi-agency taskforce within the Australian Border Force (ABF) tasked to conduct civil maritime security operations in Australian waters. More.....
01 Aug 2018	FlyBy A periodical of the Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia. August issue.....
01 Aug 2018	Remembering Tony Bullimore The Royal Australian Navy has paid tribute to solo sailor Tony Bullimore, who has passed away aged 79. A well-known entrepreneur and sailing enthusiast from Bristol, UK, Mr Bullimore made world headlines after surviving for several days after his boat capsized during a solo round-the-world yacht race in 1997, before being rescued by the Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Adelaide (II). News of his rescue and imagery of a delighted Mr Bullimore hugging his Navy rescuers was beamed across the globe. More.....
01 Aug 2018	Amphibious assault marks end of Exercise RIMPAC

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Current Repatriation Benefits for Gold Card Veterans -
As of 01 January 2018
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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.....

News & Articles of Interest

DVA Information of Interest

DVA
Information of Interest