The most comprehensive picture of the incidence of suicide among defence personnel will be released on Wednesday, but mental health advocates are already calling for funding for better research. By Jackson Gothe-Snape 29 NOV 2016 The first-ever comprehensive statistics on the incidence of suicide among former defence force personnel will be published this week, following […]

With less than a week to go until Census night on 9 August, you should have received your online access codes but what if you don’t have internet access? Included in the letter detailing your access codes, is a number to call to request a paper copy of the Census be sent to you. Sounds […]

AUSTRALIA’S top soldier has voiced the anger of his troops at the assassination of three Diggers by a rogue Afghan soldier, branding it “murder” at a time when the men were defenceless. Chief of the Army Lieutenant General David Morrison spoke out as bereaved family members joined military top brass, representatives and members of the […]

TOWNSVILLE based soldiers are now training and mentoring the Afghan National Army’s 4th Brigade, 205 Hero Corps after a recent Transfer of Authority ceremony in Tarin Kot. A mentoring task force based on the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, have replaced approximately 730 Brisbane-based personnel from 8th/9th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (8/9 RAR), who have […]

by: Ian McPhedran  From:Herald Sun June 21, 201212:00AM It is essential for the community to know the true “cost” of going to war, argues Ian McPhedran. Source: The Daily Telegraph THE Gillard Government and our military top brass want Australians to believe that our casualties in Afghanistan all die quiet, dignified deaths surrounded by their mates. The truth […]

by: Greg Sheridan, Foreign editor From:The Australian July 04, 201212:00AM THE death of the 33rd Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan – and the 16th member of the special forces – shows the inadequacy, poor structure and imbalance of the Defence Force. The special forces are not just the tip of the spear of the Australian […]

The XM25 has a range of roughly 2,300 feet – and is to be deployed in Afghanistan soon. I would call it the “Equalizer.” Some call it the “Punisher”. The rifle’s gun sight uses a laser rangefinder to determine the exact distance to the obstruction, after which the soldier can add or subtract up to […]

An Australian special forces soldier on his seventh tour of duty has been shot dead in Afghanistan while hunting an insurgent leader. The 40-year-old Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) soldier’s death is the 33rd Australian fatality in Afghanistan since the war began and the first of 2012. Chief of the Defence Force David Hurley said […]

Scientists have begun to understand the full impact bomb blasts have on the brains of those who live through them. Over the past decade, scores have been killed and maimed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and now new US research compares the survivors to concussed athletes. Unfortunately the symptoms […]

Dear Association members, I thought Id take a moment to thank you all for your ongoing support to 8/9 RAR, MTF 4 and  our families while we are away, particularly over ANZAC Day. I hope that you all had a terrific day and managed to catch up with friends and family.   Where we could we ceased […]