U.S. – Australia Relations

ADF Deployment to the Gulf

Canberra — 16 February 1998

Media release
16 February 1998

Agreement has been reached with the United States that Australia will contribute a unit from the Special Air Services Regiment and two Boeing 707s for transport/air-to-air refuelling to support the international coalition against Iraq being formed in the Persian Gulf.

The National Security Committee of Cabinet has this afternoon approved the deployment of these ADF elements to the Gulf. The contingent will depart tomorrow in order to prepare themselves for participation in coalition military operations should that prove necessary.

Discussions are continuing on the possibility also of providing specialists for back up in medical and technical support roles.

The Government continues to hope that force will not be needed. We strongly support diplomatic efforts to persuade Iraq to comply fully with UN Security Council resolutions requiring it to dismantle its chemical and biological weapons programmes and allow inspections.

There is still time for Iraq to reconsider.

The decision to deploy the contingent is not a decision to commit our forces to active operations. Such a decision would be made only if it became clear that resort to force remained the only option.

The decision to deploy now has been made to ensure that our contingent has the maximum opportunity for training, familiarisation and acclimatisation.

The Australian contingent will remain under Australian national command and will be placed under operational control of the coalition commander for agreed tasks.

I welcome New Zealand’s announcement that it will contribute an SAS unit and two Orion reconnaissance aircraft to the coalition and we are discussing with New Zealand ways in which our contingents can work together.

The decision to commit forces is a difficult one which the Government would have preferred not to have to face. But we cannot ignore the threat to stability posed by Saddam Hussein’s possession of weapons of mass destruction and his flouting of the United Nations.

Original document from www.pm.gov.au.

Last update Monday, 19 November 2007