Tag: Australia

Largest Ever Red Flag 18-1 Air Force Combat Training Kicks Off

Brig. Gen. Christopher Short, 57th Wing commander, taxis down the runway in an F-16 Fighting Falcon after being sprayed by fire trucks during his fini flight at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., April 8, 2016. A fini flight is a pilot’s last flight in an aircraft before he/she leaves a squadron, a wing, or retires from the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: January 27, 2018

Aircraft incident on Nellis Air Force Base

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – At approximately 10:45 a.m. this morning, a military aircraft experienced an incident during takeoff on the Nellis Air Force Base flight line.

Emergency services are on scene.  No serious injuries are reported.

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE:

Defence can confirm an incident involving an EA-18G Growler at Nellis Air Force Base during Exercise Red Flag. Royal Australian Air Force personnel are safe and no serious injuries have been sustained. Defence is currently working with the United States Air Force to investigate and will provide an update with further details once known. See photo of Growler below.

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NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev.The U.S. Air Force kicks off its largest three-week premier air-to-air combat training exercise, Red Flag 18-1, which will continue until Feb. 16, 2018.

Base officials want to remind Southern Nevada residents will notice increased military aircraft activity due to aircraft departing from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, twice-a-day to participate in training exercises on the Nevada Test and Training Range.

“We’re trying a few new and different things with Red Flag 18-1,” said Col Michael Mathes, 414th Combat Training Squadron commander. “It’s the largest Red Flag ever with the largest number of participants, highlighting the balance of training efficiency with mission effectiveness.”

While Red Flag occurs in multiple iterations annually, each one has a unique training purpose – 18-1 is no exception.

“Red Flag 18-1 primarily is a strike package focused training venue that we integrate at a command and control level in support of joint task force operations,” said Mathes. “It’s a lot of words to say that we integrate every capability we can into strike operations that are flown out of Nellis Air Force Base.”

The training offered during Red Flag has prepared armed forces for future engagements.

“Red Flag remains a great mix of heritage and future potential,” said Mathes. “We are very proud of our heritage with the way that red flag had improved survivability and readiness over the years. We look forward as we continue to grow readiness through integrated training as well as improving training efficiency.”

The exercise typically involves a variety of attack, fighter and bomber aircraft as well as participants from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Air Force.

Courtesy Royal Air Force, UK

MAJOR ROLE FOR RAF AT WORLD’S PREMIER AIR COMBAT EXERCISE

The world’s premier air combat exercise is underway in Nevada, with the Royal Air Force (RAF) playing a major role alongside American and Australian counterparts.

Set at Nellis Air Force Base, Red Flag pits ‘Blue’ coalition forces against hostile ‘Red Force’ aggressors, mirroring real-life threats in air-to-air, air-to-ground, space and cyber warfare.

Typhoons, from 6 Squadron, RAF Lossiemouth, are operating in a swing-role capacity, fighting their way into hostile airspace, launching precision strikes on ground targets and fighting their way out again.

20170127-Red Flag-1

Air Force Releases 2017 Year in Photos

 

 

Australian Federal Police Make Record-Breaking Meth Bust

Friday, 22 December 2017

 This is a joint media release issued by the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, Western Australia Police Force, AUSTRAC and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission

A record 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized on the west coast of Australia and eight men have been charged as a result of a complex, multi-agency investigation which traversed the country.

It is the largest meth bust in Australia’s history, topping an unrelated 903-kilogram seizure in Melbourne in the first quarter of 2017. It is the largest ever drug seizure in Western Australia.

The Western Australian Joint Organised Crime Task Force (WA JOCTF) has been working in close partnership since July to dismantle a drug trafficking network, believed to be based in Australia. The WA JOCTF involves the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Western Australia Police Force, Australian Border Force (ABF), AUSTRAC, and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. It also received assistance from members of the Department of Home Affairs.

Police will allege in court a marine vessel, the Valkoista, arrived at the Port of Geraldton, WA, around 2am WST yesterday (Thursday, 21 December 2017).

Police will allege the drugs were then offloaded into a white hire van shortly before 4am WST. Tactical response police officers intercepted the van as it reversed from the dock. Police arrested the three occupants of the van: a 33-year-old man from southern Sydney and two men from NSW, aged 38 and 52.

Simultaneously, police boarded the Valkoista and arrested three crew members onboard: a 45-year-old man from the NSW Central Coast and two men from South Australia, aged 48 and 44.

Fifty-nine bags containing approximately 20 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized from the vehicle. An additional bag containing approximately 20 kilograms of methamphetamine was found on the vessel, bringing the total amount of methamphetamine seized to around 1.2 tonnes. This amount of methamphetamine has an estimated street value of $1.04 billion.

The six men were transported to Geraldton Police Station for processing.

The vessel and the vehicle were seized by police, searched, and forensically examined. Search warrants were also conducted at residential properties in Sydney, the NSW Central Coast, and Adelaide.

Two men from South Australia, both aged 37, were later arrested at a hotel in Hillarys in northern Perth for their alleged involvement in this drug importation.

The two men, along with the crew of the Valkoista, have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, contrary to subsection 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The occupants of the van have been charged with possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully imported, contrary to section 307.8 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The eight men have been remanded in custody. The two men charged in Perth are scheduled to appear in Perth Magistrates Court today. The six men charged in Geraldton are scheduled to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 17 January 2018.

AFP Deputy Commissioner Operations Leanne Close said police were continuing to gather and evaluate evidence.

“The success of this operation is a testament to the patience and dedication of our investigators, who have been working around the clock in the lead-up to Christmas to disrupt this record importation,” Deputy Commissioner Close said.

“The AFP will allege in court these men intended to distribute the drugs along the east coast of Australia – what these men didn’t count on was a calculated, intelligence-led response from the WA Joint Organised Crime Task Force which drew on the strengths and capabilities of the different agencies involved.”

Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson has commended the hard work of the joint agencies which has stopped many millions of harmful drug hits from reaching our cities and towns.

“I attribute the success of this operation to WA Police jointly working with National partners in the Joint Operational Crime Task Force. Intelligence has led to five law enforcement agencies working together to disrupt what we will allege is a serious crime syndicate. We are striking at the top end of drug trafficking before it gets further down the distribution chain,” WA Police Commissioner Dawson said.

ABF WA Regional Commander Rod O’Donnell praised the work of all involved, including the ABF’s Maritime Border Command and Strategic Border Command officers who provided significant monitoring and response capability during the operation, both on land and at sea.

Investigators from ABF Enforcement Command and intelligence from the Department of Home Affairs were also critical.

“This result is the culmination of several months of hard work by officers and staff from a number of state and federal agencies and, once again, together we have stopped a significant amount of methamphetamine before it could reach the Australian community,” Commander O’Donnell said.

“Australia’s maritime border is vast and some criminals clearly think they can exploit that and evade detection – they are wrong. These criminals should always assume we are nearby and we are watching.”

AUSTRAC National Manager Intelligence Dr John Moss said the agency supported the joint task force by developing the financial networks of the main suspects. AUSTRAC analysts collaborated with the task force to ensure relevant, accurate, and timely all-source intelligence was constantly available to support the investigative strategy.

“AUSTRAC financial intelligence was a critical element in detecting and monitoring the criminal activities of this drug syndicate,” Dr Moss said.

Weapons of Mass Destruction Charge in Australia: Man Brokering with North Korea

AFP investigation uncovers alleged breaches of UN Sanctions and Weapons of Mass Destruction Act in Australia

Op Byahaut arrest 2
Publish date:Sunday, 17 December 2017, Publish time:12:01pm

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has arrested a 59-year-old Sydney man for allegedly acting as an economic agent for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Government (North Korea) in Australia, in breach of both United Nations (UN) and Australian sanctions. Notably, the man has also been charged with brokering sales and discussing the supply of weapons of mass destruction.

This is the first time a person has been charged under the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act 1995 (Cth) in Australia.

Operation BYAHAUT commenced earlier this year when a 59-year-old man from Eastwood, NSW, was identified as a person of interest to the AFP.

As a result of extensive investigations, the AFP alleges the man was acting as an economic agent of North Korea through his facilitation of various exports from North Korea.

The AFP believes the man was generating income for the North Korean Government, contrary to the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 (Cth) and the Commonwealth Regulations relating to sanctions against North Korea.

Specifically, it will be alleged in court the man was involved in:

  • brokering the sale of missiles and missile componentry and expertise from North Korea to other international entities; and
  • attempting to transfer coal from North Korea to entities in Indonesia and Vietnam.

The AFP will allege the missile componentry identified could contribute to the delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction.

AFP officers conducted search warrants in Sydney yesterday, Saturday, 16 December 2017), and the man was subsequently arrested.

He has been charged with acts under the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 (Cth); the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act 1995 (Cth) and the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (Cth), and will appear before Parramatta Local Court today. The maximum penalty for these offences is 10 years’ imprisonment.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan, National Manager Organised Crime and Cyber, said investigators carefully and methodically investigated the actions of this individual over a period of months.

“This case is like nothing we have ever seen on Australian soil. This is the first time charges have been laid under the Commonwealth Weapons of Mass Destruction Act in Australia, and the first time we have laid charges specifically for alleged breaches of UN sanctions against North Korea,” Assistant Commissioner Gaughan said.

“The Australian public should be assured that police have acted to ensure no direct risk to our community. The AFP endeavours to support international efforts to maintain peace and security.”

“Any individual who attempts to fly in the face of sanctions cannot and will not go unnoticed in Australia.”

Investigations are continuing and further charges against the man have not been ruled out.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

 

Nationality:

  • The alleged offender is a naturalised Australian citizen, of Korean descent.

What are United Nations and Australian sanctions with respect to North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea -DPRK)?

 

What are the specific charges against this man?

The AFP will allege that:

WMD Act offences (two charges)

  • The man provided services, being brokering services, that would or may assist a weapons of mass destruction program, and the provision of the services was not authorised by a permit or written notice, contrary to s 11 of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act 1995 (Cth) (Law Part Code: 91754).

UN Act offences (two charges)

  • The man  engaged in conduct that contravened a United Nations sanction enforcement law, namely the provision of brokering services for the sale of missiles and related expertise from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, contrary to s 27(1) of the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 (Cth) with reg 11(2) of the Charter of the United Nations (Sanctions – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Regulations 2008 (Cth) (Law Part Code: 88348).

Autonomous Sanctions Act offences (two charges)

  • The man engaged in conduct that contravened a sanction law, namely the provision to a person or entity of a brokering service for the sale of coal from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), that assisted with or was provided in relation to an extractive or related industry in the DPRK, contrary to s 16(1) of the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (Cth) with regulation 13(1) of the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 (Cth) (Law Part Code: 91757).

What actions have prompted these charges?

  • We will allege that the man provided services to a Weapons of Mass Destruction Program and discussed the sale of specialist services and ballistic missile technology, with a view to generating income for the North Korean regime.
  • We will further allege those discussions have included the establishment of a ballistic missile production facility, the supply of missile construction plans and the provision of North Korean technical specialists for training and development outside of North Korea.
  • We will also allege he discussed the possible sale of missile guidance systems in an effort to generate further income for North Korea.

 

Volcanic Ash Can Take Down an Airplane

Courtesy Australian Government, Bureau of Meteorology

Plane talking: tracking and forecasting volcanic ash

Volcanic ash regularly causes significant flight disruptions. So why is volcanic ash a serious safety hazard for the aviation industry and how does the Bureau track and forecast its movement?

What is volcanic ash?

Volcanic ash in the air is a mixture of fine pulverised rock, minerals and glass, and is accompanied by gases which convert into droplets of sulphuric acid and other substances. It’s extremely hazardous to aircraft, with the potential to melt in the engine, and fuse into a glass-like coating on components, causing loss of thrust (the force that propels the plane through the air) and possible engine failure. It can also cause abrasion of engine parts, and the body of the aircraft, and clog fuel and cooling systems.

Photo: Mt Rinjani eruption, Lombok, 5 November 2015. Credit: Centre for Vulcanological and Geohazards Mitigation.

In June 1982 a British Airways 747 suffered severe damage and had all four engines fail after encountering ash from Mt Galunggung in Indonesia. It descended to 12 000 feet (normal cruising height is around 38 000 feet) before restarting some engines and making an emergency landing in Jakarta.. Three weeks later the same thing happened to a Singapore Airlines 747, which lost two engines and also made an emergency landing.

These incidents drove a major international effort to start tracking and warning aircraft of volcanic ash clouds.

For the latest on Mayon Volcano erupting in the Philippines:

NEW INFO: Mayon Volcano in Albay Province, Philippines Downgraded to Level 3

For the latest on the volcano erupting in Bali:

Bali Volcano Mount Agung, The Great Mountain, Lowers Danger Level; Evacuees Headed Home

Volcanic activity

The highest concentration of active volcanoes in the world lies along the rim of the Pacific Ocean—the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’. This 40 000 km horseshoe-shaped area stretches along the western edge of the Americas, across to the Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia), down through Japan and the Philippines and across Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand to the islands of the South Pacific. It is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. Other active regions are the Great Rift Valley in Central and East Africa, countries around the Mediterranean, and Iceland (home of Eyjafjallajökull, which erupted in 2010, famously grounding flights in 20 countries across Europe and affecting around 10 million travellers).

Pacific Ring of Fire. Oceanic trenches are shown in blue. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

Volcanic eruptions range in nature from a quiet, steady outpouring of lava to highly explosive eruptions which blast several cubic kilometres of ash and corrosive gases high into the atmosphere over a wide area for several days. This explosive activity is of greatest concern to aviation, mainly because of the great volume of ash and the height that the volcanic material can reach. An ash cloud from a large eruption can remain in the atmosphere in dangerous concentrations for many days. Over this time, it can travel many thousands of kilometres with the prevailing winds.

Monitoring volcanic ash

Globally there are nine volcanic ash advisory centres (VAACs) that detect, track and forecast the movement of volcanic ash clouds and provide advice to meteorological offices in their area of responsibility. The VAACs are located in the USA, Argentina, UK, Australia, Japan, France, Canada and New Zealand.

The Bureau’s VAAC (known as VAAC Darwin) is responsible for an area that includes the volcanically active regions of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the southern Philippines—and monitors 152 active volcanoes. It provides advice to the aviation industry about the location and movement of potentially hazardous volcanic ash, using ground-based and satellite observations, pilot reports, and sophisticated forecasting models. The VAAC operates 24 hours a day.

REVENGE PORN: AUSTRALIA TACKLES THE NON-CONSENSUAL SHARING OF INTIMATE IMAGES

The Australian government announced the pilot for a new national portal for reporting instances of non-consensual sharing of intimate images (colloquially known as image-based abuse or revenge pornography).

According to the newly launched website www.esafety.gov.au

Image-based abuse (IBA) occurs when intimate, nude or sexual images are distributed without the consent of those pictured. This includes real, altered (e.g. Photoshopped) and drawn pictures and videos.

While most image-based abuse is about the sharing of images without consent, it can also include the threat of an image being shared.

Image-based abuse is also commonly referred to as ‘revenge porn’, ‘non-consensual sharing of intimate images’, or ‘intimate image abuse’. ‘Revenge porn’ is the term most commonly used in the media, but in many cases IBA is not about ‘revenge’, nor is it restricted to ‘porn’. IBA can occur for a range of motives and can include many kinds of images and video.

Examples of image-based abuse include:

Your current or ex-partner sharing an intimate image on social media without your consent.

A work colleague Photoshopping an image of you with an explicit image and sharing it broadly via email.

A stranger taking an intimate image without your consent, also known as ‘up-skirting’, or ‘down-blousing’ or ‘creepshots’, and sharing it on a website or porn site.

Image-based abuse can also be referred to as:

non-consensual porn, non-consensual sexual/ nude/ intimate image sharing, technology-facilitated violence, intimate image abuse, cyber exploitation, up-skirting/ down-blousing / creepshots

What are ‘revenge porn’ websites?

‘Revenge porn’ websites are typically online businesses that encourage users to upload nude or sexual images of others, often with information about the person in the images such as names, addresses and links to personal profiles. Victims may be forced to pay money to remove the images.

The most well-known revenge porn websites are hosted overseas and may not willingly take down images on request as they are deliberately exploitative.

Typically, what has to be in an image for it to be considered image-based abuse?

Image-based abuse is complex and diverse. It can include non-consensual sharing of a photograph, drawing or video that shows a person: engaged in sexual activity OR in a manner or context that is sexual OR nude OR showering or bathing OR where their breasts or genitals are visible OR where the image focuses on the genital, anal or breast region, including where they are covered in underwear, such as in ‘up-skirting’ and ‘down-blousing’.

This includes real photos, pictures that are digitally altered (e.g. ‘Photoshopped’ or similar), and drawn pictures and videos.

Image-based abuse can also include images altered to imply an identity of a person in any of the above descriptions. For instance, if a victim’s head is Photoshopped onto on a porn actor’s body and is shared without consent, this is image-based abuse.

It can also include the threat to share an image or video that fits any of the above descriptions.

Official Release:

NEW PORTAL TACKLES THE NON-CONSENSUAL SHARING OF INTIMATE IMAGES

15 October 2017

The Turnbull Government has welcomed the eSafety Commissioner’s announcement today about the delivery of the pilot for a new national portal for reporting instances of non-consensual sharing of intimate images (colloquially known as image-based abuse or revenge pornography).

In 2015 the Government committed $10 million to support victims of image-based abuse, including $4.8 million of funding for the eSafety Commissioner to develop and implement this national online complaints portal.

The pilot is the very first step in delivering this very important initiative. The portal will allow victims to report instances of image-based abuse and give them access to immediate and tangible support that has previously been unavailable.

In today’s digital environment, instances of image-based abuse are all too common with one in five women aged 18 to 45 and one in four Indigenous Australians experiencing abuse.

The online complaints portal is a world-first and empowers those who are experiencing this type of abuse with practical information and a range of resources to take control.

The pilot phase of the portal will evaluate the volume and complexity of the reports received before a formal launch of the portal in early 2018.

The Government is undertaking a range of initiatives in the area of online safety to help keep Australians safe on the internet. Earlier this year the Government expanded the scope of the Office of the eSafety Commissioner to help all Australians, not just children.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner has already:

  • established a mechanism to report and remove harmful cyberbullying material on social media;
  • launched a dedicated website for women’s safety online;
  • launched the iParent portal providing parents and carers with advice on a range of online safety and digital content issues; and
  • in conjunction with the Department of Social Services pioneered a new website for improving digital literacy for older Australians, including a digital portal to provide a one-stop-shop for information, tools and training materials.

The Government is also considering the outcomes of recent consultations on a proposed civil penalty regime which will target perpetrators and sites which host intimate images and videos which have been shared without consent.

For more information about reporting the non-consensual sharing of intimate images visit www.esafety.gov.au/imagebasedabuse

Lord Ganesha in Lamb Advertisement Hurts Religious Sentiments

The ad also includes Jesus, Scientology founder L. Rob Hubbard, Thor and Zeus. Titled “You Never Lamb Alone”,  the ad was launched by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) on September 4, 2017.

Press Release:

High Commission of India
Canberra

The High Commission of India, Canberra, taking note of the protests of Indian community in Australia, have made a demarche to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Communication and Arts and Department of Agriculture bringing to their notice an offensive advertisement by Meat and Livestock Australia that hurt the religious sentiments of the Indian community.

In a video advertisement released by Meat and Livestock Australia recently, Lord Ganesha along with other religious figures is found to be ‘toasting lamb’, which the Indian community consider to be offensive and hurting their religious sentiments.

The Consulate General of India in Sydney has taken up the matter directly with Meat and Livestock Australia and urged them to withdraw the advertisement.

A number of Community Associations have also registered their protest with Government of Australia and Meat and Livestock Australia.
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Canberra
September 08, 2017