Issue 7
September 2005

64 Pages This Issue

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	In July this year, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) celebrated its second anniversary - and by all reports there was a lot to celebrate. Words Kathryn Fitch, Defence magazine Pics ADF and Brian Hartigan Also, Lieutenant Colonel JJ Frewen explains how communications and mind games were as important to the mission as any of the hearts-and-minds initiatives. Buy this story now for just $2

	The brain can be a funny thing. After two days of flying, duty-free shops, fancy hotels, room service and mini bars, you could almost be forgiven for forgetting that you were stumbling into harms way. It's not until the Royal Jordanian Air F28-4000 gets thrown into a gut-wrenching corkscrew, plummeting down from 20,000 feeet, finally rolling to a stop on the deck at Baghdad International Air Port (BIAP) that reality hits home - THIS IS IRAQ. Part 1 of a 2-part report. Words AJ Shinner Pics supplied by AJ Shinner Buy this story + Part 2 from issue 8 together now for just $2

	The line of dusty Australian Light Armoured Vehicles stretches back for more than 50 metres, the crews either seated upon the steel hulls of their cavalry chargers or clustered around the vehicles' tail ramp, waiting for the order to go... Words Corporal Cameron Jamieson Pics ADF Buy this story + the two below together for just $2

	Shoalwater Bay Training Area rattled to the hum of heavy military hardware on the ground, on the sea and in the air as more than 17,000 US and Aussie soldiers, sailors and airmen came together for the mother of all exercises. Based on fictional scenarios, the exercise included combined Special Forces operations, massed parachute drops by day and night, amphibious landings and lots more. Words compiled by Brian Hartigan Pics ADF and US Navy

	On 10 July this year, New Zealanders observed the 20th anniversary of a notorious act of government-sanctioned terrorism - the bombing of Greenpeace vessel the Rainbow Warrior by French agents in Auckland Harbour. While the modern media rolled out its usual leftist rhetoric, and the hairy heads of the protest movement basked in a fresh helping of 15-minutes-of-stardom, one Kiwi quietly toasted the ghosts of friends past. Words Kiwi Mac Pics supplied by Karl Plas, and AAP

	Army's new infantry mobility vehicle has finally - after it's fair share of fits and starts - emerged from the workshop into the real world. Bushmaster has not only survived the occasional calls for outright cancellation emanating from both within and outside the ADF, but has succeeded in making the transition from prototype to prove-on-operations. Words Ian Bostock Pics supplied by Ian Bostock, and ADF

	The bare rock stood like a giant monument to emptiness, towering over the bleak north-African landscape. The formation made up part of a line of ancient volcanic cores that were the only significant feature through hundreds of kilometers of the Somali interior. The town of Buurhakaba huddled at the base of the giant as if seeking the protection of a benevolent god from the evils that roamed its desolate surrounds. The series continues... Words Wayne Cooper Pics Supplied by Wayne Cooper, and ADF
Plus... A new regular column - Military Fitness Exercise Kakadu - and F-111 poster Letters to the Editor Heads up Plus our regular columns; Just Soldiers by WO1 Darryl Kelly Private Nobber by Jonathan Garland Letters from the front by Private Henry Wright Games reviews