An RAAF E-7A Wedgetail flying with US Air Force F-22 fighters near Hawaii in 2021. Photo: ADF.
Australia will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft and 85 Defence personnel to the Gulf at the request of the United Arab Emirates to help protect Australians and others in the region, as 12 countries come under attack from Iran.
Australian advanced and medium-range air-to-air missiles will also be provided to the UAE.
The E-7A Wedgetail is one of Australia’s most sophisticated military planes, and will be deployed for an initial four weeks.
Anthony Albanese told reporters at Parliament House in Canberra early Tuesday morning (10 March) that the deployment will be strictly defensive and will not be used in an offensive capacity.
No Australian troops will be deployed on the ground in Iran.
“We’re taking defensive action to support our partners’ efforts to keep Australians safe. Deployed ADF assets will operate according to the right of collective self-defence,” the Prime Minister said.
“Australia will deploy an E7 Wedgetail to the Gulf to help protect and defend Australians and other civilians.
“The Wedgetail will provide long-range reconnaissance capability, which will help to protect and secure the airspace above the Gulf.
“The Wedgetail and supporting Australian Defence Force personnel will be deployed for an initial four weeks in support of the collective self-defence of Gulf nations.”
Mr Albanese said the UAE has already been forced to shoot down more than 1500 drones and rockets by itself and had reached out to Australia for help.
The PM said keeping Australians safe was his first priority, and that also means helping the UAE and other Gulf states defend themselves against unprovoked attacks.
He had spoken with UAE president Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for whom he has “enormous respect”. He stressed that Australia is “not a protagonist” in the war, even with this deployment.
“It’s in defence of Australians who are in the region, as well as in defence of our friends in the United Arab Emirates,” Mr Albanese said
“We have a free trade agreement with them, and that’s opened up the markets of the Middle East … There are around 115,000 Australians in the Middle East, around 24,000 in the UAE.”
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the 85 personnel being deployed with the Wedgetail were its “normal crew” and would be in the region by the middle of this week and be operational by the end of the week.
The Prime Minister also spoke with Donald Trump when the US President called him early Tuesday morning.
Mr Albanese said it was a “raw” and “positive” conversation about the war and, in particular, Australia’s overnight granting of asylum to five Iranian women’s football players.
“President Trump rang me this morning, just before 2 am. We had a very positive discussion,” the PM said.
“He was concerned about the Iranian women in the soccer team and their welfare and their safety if they returned home. He conveyed that to me.
“I was able to convey to him the action that we’d undertaken over the previous 48 hours, and that five of the team had asked for assistance and had received it and were safely located.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had earlier confirmed the government had offered humanitarian visas to five Iranian football players and was willing to offer the remaining team members the same.
“Last night, I was able to tell five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, that they are safe here, and they should feel at home here,” Mr Burke said.
Fears had been raised for the women’s safety after the team declined to sing their country’s national anthem ahead of their first match in the Asian Cup.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said 27,000 flights to and from the Middle East have been cancelled since 28 February. She said the Federal Government was working around the clock to bring Australians home.
The majority of Australians have left the region, she said, and some commercial flights are still available.
A total of about 2600 Australians have now returned from the Middle East on commercial flights.
“There are many more Australians still in the Middle East, and we do understand these are difficult decisions for Australians and their families,” Senator Wong said.
“The security situation is deteriorating, and it is likely to get worse before it gets better.
“We’ve also been focused on trying to offer options to Australians where no flights were involved.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
