Australian Defence Force Iraq Syria Daesh ISIS Afghanistan Philippines deployment sorties soldiers troops Marise Payne Kuwait

Australian Defence Force Iraq Syria Daesh ISIS Afghanistan Philippines deployment sorties soldiers troops Marise Payne Kuwait




He added: “The fight is not done by any stretch but it’s certainly on a very positive trajectory and there is a significant need to continue to bolster the capabilities of the local security forces as we have been doing in Afghanistan.


Vice Admiral Ray Griggs speaks to Defence Minister Marise Payne during Senate estimates hearings at Parliament House in Canberra.Source:AAP

“Obviously it is a matter for government on what sort of commitments government wants to make but I would note we’ve been effectively continuously present in the Middle East in one shape or form since 1990 and the invasion of Kuwait.

“I eluded to the necessity of bolstering local security forces which is what we are doing in Afghanistan even after we left Oruzgan, we still have 300 people in Afghanistan helping to build the Afghan Security and Defence Force at an institutional level so that’s a possible thing but again it depends on, in this case, what the government of Iraq seeks from international partners and how government considers that in the context of Australia’s national interest.”

Defence Minister Marise Payne told the committee the matters of deployment, at the request of other nations, were constantly under review and she and her military chiefs were in constant dialogue with others on what’s of best interests, theirs and ours.



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The ADF has an estimated 780 personnel in Iraq.