Australia has its own defence force that defends itself and assists many other nations. Defence is the action of defending from, or resisting attack. Although the main aim and purpose of this defence force is to protect people and fight in the “War on Terror”, it can have cultural, economic and geopolitical advantages and disadvantages.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation that is responsible for the defence of Australia. The ADF consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The ADF's comprises of around 59,000 full-time active-duty personnel, 22000 active reserves and 22,000 standby reserves which makes it one of the largest forces in Oceania.
The ADF are currently on a number of operations around the world including Operation SLIPPER and Operation PALATE II which are both stationed in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Operation SLIPPER commenced in 2001 and is still going today. There is an average of about 1550 personnel in Afghanistan each year. The aims of this operation are to train and mentor the Afghan National Army 4th Brigade in Uruzgan, build the capacity of the police force in Uruzgan, help to generate economic opportunities for the people and to disrupt insurgent operations. This operation will help give the Afghani people a better future as well as making them less reliant on first world countries. Another Operation is Operation PALATE II which is Australia’s contribution to the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA). Operation RESOLUTE protects Australia’s borders and offshore maritime interests. It protects Australia from such threats as Maritime terrorism, Piracy, robbery and violence at sea, and to stop prohibited imports and exports. The ADF personnel on this operation work from the air, the sea and the land to protect our borders.
Some of the cultural advantages of the ADF include learning and