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CAPABILITIES

The changing strategic environment highlights the need for the ADF to be a flexible and adaptable defence force, which is ready to be deployed at short notice and can be sustained on operations for as long as required. Capability is the power to achieve a desired effect in a nominated environment in a specified period of time, and to sustain it for a designated period.

Defence maintains a force structure with the following elements:

Navy

• a surface combatant force of five Adelaide-class guided missile frigates (to be reduced to four in early 2008) and eight Anzac-class frigates
• a naval aviation force comprising 16 Seahawk helicopters, six Sea King helicopters and 13 Squirrel helicopters
• a surface patrol capability comprising 14 Armidale-class patrol boats, manned by 21 crews
• six Collins-class submarines
• an afloat support capability consisting of an oil tanker and a replenishment ship
• a mine warfare force comprising six Huon-class coastal mine hunters, two auxiliary minesweepers and two clearance diving teams
• an amphibious lift force comprising two amphibious landing ships, one heavy landing ship and six heavy landing craft
• a hydrographic force consisting of two Leeuwin-class hydrographic ships and their embarked survey motor boats, four Paluma-class survey motor launches, a laser airborne depth sounder aircraft and a deployable geospatial support team (formerly the Deployable Survey Unit).

• a special forces capability comprising a Special Air Service regiment, a Regular Army commando battalion; an Army Reserve commando regiment and an Incident Response Regiment
• a medium combined arms operations capability based on 1st Brigade, consisting of a tank regiment, a cavalry regiment, one mechanised infantry battalion, a medium artillery regiment; a combat engineer regiment, a signals regiment and a combat service support battalion
• a light combined arms operations capability based on 3rd Brigade, consisting of an infantry mobility vehicle squadron, three light infantry battalions, a field artillery regiment, a combat engineer regiment, a signals regiment and a combat service support battalion
• a motorised combined arms capability, based on 7th Brigade, consisting of a cavalry regiment, a motorised infantry battalion, a field artillery regiment, a combat engineer regiment, a signals squadron and a combat service support battalion
• a regional surveillance capability based on three regional force surveillance units
• an aviation capability based on 16th Brigade consisting of two aviation regiments and two aviation squadrons operating both rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft including Black Hawk, Kiowa, Iroquois and Chinook helicopters, and leased King Air fixed-wing aircraft
• a ground-based air defence capability which maintains a ground-based air defence system consisting of RBS-70 shoulder-launched missile systems
• a combat support force, consisting of a surveillance and target acquisition regiment, an engineer support regiment headquarters, two Regular Army engineer construction squadrons, a construction engineer works section, a topographical survey squadron, a signals regiment, an electronic warfare regiment, an intelligence battalion, a military police battalion, a ground liaison group and a combat training centre
• a logistic support capability based on the 17th Brigade consisting of a signals regiment, three force support battalions, a personnel support battalion, three health support battalions and a psychology unit
• a protective operations capability drawn from the Army Reserve, with six brigades each comprising two or three infantry battalions; a light cavalry unit and combat support and logistic support units.

• an air combat force of 17 F-111C, four RF-111C and 71 F/A-18 aircraft, crews, weapon systems and support infrastructure. 33 HawkLead-In fighter aircraft and four PC-9 Forward Air Control aircraft also contribute to this force
• a combat support force comprising two expeditionary combat support wings and a health services wing
• a surveillance and response force, consisting of air traffic control radar, tactical air defence radars, the Jindalee Operational Radar Network - a wide-area surveillance system monitoring Australia’s northern approaches, and 19 P-3C Orion aircraft, crews and weapons systems
• an airlift force consisting of 24 C-130 Hercules, 14 DHC-4 Caribou, two Boeing 707, and five VIP aircraft - two Boeing 737 BBJ and three CL604 Challenger aircraft. Two C-17 Globemaster aircraft have been delivered and a further two will be delivered during 2008.