Operation Relex
Operation Relex is the name given to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) border protection operation in the country's northern approaches conducted between 2001 and 2006. The operation was instigated following the Tampa affair in September 2001 and the Australian government's resultant Pacific Solution. The focus of Operation Relex was illegal immigration, with assets from all three services of the ADF deployed to prevent the arrival of Suspected Illegal Entry Vessels (SIEV) in the Australian migration zone.
The primary period of activity of Operation Relex was between October and December 2001 when ten SIEV were intercepted by HMA Ships Warramunga, Arunta, and Leeuwin, assisted by several Fremantle-class patrol boats.
Operation Relex was folded into the broader border protection activity named Operation Resolute which commenced in July 2006. In 2013, the Abbott Government implemented Operation Sovereign Borders.
Operational Service Medal - Border Protection
The Australian Government issued a medal for service on Border Protection on 22 May 2012.[1]
To qualify, ADF members must have been deployed or force assigned for duty as a member of a declared operation:
- for a period of not less than an aggregate of 30 days; or
- completed 30 sorties from a unit assigned to a declared operation, provided that those sorties were conducted over a period of not less than an aggregate of 30 days at a rate of one sortie per day.
Op Relex
3 September to 13 March 2002
| Rotation | Date From | Date To | Ship(s) | Unit/Sub Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSE 1 | OCT MID | DEC MID | TEMPA | 5/7 RAR |
| TSE 1 | MID NOVEMBER | ERALY DEC | HMAS ARUNTA | 5/7 RAR |
| TSE 3 | Sep 01 | Dec 01 | HMAS Lewin | 1st Armoured Regiment (Tank) and 5/7RAR |
| TSE 4 | Sep 01 | Nov 01 | HMAS Tobruk | 1st Armoured Regiment (Tank) |
| TSE 5 | Nov 01 | 20 Jan 02 | HMA Ships Arunta and Warramunga | 101 MDM BTY, 8/12 Medium Regiment |
| TSE 6 | 01 JAN 02 | 18 FEB 02 | HMAS Melville | 103 MDM BTY, 8/12 MDM REGT |
| TSE 7 | ||||
| TSE 8 | ||||
| TSE 9 | ||||
| TSE 10 | ||||
| TSE 11 | HMAS ANZAC | 1st Armoured Regiment | ||
| TSE 12 | 27 March 2002 | 2 May 2002 | HMAS Leeuwin & HMAS Melville | 1 CSSB + 5/7 RAR Detachment |
Op Relex II
14 March 2002 to 16 July 2006
| Rotation | Date From | Date To | Ship(s) | Unit/Sub Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSE 13 | HMAS Darwin | HQ BTY, 8/12 Medium Regiment | ||
| TSE 14 | HMAS Adelaide | 101 MDM BTY, 8/12 Medium Regiment | ||
| TSE 15 | ||||
| TSE 16 | ||||
| TSE 17 | ||||
| TSE 18 | ||||
| TSE 19 | ||||
| TSE 20 | ||||
| TSE 21 | ||||
| TSE 22 | ||||
| TSE 23 | 26 Oct 02 | 02 Feb 03 | HMAS Leeuwin, Warramunga & Tobruk | 1st Armoured/ 2 Cav Regiment |
| TSE 24 | 16 Sep 02 | 1 Jan 03 | HMAS Melville | 1 BDE |
| TSE 25 | Jul 02 | Sep 02 | HMAS Tobruk, Adelaide & Warramunga | 2CER, 1 Fd Regt, 2/14 LHR |
| TSE 26 | Dec 02 | Mar 03 | HMAS Warramunga | 1 JSU, 16 ADR, 4th MP Company |
| TSE 27 | ||||
| TSE 28 | ||||
| TSE 29 | ||||
| TSE 30 | ||||
| TSE 31 | 4 Field Regiment | |||
| TSE 32 | Feb 2004 | May 2004 | HMAS Anzac, HMAS Warramunga, HMAS Adelaide | 1st Field Regiment (now 1st Regiment) |
| TSE 35 | Oct 2004 | Feb 04 | HMAS Ballarat, Parramatta | 2 DIV units/ 8 BDE |
HMA Ships Involved in Op Relex
Major Fleet Units
| Relex | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unit | Entered Operation | Exited Operation |
| HMAS Adelaide | 19 Sep 01 | 12 Oct 01 |
| HMAS Anzac | 19 Jan 02 | 7 Apr 02 |
| HMAS Arunta | 2 Sep 01 | 20 Sep 01 |
| 10 Oct 01 | 19 Dec 01 | |
| HMAS Newcastle | 30 Aug 01 | 28 Sep 01 |
| HMAS Warramunga | 30 Aug 01 | 23 Sep 01 |
| 27 Sep 01 | 14 Nov 01 | |
| 19 Dec 01 | 20 Jan 02 | |
| HMAS Manoora | 2 Sep 01 | 6 Oct 01 |
| HMAS Tobruk | 10 Sep 01 | 14 Dec 01 |
| HMAS Westralia | 30 Aug 01 | 24 Sep 01 |
| 27 Sep 01 | 29 Sep 01 | |
| 11 Oct 01 | 17 Oct 01 | |
| 30 Oct 01 | 03 Nov 01 | |
| 15 Nov 01 | 26 Nov 01 | |
| 18 Jan 02 | 20 Jan 02 | |
| HMAS Leeuwin | 14 Nov 01 | 2 Jan 02 |
| 16 Feb 02 | 14 Apr 02 | |
| HMAS Melville | 30 Dec 01 | 18 Feb 02 |
Patrol Boats
| Relex | Cranberry | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | Entered Operation | Exited Operation | Entered Operation | Exited Operation |
| HMAS Bendigo | 30 Sep 01 | 2 Oct 01 | 21 Sep 01 | 3- Sep 01 |
| 16 Oct | 18 Oct 01 | 2 Oct 01 | 16 Oct 01 | |
| 23 Oct 01 | 1 Nov 01 | 18 Oct 01 | 23 Oct 01 | |
| 1 Feb 02 | 1 Nov 01 | 18 Oct 01 | 19 Nov 01 | |
| 9 Feb 02 | 12 Feb 02 | 11 Jan 02 | 21 Jan 02 | |
| 15 Feb 02 | 21 Feb 02 | 25 Jan 02 | 1 Feb 02 | |
| 25 Feb 02 | 27 Feb 02 | 3 Feb 02 | 6 Feb 02 | |
| 2 Mar 02 | 4 Mar 02 | 9 Feb 02 | 9 Feb 02 | |
| 12 Feb 02 | 15 Feb 02 | |||
| 27 Feb 02 | 15 Feb 02 | |||
| 4 Mar 02 | 8 Mar 02 | |||
| 1 Apr 02 | 9 Apr 02 | |||
| HMAS Bunbury | 30 Sep 01 | 1 Oct 01 | 25 Sep 01 | 30 Sep 01 |
| 20 Oct 01 | 26 Oct 01 | 1 Oct 01 | 20 Oct 01 | |
| 30 Oct 01 | 3 Nov 01 | 26 Oct 01 | 30 Oct 01 | |
| 9 Nov 01 | 15 Nov 01 | 3 Nov 01 | 9 Nov 01 | |
| 11 Feb 02 | 17 Feb 02 | 15 Nov 01 | 19 Nov 01 | |
| 20 Feb 02 | 25 Feb 02 | 2 Feb 02 | 11 Feb 02 | |
| 27 Feb 02 | 28 Feb 02 | 17 Feb 02 | 27 Feb 02 | |
| 28 Feb 02 | 6 Mar 02 | |||
| 8 Mar 02 | 11 Mar 02 | |||
| 15 Mar 02 | 18 Mar 02 | |||
| HMAS Cessnock | 5 Nov 01 | 7 Nov 01 | 10 Aug 01 | 23 Aug 01 |
| 12 Nov 01 | 16 Nov 01 | 14 Sep 01 | 24 Sep 01 | |
| 1 Dec 01 | 4 Dec 01 | 2 Nov 01 | 5 Nov 01 | |
| 8 Dec 01 | 13 Dec 01 | 7 Nov 01 | 12 Nov 01 | |
| 18 Dec 01 | 21 Dec 01 | 16 Nov 01 | 1 Dec 01 | |
| 4 Mar 02 | 6 Mar | 4 Dec 01 | 8 Dec 01 | |
| 7 Mar 02 | 8 Mar 02 | 13 Dec 01 | 16 Dec 01 | |
| 1 Mar 02 | 6 Mar 02 | 21 Dec 01 | 7 Jan 02 | |
| 9 Mar 02 | 12 Mar 02 | 18 Feb 02 | 25 Feb 02 | |
| 14 Mar 02 | 14 Mar 02 | 6 Mar 02 | 8 Mar 02 | |
| 9 Mar 02 | 23 Mar 02 | |||
| 27 Mar 02 | 29 Mar 02 | |||
| 6 Apr 02 | 8 Apr 02 | |||
| HMAS Dubbo | 15 Sep 01 | 17 Sep 01 | 7 Sep 01 | 15 Sep 01 |
| 13 Oct 01 | 16 Oct 01 | 17 Sep 01 | 13 Oct 01 | |
| 2 Nov 01 | 8 Nov 01 | 16 Oct 01 | 2 Nov 01 | |
| 8 Nov 01 | 10 Nov 01 | 8 Nov 01 | 8 Nov 01 | |
| 10 Nov 01 | 12 Nov 01 | |||
| 23 Mar 02 | 25 Mar 02 | |||
| 28 Mar 02 | 1 Apr 02 | |||
| 6 Apr 02 | 10 Apr 02 | |||
| 11 Apr 02 | 10 Apr 02 | |||
| 16 Apr 02 | 17 Apr 02 | |||
| HMAS Ipswich | 22 Dec 01 | 28 Dec 01 | 17 Aug 01 | 20 Aug 01 |
| 2 Jan 02 | 5 Jan 02 | 11 Oct 01 | 15 Oct 01 | |
| 11 Jan 02 | 15 Jan 02 | 7 Dec 01 | 22 dec 01 | |
| 23 Jan 02 | 26 Jan 02 | 28 Dec 01 | 2 Jan 02 | |
| 5 Jan 02 | 12 Jan 02 | |||
| 15 Jan 02 | 23 Jan 02 | |||
| 15 Jan 02 | 23 Jan 02 | |||
| 26 Jan 02 | 4 Feb 02 | |||
| HMAS Launceston | 6 Nov 01 | 11 Nov 01 | 16 Aug 01 | 17 Sep 01 |
| 12 Dec 01 | 16 Dec 01 | 3 Nov 01 | 6 Nov 01 | |
| 17 Dec 01 | 18 Dec 01 | 11 Nov 01 | 17 Nov 01 | |
| 19 Feb 01 | 23 Feb 02 | 19 Nov 01 | 23 Nov 01 | |
| 27 Feb 02 | 2 Mar 02 | 15 Feb 02 | 19 Feb 02 | |
| 7 Mar 02 | 10 Mar 02 | 23 Feb 02 | 27 Feb 02 | |
| 2 Mar 02 | 7 Mar 02 | |||
| 10 Mar 02 | 16 Mar 02 | |||
| 24 Mar 02 | 25 Mar 02 | |||
| HMAS Townsville | 12 Oct 01 | 18 Oct 01 | 29 Jul 01 | 3 Aug 01 |
| 23 Oct 01 | 28 Oct 01 | 21 Sep 01 | 12 Oct 01 | |
| 21 Jan 02 | 26 Jan 02 | 18 Oct 02 | 23 Oct 02 | |
| 30 Jan 02 | 4 Feb 02 | 26 Jan 02 | 30 Jan 02 | |
| 4 Jan 02 | 21 Jan 02 | |||
| 26 Jan 02 | 30 Jan 02 | |||
| 4 Feb 02 | 9 Feb 02 | |||
| 12 Feb 02 | 23 Feb 02 | |||
| HMAS Townsville | 24 Nov 01 | 28 Nov 01 | 8 Nov 01 | 24 Nov 01 |
| 4 Dec 01 | 6 Dec 01 | 28 Nov 01 | 4 Dec 01 | |
| 15 Feb 02 | 21 Feb 02 | 6 Dec 01 | 10 Dec 01 | |
| 25 Feb 02 | 28 Feb 02 | 14 Feb 02 | 15 Feb 02 | |
| 11 Mar 02 | (16 Mar 02) | 21 Feb 02 | 25 Feb 02 | |
| 28 Feb 02 | 4 Mar 02 | |||
| 8 Mar 02 | 1 Mar 02 | |||
| 16 Mar 02 | 18 Mar 02 | |||
| 30 Mar 02 | 5 Apr 01 | |||
| 11 Apr 02 | 15 Apr 02 | |||
| HMAS Whyalla | 9 Oct 01 | 14 Oct 01 | 14 Sep 01 | 18 Sep 01 |
| 18 Oct 01 | 24 Oct 01 | 21 Sep 01 | 7 Oct 01 | |
| 26 Dec 01 | 30 Dec 01 | 14 Oct 01 | 18 Oct 01 | |
| 4 Jan 02 | 9 Jan 02 | 24 Oct 01 | 12 Nov 01 | |
| 13 Jan 02 | 18 Jan 02 | 30 Dec 01 | 4 Jan 02 | |
| 5 Jan 02 | 13 Jan 02 | |||
| 18 Jan 02 | 4 Feb 02 | |||
| 29 Mar 02 | 10 Apr 02 | |||
| 11 Apr 02 | 16 Apr 02 | |||
| 16 Apr 02 | 16 Apr 02 | |||
| 17 Apr 02 | NDA | |||
| HMAS Woolongong | 27 Oct 01 | 3 Nov 01 | 27 Oct 01 | 27 Oct 01 |
| 6 Nov 01 | 13 Nov 01 | 3 Oct 01 | 6 Nov 01 | |
| 28 Nov 01 | 1 Dec 01 | 13 Dec 01 | 28 Nov 01 | |
| 28 Jan 02 | 30 Jan 02 | 1 Dec 01 | 9 Dec 01 | |
| 3 Feb 02 | 7 Feb 02 | 14 Dec 01 | 17 Dec 01 | |
| 13 Feb 02 | 16 Feb 02 | 30 Dec 01 | 9 Feb 02 | |
| 30 Jan 02 | 3 Feb 02 | |||
| 7 Feb 02 | 13 Feb 02 | |||
| 16 Feb 02 | 18 Feb 02 | |||
| 13 Apr 02 | 15 Apr 02 | |||
References
- ↑ "Australian Operational Service Medal - Border Protection". Australian Government, Department of Defence. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
- "Operation RESOLUTE". Department of Defence. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
- "Operation RELEX II". Department of Defence. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
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