The FINANCIAL -- More than 100 Australian Defence Force personnel are heading home to Australia after a four-month deployment on Operation ANODE, contributing to the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.

The troops are predominantly drawn from the Australian Army Reserve’s 5th Brigade, based in the Australian Capital Territory and regional New South Wales.

Commanding Officer of Combined Task Force 635, Lieutenant Colonel Campbell Smith said the main role of the Task Force is to provide support to the Participating Police Force, to ensure security within Solomon Islands.RAMSI’s mission is to assist Solomon Islands Government in maintaining security, law and justice, economic governance and improving the machinery of government.

Due to the improving security situation, Rotation 25 was able to spend time undertaking specific military training which will be of value to the troops when they return home.

Lieutenant Colonel Smith said this included conducting a Junior Leadership Course which is the first course a soldier has to complete to be promoted to Corporal.Rotation 25 has been officially replaced by Rotation 26, which is drawn mainly from the Queensland based 11th Brigade.

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