A multi-Agency taskforce within the Australian Border Force (ABF) has wrapped up a maritime surveillance and response capability operation on the Western Australian coast which put to work the combined assets of the ABF, Royal Australian Air Force and the Army with support from the Department of Home Affairs, Australian Federal Police and Western Australian Police Force.
In a report on the tw0-week event, ABF said its Maritime Border Command (MBC), ran the activity, primarily focusing on the Exmouth to Coral Bay area and adjacent western shipping routes, more than 1,000km north of Perth.
“Soldiers from The Pilbara Regiment deployed from regional towns to assist in the surveillance effort, with their local knowledge proving invaluable in the protection of country,” ABF said.
“Overt operational activities included a beach landing of a Regional Force Surveillance Group (RFSG) patrol aboard an LCM-8 landing craft at Norwegian Bay, 60 kilometres north of Coral Bay.”
It said the landing represented the first operational use of small commercial off-the-shelf unmanned aircraft systems by the RFSG, with imagery of areas of interest captured remotely by operators in a concealed location.
Commander of the MBC, Rear Admiral Lee Goddard said the deployment was a clear demonstration of the whole-of-Government commitment to detect and deter criminal activity along Australia’s vast coastline.
Rear Admiral Goddard said the activities were part of MBC’s enduring surveillance and response program.
