What happened? Just over a week into the war, and Australia is sending military assets to the Middle East.
The Prime Minister announced on Tuesday the deployment of a surveillance aircraft, a crew of 85, and missiles to the United Arab Emirates after a request from President Mohammed bin Zayed.
What are we sending? The E-7A Wedgetail is a surveillance aircraft the government says is one of the best in the world in terms of airborne, long-range intelligence gathering and command. Along with the aircraft will be a standard crew of 85 people.
A Wedgetail was previously deployed to Ukraine in support of the war effort against Russia.
Australia will maintain command of the plane during its four week deployment.
Missiles: At the UAE’s request Australia will also be providing “Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles”. These will be fired from the air against Iranian rockets and drones attacking UAE airspace.
The number of missiles being provided is unclear, and Australia does not have final control on how these missiles are used.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said, “I want to emphasise in relation to the [missiles], they are a purely defensive weapon and so we're confident about their use”.
Why are we doing this? The Government has justified the deployment, calling it a request of a friend and a way to protect Australian citizens.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there are roughly 115,000 Australians in the Middle East and around 24,000 of those in the UAE.
“What we are doing is providing for the defence of the UAE and of Australian citizens,” he said.
Thumnail: AAP Image