DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545
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MSPA 022/10
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
ADF SUPPORT TO HAITI
The Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the relief effort in Haiti commenced
today with the initial deployment of Royal Australian Air Force Air Traffic
Controllers (ATC).
Two RAAF ATC officers, including the contingent commander Flight Lieutenant
Matthew Ferguson-McLellan, departed Sydney this afternoon for Miami and will be
joined later this week by three more officers. The group will conduct pre-deployment
training in Miami then move forward to Haiti.
Group Captain Forster Breckenridge, Officer Commanding Number 44 Wing, where
the ATC are drawn from, said the team is eager to get to Haiti, wanting to help those
suffering from the effects of the disaster.
“We want to get on the ground and start working to get the relief flights into those
who so desperately need it,” he said.
“The Air Traffic Control Officers will be embedded with a US Air Force team to
provide specialist duties including tower and approach control in Haiti”, Group
Captain Breckenridge said.
“This deployment will build on the experience gained by the RAAF performing
similar duties in Iraq.
“We have worked closely with our US air traffic control counterparts in the Middle
East so the skill sets and methods of operations are well known and understood by
both forces.
“These officers will help alleviate the pressure and improve safety at the main airport
in Haiti where much of the air traffic for this aid operation is arriving.”
The highly trained RAAF ATCs will provide integrated civil/military Air Traffic
Services to support humanitarian assistance operations, using skills honed in
Baghdad, Sinai, Somalia, East Timor, Solomon Islands, Banda Aceh and Sudan.
The five officers will deploy to Haiti for up to two months, subject to regular reviews
of the situation.
Media note: Imagery is available at:
Group Captain Forster Breckenridge, Officer Commanding Number 44 Wing is
available for interview.
Media contact: Defence Media Liaison: (02) 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
NEWS 
