in Afghanistan - CONTACT magazine

SOTG IN THE GHAN
On assignment with Australia’s
Special
Operations
Task Group
in Afghanistan
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PHOTOS BY CORPORAL CHRIS MOORE
1ST JOINT PUBLIC AFFAIRS UNIT
AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE
ON ASSIGNMENT
OCTOBER 2010
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SOTG IN THE GHAN
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SOTG IN THE GHAN
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SOTG IN THE GHAN
THE AUSTRALIAN SPECIAL
OPERATIONS TASK GROUP
(SOTG) IS DEPLOYED TO
SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
TO CONDUCT POPULATIONCENTRIC, SECURITY AND
COUNTER-NETWORK
OPERATIONS.
AT AROUND 300 PERSONNEL,
THE SOTG IS ONE OF THE
LARGEST, MOST POTENT
SPECIAL FORCES UNITS IN
AFGHANISTAN. IT IS BASED IN
MULTI-NATIONAL BASE TARIN
KOT BUT HAS COMMAND
AND LIAISON ELEMENTS IN
KANDAHAR AND KABUL.
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THE SOTG TRAINS, MENTORS
AND PARTNERS WITH AFGHAN
NATIONAL POLICE OFFICERS
FROM THE URUZGAN
PROVINCIAL RESPONSE
COMPANY (PRC) AND OTHER
BRANCHES OF THE AFGHAN
NATIONAL SECURITY FORCES,
IN ORDER TO BUILD THEIR
CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY
TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN
SECURITY AND
STABILITY IN THE
REGION.
SOTG MEMBERS
ENJOY ‘PROTECTED
IDENTITY’ STATUS.
lethal...
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SOTG IN THE GHAN
day
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SOTG IN THE GHAN
Both electronic
– both free –
thanks to Military Photography
Photographer, Corporal Chris Moore, won the 2011 Damien Parer Award for the above photo of Australian SOTG members training in Afghanistan. The Damien Parer
Award is given to the Australian Army’s photographer of the year. The competition is open only to the Army’s small cadre of highly skilled Australian Army Public Relations
Service – AAPRS – photographers who deploy throughout Australia and the world to photograph and video Australian forces in action. AAPRS is one of the Australian
Army’s youngest and smallest Corps.
Register at
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Cameraman
Corporal Chris Moore
1st Joint Public Affairs Unit
This issue’s featured photographic essay is the
work of Australia Army photographer Corporal
Chris Moore who, among other things, won last
year’s Army Photographer of the Year Award for
one of the photos in the above essay.
C
hris Moore enlisted in the Australian
Army Reserve in 1996 as a rifleman
with 1 Commando Company, in
Mossman, New South Wales and, after initial
infantry training, transferred to 2/17 Royal
New South Wales Regiment in 2000, where he
was a small-arms coach.
In 2003, Chris transferred to the Australian
Regular Army and, after initial corps training,
was posted to the Australian Army Aviation
Corps as an aircraft-support groundcrewman
at 5 Aviation Regiment, Townsville.
A year later, he was posted to 171
Operational Support Squadron, Oakey,
becoming the unit photographer on top of
his normal duties and, as such, recording the
last flights of Australia’s ‘Huey’ helicopter.
Chris transferred to the 1st Joint Public
Affairs Unit (1JPAU), Canberra, in June 2006
where he commenced and eventually
completed rigorous PR-photographer
training, after which he formally transferred to
the Australian Army Public Relations Service.
This corps transfer also meant a promotion
to corporal.
During his service at 1JPAU, Corporal
Moore has been deployed to cover domestic
Operations Deluge (APEC), Amulet (CHOGM)
and Resolute (border protection).
He has also deployed several times to
East Timor on Op Astute, and throughout
the pacific region on numerous occasions
to cover humanitarian-assistance missions
such as Op Papua New Guinea Assist
(humanitarian response to flooding in Oro
province after a cyclone in November 2007),
Op Kokoda Assist (recovery of victims from
a plane crash near Kokoda, PNG, in August
2009), and Op Samoa Assist (humanitarian
response after an earthquake and tsunami in
September 2009).
In 2010, Chris was deployed at short notice
to Pakistan for Operation Pakistan Assist
II (primary health-care mission following
devastating floods) and, shortly after, to
Afghanistan on Operation Slipper in support
of a Prime Ministerial visit to the troops.
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During this deployment, Chris was also
attached to the Special Operations Task
Group (SOTG) for a short period, and it is the
results of this assignment that make up our
feature photographic essay in the first ever
issue of COMBAT Camera.
In his private life, Chris Moore is single and
enjoys body surfing, cycling and travelling. At
least that last item also suits his professional
lifestyle!
Top: Corporal Chris Moore,
1st Joint Public Affairs Unit,
in formal portrait. Photo
by Able Seaman Lee-Anne
Mack.
Right: Getting close to the
action while photographing
a 2 Commando Regiment
training exercise at
Holsworthy Barracks. Photo
by Brian Hartigan.
Below: Getting on top of
things during an equipment
display at Holsworthy.
Photo by Brian Hartigan.
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