Australia did not send a transport or supply plane to the Middle East. It sent an E-7A Wedgetail, built to see the wider air picture, track what is moving, and feed that information to the people running the operation. It is not dropping bombs, but it is not just along for the ride either.
According to Reuters, Australia announced on March 10 that it would deploy the aircraft for about four weeks to help protect Persian Gulf airspace, calling the mission defensive.
Then it went to work.
By mid-March, the Wedgetail was tracking drones and aircraft and feeding information to a growing allied support. Quietly. Just a crew doing what that airplane was built to do.
By late March and into early April, the aircraft had become part of the picture. Others were taking its data and working it into a wider flow of operations.
Then came April 9.
Reuters reported that Australia said it was taking steps to ensure its intelligence was used only for defensive purposes, not for offensive operations, even as the mission continued.
By then, the mission had already gone past its first four weeks. Time matters. A short deployment is easy to sell. An extension tells you the aircraft is useful. The system wants it there.
Australia is not alone. Reuters reporting also shows France with naval forces in the region, Britain coordinating while trying not to get pulled in too far, and countries like Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands giving support. Beyond them is a broader maritime security effort around the Strait of Hormuz, with more than a dozen countries joining to provide protection and stability.
Under that is a composite from radar, surveillance aircraft, ships, and data links. Once shared, it becomes part of the system, and everyone using it helps shape what comes next, even while saying they are still short of the line.
Australia is not striking targets. It is not saying it wants a bigger war. But it has placed one of its most capable command-and-control aircraft inside a growing coalition structure and is now carefully explaining where its responsibility ends. What gives that role extra weight is that the U.S. still does not have an operational E-7 fleet of its own. The American program is still in the prototype stage, which makes an allied Wedgetail in the air more than symbolic.
Good piece. Most people do not know the background on this topic. A quiet line up of countries with equipment and systems helping protect Gulf airspace and shipping. The E-7 is a good example. A powerful strategic contribution.
Every day there is change. Assets like this are large contributors to successful outcomes as strategies change constantly. A fine article at a critical time.
Raf,
For somebody who went to Vietnam and personally witnessed and participated in an undeclared, illegal, America splitting, polarizing, but none-the-less war, based on an underestimated once again contrived, once again highly propagandized enemy plus once again overestimated, once again, highly propagandized view of US military technical capability, superior strength, and lethality, it appears you sanction…once again another unjust, losing war.
Contrived enemy? Yes! The commies are coming! If we don’t stop the Commie gooks, these hordes of poor, uneducated, technically undophisticated, jungle hunter Asians will take over first all of Vietnam, then SE Asia, then spread Cold War communism for world wide rule. Those yellow Viet Cong, North Vietnamese regular commie terrorists and loser South Vietnam military unteachables need to be exterminated. 13 years later, 58k US KIA/MIA casualties, so deep in debt we had to come off the gold standard to print our way out of this resounding defeat. This followed with runaway inflation, demoralized military, fractured country, gas shortages, domestic debt, unaccountable amounts of abandoned military hardware, and wide spread sociatal drug use. But McNamara, along with the MIC, including the birth of the then new financial oligarchs made fortune.
Overestimating our military technology, capabilities, superior strength, and lethality? I just reviewed April 1975 Air Progress magazine for military updates of the YF-16, B1 Lancer, F-14 Tomcat, F-15, F-111 developments, production hassles, cost overruns, and inability to get production ramped up at the same time Saigon was falling in its final hours.
Following the US defeat of the Vietnam “conflict”, OPEC oil shortage crisis, credit card interest rates, and out of control inflation in 1979 Jimmy the peanut farmer turned peace president took in the now fleeing US puppet Shah of Iran for alleged medical care turned asylum facilitating the Ayatollah Khomenie’s successful take over of US vassal colony Iran after 26 years of oil resource plundering. This led to students taking US embassy employees hostage for 440+ days ending Jimmy’s career with the botched military rescue that destroyed a couple of Herc’s and accompanying helo’s too. Sound familiar to events a week ago?
Then we followed with attacking, pounding, softening up Lebanon including Beruit with resurrected WWII battleships, aerial bombardment by Navy and USAF combined aircraft before invading Lebanon including Beruit with US Marines alongside our Zionist IDF counterparts.
And if that was not enough, we convinced Iraq’s Saddam Hussein to invade Iran, funding/supplying his military, along with Germany supplying the chemical weapons, waging all out war including Iraq gassing the Iranian’s from 1980-88… all to defeat and attempt regime change of Iran. When that effort failed, we invaded Iraq, planted US bases all over Iraq surrounding Iran, turned on now former ally Saddam Hussein by killing him installing another US puppet, and sanctioning in every possible way…Iran. All of this Middle East carnage, propagandized and encouraged by Netanyahu, yeah the same guy, making the same claims since 1988, that Iran is one day, one week, one month away from building a nuke to launch against Israel and the multitude of US military bases throughout the Middle East. Therefore, these poor, illiterate, less than human Amalek goy must be exterminated by God’s “chosen” people. All of this financed and supplied by the USA. All of this led by Peace President Donald J Trump who posted himself in Truth Social as Jesus Christ, while Bibi once again attempting to invade Lebanon and finish off the genocide in Gaza, West Bank and Israel held Syria.
So Raf, to think the Aussie’s AWAC operation is some sort of fence straddling being both defensive and offensive in nature yet a vital component within an “operation ” but certainly not part of war, is a commentary word salad. You are articulate, intelligent, and experienced in war that to describe this Australian intelligence gathering as something noble, whithin a growing coalition of Spain, France, Italy, and the UK is a poor attempt on putting lipstick on this US/Israeli pig. Spain, France, and Italy has closed off it’s airspace, plus prohibited use of their respective bases for any strikes on Iran. France has refused to use their minesweepers on top of that. UK is sweating bullets that Iran can reach those US launch points with hypersonic missles. But the UK will not do more. The Donald is all over social media super pissed off about the LACK of NATO cooperation in striking Iran and supposed opening of an already open Strait of Hormuz. It’s just not open to countries supporting the US/Isael war machine.
Our solution? Blockade the Strait to open it up? And blockade it with what? 2 destroyers? Or maybe a carrier strike force over 1,000 kilometers out at sea from Iranian shoreline? The Aussies have made themselves legal targets by sending in this E-7. Not good since they have a severe gasoline shortage already.
And do you think the Middle East especially Iran has amnesia about all the events I shared, plus all of the US engagements ( not wars) since Desert Storm?
However, this is your commentary. You are entltled to your opinion. I respectfully disagree with your commentary. I believe it is Un-American and Un-Patriotic to launch a war without Congress, Constiturional, and/ or US voter’s consent. I think that doing so violates international law, our national laws… and doing so is committing war crimes against humanity. Vietnam ” conflict ” you participated in was a classic case. So was attacking Lebanon and starting and supporting the 1980-88 war between Iraq and Iran during my nine years of Navy service.
And in proudly initiating war against Iran, gives legal permission for Iran to retaliate. And to be such low life to attack and then double tap killing 200+ girls, teachers, and first responders with Tomahawks targeted on three schools to start this treachery is beyond despicable.
But once again, underestimating your contrived adversary, matched up with overestimating one’s capabilities, has been and will continue to be a truly bloody disaster not only for us, as it has been since WWII…for most of the planet this time specifically. Now the Aussies are targets.
History 101, you came in with tunnel vision on this one. You jumped straight to Vietnam, propaganda, and war crimes, and read my piece as if it were defending that whole mess.
My point was narrower. A country does not have to drop bombs to be complicit. Feed the picture, support the command flow, and you are inside the system.
That is how countries politicize staying out of the shooting while still being involved. Then comes the cleanup. Call it defensive, claim distance, and pretend noninvolvement.
Raf,
You better believe I have “tunnel vision” on this one. Indeed, my “tunnel vision” is very focused on my country’s “tunnel vision” of regime change foreign policy, Not figuratively, but literally thinks, acts, and behaves as we have since our Revolutionary War beginning, that through subterfuge followed with invasion, we violate the sovereignty of whomever we choose, whenever we choose, and by whatever methodology we choose, in slaughtering and displacement of the indigenous people’s government first, often followed with the likewise purging of the indigenous population themselves, and then occupying their land by force or by paid for proxy, for exploitation of their resources… in the name of God. Tunnel vision? Yes, guilty as charged.
Thank you for succinctly, clearly, with careful thought and articulation sum up your op-ed…
“You jumped straight to Vietnam, propaganda, and war crimes, and read my piece as if it were defending that whole mess.
My point was narrower. A country does not have to drop bombs to be complicit. Feed the picture, support the command flow, and you are inside the system.
That is how countries politicize staying out of the shooting while still being involved. Then comes the cleanup. Call it defensive, claim distance, and pretend noninvolvement.”
There is still a glimmer of hope contained in your response that our country can change it’s “tunnel vision” of barbaric, inhumane, bloodthirsty, disrespectful bully on the world stage foreign policy. It starts with understanding, willingly understanding your summation contained in response to my “tunnel vision”. Followed with actions here at home doing something to get the attention of our fellow countrymen on what we have become. We both know the personal cost involved with our country’s hubris of engaging in war. We also personally know the cost to the indigenous people. You are trying, I am trying, Russ is trying as senior citizen’s to be engaged in this incredible info war the best we know how.
Every country who has historically behaves this “tunnel vision” way meets it’s “Waterloo”, I believe, my country is at the crossroads of it’s Waterloo today.
History buddy, you need to step outside and take a deep breath! I am sure you have never made a dumb mistake that fell into the category of “it seemed like a good idea at the time”. Now back to the Wedge tail…
After almost 50 years in Aerospace, it always continues to amaze me how long it takes our DOD to execute a design and procurement program. It seems like we are falling farther and farther behind available technology.
https://www.twz.com/air/massive-leap-in-ability-to-spot-iranian-drones-headed-to-persian-gulf
Good article, it proves operational participation. Thanks, Martin.