Meritorious Unit Citation
For sustained outstanding service in warlike operations in providing expeditionary communication and information systems support during Operations BASTILLE and FALCONER.
Number 1 Combat Communications Squadron is based at Royal Australian Air Force Base Richmond, and was given the mission of providing communications and information systems support to deployed elements of the Royal Australian Air Force, on deployment on combat operations in the Middle East Area of Operations. During Operations BASTILLE and FALCONER, the Squadron provided meritorious service to the Royal Australian Air Force mission through the provision of expeditionary combat communications to elements which were deployed to four separate locations in the Middle East Area of Operations.
The successful provision of this vital communications support was only achieved after the Squadron completed detailed tactical planning and identified and completed some extensive modifications to existing and new communications equipment in a very short timeframe to meet the planned mission. The requirement for the communications packages and personnel to be able to integrate with the Coalition Theatre communications plan meant the Squadron was required to mobilise all of its Australian based communications assets and trained personnel. In addition, the Squadron had to undertake specialised force and battle preparation activities of personnel and equipment. Under considerable time pressure, the Squadron worked very long hours and showed outstanding ingenuity and resourcefulness to provide the right communications packages capable of supporting air combat operations. The Unit demonstrated the highest levels of professional excellence, technical expertise and dedication throughout the hectic preparation period.
Once deployed to the Area of Operations, the Squadron elements provided manning and specialist expertise in the delivery of the full range of communications and data requirements for the Australian aviation elements. The Squadron successfully provided air-ground-air voice nets, satellite communications bearers, classified and restricted information systems and conduits for the delivery of joint command and control and logistics systems. The communications provided by Number 1 Combat Communications Squadron ensured that the functions of command, air combat, air transport and logistics could be carried out with speed and confidence by all levels of the Australian command team and the operational elements. In addition, that these critical communications and network links were sustained under heavy usage and in a harsh and demanding environment is a credit to the hard work, professional skills and ingenuity of the Squadron personnel. Their efforts played a major part in the success of the Australian contribution to the Coalition to disarm Iraq.
Through the combined efforts of the Squadron's command, planning, maintenance, logistics and technical sections, Number 1 Combat Communications Squadron provided meritorious service to the Royal Australian Air Force in the provision of expeditionary communications support during Operations BASTILLE and FALCONER.
Members that were posted to the Squadron and deployed on Operation FALCONER in 2003 are entitled to wear the Meritorious Unit Citation Badge with Federation Star for life. Personnel who joined the Squadron after Operation FALCONER are entitled to wear the Meritorious Unit Citation Badge without Federation Star for the duration of their posting to 1CCS.
Read more about this topic: No. 1 Combat Communications Squadron RAAF
Famous quotes containing the words meritorious and/or unit:
“Arrogance on the part of the meritorious is even more offensive to us than the arrogance of those without merit: for merit itself is offensive.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“During the Suffragette revolt of 1913 I ... [urged] that what was needed was not the vote, but a constitutional amendment enacting that all representative bodies shall consist of women and men in equal numbers, whether elected or nominated or coopted or registered or picked up in the street like a coroner’s jury. In the case of elected bodies the only way of effecting this is by the Coupled Vote. The representative unit must not be a man or a woman but a man and a woman.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)