Defense Affairs
Chile and Australia participate in the Largest Pacific Maritime Exercise
Between the 26th of June and the 28th of July, seven Pacific Rim nations along with United Kingdom participated in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2006. RIMPAC is the largest combined maritime exercise in the world and this year was held in Hawaii.
RIMPAC 2006 unites the naval forces of Australia, Canada, Chile, Korea, the USA, Japan, Peru and the United Kingdom.
This year’s exercise is the 20th meeting of RIMPAC, which began in 1971. Participating in the event are 35 ships, including one aircraft carrier and six submarines, more than 160 aircraft and 18,000 crew members, pilots, marines, soldiers and coast guards.
Military Attaché visit to Singapore
The Chilean Military Attaché in Australia, Colonel Eugenio de la Cerda, was invited to Singapore from the 22nd to the 23rd of May this year. The visit transpired as a consequence of an invitation extended in January of this year by the Chief of the Singaporean Army, Major General Desmond Kuek Bak Chye, to the then Commander in Chief of the Chilean Army, General Cheyre. The aim of the visit was to exchange experiences in regards to the processes of modernisation that are occurring in both countries.
Colonel De la Cerda took part in a meeting in the Ministry of Defence with the Assistant Chief of General Staff. Both parties explained their respective experiences in regard to the issues of transformation and modernisation of their institutions; this allowed for a valuable interchange of information between both groups. The Colonel also visited the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI) where he was shown the curriculum and the training system for the local armed forces. One of the main characteristics of the SAFTI is the joint formation, in the same institute, of army, navy and air force officials.
In the sphere of technology application, Colonel De la Cerda visited the facilities of the company “Singapore Technologies Kinetics”. The Colonel was able to see some of the elements the company supplies to the Singaporean Army, such as assault rifles, all-terrain vehicles and infantry combat vehicles.
Participation in the “Pacific Protector 06” exercise
Between the 3rd and the 7th of April the Military, Naval and Aerial Attaché participated as an observer in the joint exercise “Pacific Protector 06” which took place in Darwin, Northern Territory.
The initiative, known as the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), was sponsored by the Australian Department of Defence and was held in coordination with the Australian Federal Police, the Department of Immigration, the Australian Customs Service and the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS). Delegations or representatives of 32 countries participated in the event which sought multilateral cooperation to halt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Visit of the Commander in Chief of the Army
From the 14 - 17 of February the former Army Commander of Education and Doctrines and recently designated Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army, General Oscar Izurieta, visited his Australian counterparts in Sydney and Canberra in order to strengthen the achievements which were attained in 2005 with the admission of the Chilean Army to the Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (PACC).
During his stay in Sydney, General Izurieta visited the facilities at the Randwick Barracks, the Army Training Command Unit and the General Command Unit. In Canberra he had an interview with Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Forces, TGL Peter Leahy, Army Commander-in-Chief and met with the Australian Minister of Defense, Mr. Brendan Nelson. Furthermore, he attended a presentation on Peacetime Operations and Complex War-Fighting. Before leaving the country the Commander-in-Chief visited the Australian War Memorial.
Celebration of “Armed Forces Day” in 2005
In celebration of Armed Forces Day, the 19th of September 2005, the then Ambassador Fernando Schmidt and the Military Attaché Colonel Eugenio de la Cerda organised a reception at the Ambassador’s Official Residence. Present at the reception were the Commander in Chief of the Australian Defence Forces, Marshall Angus Houston, the vice-chief of the Australian Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie, high ranking officials from other Latin American embassies, Military Attachés from other countries and members of the local Chilean community.
Peacetime Operations
In another aspect of bilateral relations, it is interesting to mention the participation of a unit of Army helicopters (33 soldiers with 3 helicopters) in a peacetime operation in the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). This has been a joint effort since 2000 with the Australian Defence Force. Ex President Lagos took advantage of the APEC leaders summit in Brunei of 2000 to personally visit the Army personnel stationed there.
Both Governments have pledged to increase relations in the area of peacetime relations. This is illustrated in the Joint Statement released in conjunction with the visit of the former President Ricardo Lagos to Australia.
Official Visit of the Chilean Minister for Defence to Australia
The Australian Government extended an official invitation to the then Minister for National Defence and the current President of Chile, Dr Michelle Bachelet Jeria. The Minister visited Australia with the objective of strengthening military ties and increasing cooperation in the areas of security and defence. Her visit took place from the 30th of May to the 2nd of June in 2004.
The Minister for Defence was received by the highest authorities of the country including the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Minister of Defence, the Deputy-Minister for Fisheries, the Deputy-Minister for Defence, the Commander in Chief of the Australian Armed Forces, the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence and Parliamentarians and Senators from the Australia-Chile Parliamentary Group.
The Minister also performed a number of technical visits including visits to the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Australian Defence College.
More details about the current President of Chile’s visit to Australia as the Minister for Defence can be accessed here
Establishment of a Military Attaché in the Chilean Embassy
In January of 2003, the Chilean Ministry of Defence attended the opening of the Military, Naval and Aerial Attaché in the Chilean Embassy in Australia. Every two years the responsibility of the Attaché alternates between the Chilean Army and the Chilean Navy. A representative is selected by the department which holds responsibility for the Attaché.
Last updated: September 11, 2006