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JOHN FAULKNER: All right. Thanks very much for coming. Can I just say that myself and Stephen will have to leave about five to two for question time.

Firstly ladies and gentlemen I just wanted to provide a brief update for you on our seven wounded soldiers. All seven commandos wounded in the helicopter incident in southern Afghanistanon Monday morning the 21 June, arrived at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre in Germanylate last night.

A medical assessment was conducted after their arrival. I can report that there has been no substantial change to their medical condition and I can also assure you, of course, that their medical condition is being constantly monitored.

Four are currently in a satisfactory condition. One is listed in a serious condition and two are listed in a very serious condition.

It goes without saying, and I know I speak for all Australians, that we wish them all a quick recovery. And I know also that we are all thinking of their families at this terrible time.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am here with the Minister for Foreign Affairs to announce today the new arrangements for military and civilian operations in Uruzgan province, something that, of course, will affect Australia's role in Afghanistan.

These changes are needed because of the impending withdrawal of the Dutch forces starting, as you know, at the beginning of August. I would like to say at the outset that the Dutch have been excellent partners in Uruzgan and during discussion about transition arrangements, over the past few months, I can say to you that they have been extremely helpful.

I met again with my counterpart, the Dutch Defence Minister, Eimert van Middelkoop, at NATO headquarters in Brussels a fortnight ago, about these issues and certainly informed him, as I think you've heard me say on many occasions, that we would very warmly welcome further Dutch commitment in Afghanistan and in Uruzgan after the new coalition government is formed in the Netherlands.

But ladies and gentlemen, we have had no choice but to plan on the basis of the Dutch withdrawal from Uruzgan. The new arrangements for UruzganProvincehave been agreed and endorsed by the United Statesand NATO. The new structure will involve a United Statesled multinational effort under an ISAF flag known as Combined Team Uruzgan.

Details of the United Statesforce lay down in Uruzgan is of course a matter for the United Statesto announce. I think we all need to respect that, but I can categorically say that the role previously performed by our Dutch partners in Uruzgan will be more than adequately met by the new Combined Team Uruzgan arrangements.

Combined Team Uruzgan will have a multinational headquarters. Our Slovakian and Singaporean partners will continue their involvement in UruzganProvinceand I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them both for their strong commitment also to the new arrangement.

Australiawill take on a new responsibility by providing a civilian head of the Uruzgan Provincial Reconstruction Team, which will be a very important part of the new Combined Team Uruzgan and my colleague Stephen Smith will speak to you about that matter forthwith.

Let me just finally say to you, ladies and gentlemen, our force numbers in Uruzgan will remain unchanged and I can assure you also that our resolve in Afghanistanremains unchanged.

STEPHEN SMITH: Thanks, John. John has outlined the basis of the new command structure in UruzganProvinceas a result of the departure of the Dutch, effective from 1st August. Let me make some remarks about the civilian contribution that Australiawill make to that new command structure.

Can I firstly start where John started, which is to compliment our Dutch friends for the substantial contributions they have made in UruzganProvince, both on the military and on the civilian capacity building reconstruction front. And as John has had multiple conversations with his counterpart, so have I with my counterpart, Foreign Minister Verhagen up until the recent Dutch election.

We look forward very much to the possibility that the Dutch can continue some civilian presence in Uruzgan Province but given they have a parliamentary and governmental decision to withdraw effectively from 1st August, as John has indicated, we need to put in place these arrangements.

The new command structure will see on the civilian side a senior Australian official heading up the civilian contribution in UruzganProvincethrough the Uruzgan Provincial Reconstruction Team.

You will recall that in April of this year the Prime Minister announced a substantial increase in Australia's civilian and diplomatic contribution in UruzganProvinceand in Afghanistangenerally. And when the build up is complete by September of this year we will see some 30 civilians in UruzganProvinceand some 50 civilians in Afghanistangenerally.

Why are we making this additional contribution and why are we accepting the responsibility of heading up the civilian reconstruction side? We very much believe in the Obama strategy that this matter cannot be won by military force alone. There has to be not just a military or security effort but a civilian and political effort, a reconstruction, a capacity building effort and the good work that the Dutch have done will continue through the combined efforts of Australia, the United States, Singaporeand Slovakia, our partners in UruzganProvince. And we will accept the responsibility of being the senior coordinator.

This will continue to see the capacity building and the reconstruction that has been occurring in Uruzgan, whether it is the building of roads, whether it is the building of schools, whether it is the provision of health care, whether it is the capacity building for Afghan officials. And we believe this is a very important contribution to make to the bringing of stability to Afghanistanto achieve our objective of ensuring that Afghanistandoes not again become a breeding ground for international terrorism.

John and I are happy to respond to your questions.

QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, you say that your resolve is firm, is it in any way tied to the timetable of President Obama, which is to begin a drawdown next July?

JOHN FAULKNER: Paul, our resolve is firm and let me make very clear what Australia's commitment is in relation to our involvement in Afghanistan.

I have been very clear, and I would like to restate again today, what our operational objective is in Afghanistan. It is training the fourth brigade of the Afghan National Army until a point when it is able to take over responsibility for security and stability in UruzganProvince.

I have recently tasked, through the chief of the Defence Force, updated advice on the timetable for achieving our objective of training the ANA fourth brigade and I have recently received a very professional and thorough assessment from the ADF — also of course with input from our ISAF partners — in relation to that timeframe.

CDF has advised me that on the basis of our solid progress to date, Defence now estimates that within two to four years we will be able to transition the main security responsibility to the Afghan National Army in Uruzgan province.

I think I also should add, for completeness of this picture to you, that it would be my expectation that on completion of the training mission I'd expect that we would adjust our force levels as the ADF mission transitions, if you like, from a training mission to an overwatch role.

You'd appreciate, I think, this of course is what happened in Iraqwhere our troops performed that overwatch role for some 12 months.

QUESTION: Does that mean that Australian troops could start coming home from Afghanistanas early as 2012?

JOHN FAULKNER:What it means is that at some point within that two to four year timeframe we would see our training mission transition to an overwatch role. And that would obviously mean at that time we would start to see a reduction of the number of Australian troops in Afghanistan.

QUESTION: Could you be just a little bit clearer about this, Senator Faulkner? Are you saying or are you not saying that Australian troops could be out of Afghanistanin the way they were out of Iraqwithin a certain time?

Or are you simply saying that the troop numbers would be reduced substantially?

JOHN FAULKNER: What I am saying and I can only provide to you the best and most thorough, professional assessments that I have received from the ADF. What I am saying is this:

The best advice available to Government is that Australiashould complete its training mission with the Afghan National Army in a period of between two and four years.

At the conclusion of that mission, I would expect to see our mission transition from a training mission to an overwatch role. This is what happened in Iraq.

In Iraqthat overwatch period was some 12 months. I am deliberately not providing a precise time frame for you. I haven't been provided with a precise time frame from the ADF for very good reasons.

This depends on a number of factors, not the least, the conditions on the ground in Afghanistan, in Uruzgan province itself and of course also the role that will be played by our partners in the new Combined Team Uruzgan.

So those factors also need to be taken into account. But what I have provided you with is a clear indication of the advice that I've received recently from the Australian Defence Force.

QUESTION: What about the troops who are not involved in training?

JOHN FAULKNER: Well it's true we do have some troops in Afghanistanthat aren't directly involved in the training mission. But let me say to you that those troops of course are critical elements in support of our training mission.

They're in support of our training mission though they might not directly be trainers. For example we've got a rotary wing element operating in southern Afghanistan. That's just one example.

I could mention Special Forces as well. All these elements go to supporting our main effort, our main task, our main operational objective in Afghanistan, which is training the Fourth Brigade of the Afghan National Army until it is in a position to be able to take full responsibility for security and stability within Uruzgan province.

QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, what's your advice on how big our overwatch mission would need to be?

JOHN FAULKNER: Oh look I would depend on advice from the Australian Defence Force provided at a time when we see a transition from a training mission to an overwatch battle group or overwatch role.

Now it's appropriate I think that Government and Defence Ministers actually rely on professional advice from the ADF in relation to these matters. It is true however to say that obviously such a transition would see a reduction in force levels in Afghanistan.

QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, who will replace the Dutch Artillery? Apparently it's played a major role in providing security for us?

JOHN FAULKNER:Well as I've indicated to you, the details in relation to the force lay down for combined Team Uruzgan are going to be supplied at a later date. It's not appropriate for me as…

QUESTION: Will Australiafor example have to take more equipment over there?

JOHN FAULKNER: Australiawill play its part. But I can assure you that this will become clear when our partners, our new partners in Uruzgan make their announcements. I won't trample in to announcements that should be made by our other partners.

That would not be either appropriate or respectful. Let me say that there are no major changes planned in terms of Australian force composition in Afghanistanor in Uruzgan province.

QUESTION: Minister, what's your response to General McChrystal's comments that have been reported? He's been summoned back to the White House. It doesn't instil any confidence at all in the overall operation, does it?

JOHN FAULKNER: Well I note that General McChrystal has indicated that he shouldn't have said what he said. He's acknowledged that. He's, I know, apologized for his error of judgement. And I think that's appropriate.

I can say — as I think you would understand of course — I've had a number of meetings with General McChrystal. I've received briefings from General McChrystal, many of them highly classified.

Of course you would expect Australia's Defence Minister to engage with him as the Commander of ISAF Forces and I've done that. Beyond that, let me say, I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment further on what's in the press today.

I do believe that it is a matter for General McChrystal and the US Administration. But I repeat, I note that he's acknowledged he shouldn't have said what he did say.

I note that he's apologised for his error of judgement.

QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, can you please outline who's conducting the investigation into Monday morning's helicopter crash, how long it will take and is there any indication yet of contributing factors to the crash?

JOHN FAULKNER: I can give you what information I have available to me. Effectively this is an investigation that will be conducted by the International Security Assistance Force, as you would appreciate.

I can say to you that Australiahas moved to ensure that there will be an Australian involvement in that investigation. At the appropriate time when more details of the investigation are able to be made public it would be my intention to make them public.

But at this stage I must stress with you, beyond the information that I've made available in the public arena, which is that of course this helicopter has crashed not as a result of insurgent action.

Beyond that I am not able to make any further comment. It is very early stages indeed. But I can assure you there is a thorough investigation into the incident.

I can assure you there will be an Australian involvement in the investigating team.

QUESTION: Senator Faulkner, in your release, you say that Australiawould also take on an increased role in providing force protection for Australia's civilian activity in Uruzgan province.

In plain English, what does that mean? Does that mean that some of our Special Forces troops could come across to that…

JOHN FAULKNER: Oh no, not necessarily at all. We do ensure for any of our civilians who are operating in Afghanistanthat they do receive support from our troops on the ground including the Mentoring Task Force as they go about their important work.

It is of course, as you know, it can be a dangerous environment and it is appropriate that our civilians operating in Uruzgan are appropriately protected by members of the ADF.

Let me say to you, this is the standard approach that applies to the civilians that we have in Afghanistanat the moment in Uruzgan province. And of course with any enhanced civilian contribution to the Provincial Reconstruction Team you will see the ADF continue to take on that important responsibility.

It is absolutely essential that our civilians do receive that level of support and protection from the ADF.

STEPHEN SMITH: I will just add by making the simple point that when we announced in April that we would increase the number of civilian personnel making a contribution on the capacity building and development and reconstruction front in Uruzgan and Afghanistan, that necessarily took with it a need to enhance the force protection provided by Australian Defence Forces. Our civilians in Uruzgan are protected by Australian Defence Forces.

We have arrangements in place that our civilians will not go beyond the wire, to use the Defence expression, unless that is authorised by our defence forces and they provide the necessary security.

So a necessary consequence of enhancing our civilian contribution has been an enhanced force protection contribution.

QUESTION: So that's what's new?

STEPHEN SMITH: Well the decision, the effect is a consequence of a decision that we made and announced in April to add to our civilian contribution. Both AusAID officers, DFAT officers, Australian Federal Police and the DFAT officers include an additional diplomatic presence. Not just in the south in Uruzgan but also in Kabul.

QUESTION: Senator Faulkner.

JOHN FAULKNER: This will have to be the last question.

QUESTION: As an elder statesman of the Labor Party is there any circumstance under which you would tap the Prime Minister on the shoulder before the election?

JOHN FAULKNER: No.

STEPHEN SMITH: And as a younger statesmen, no. At least we're both statesmen.

Media inquiries

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