After the ADF significantly increased its contribution to the bushfire crisis following the call out of up to 3000 Australian Army Reserve forces and other specialist capabilities, Defence announced that New Zealand and Singapore have also offered to assist.
The historic call-out of reserve brigades is further enhanced with the commitment of more Royal Australian Air Force aircraft, Australian Navy ships and other key equipment.
Three Royal Australian Navy ships are now supporting Operation Bushfire Assist, with HMAS Adelaide sailing from Sydney yesterday and expected to arrive off the NSW south coast today.
Adelaide has been initially tasked to support evacuation operations at Mallacoota.
A Defence spokesman said Defence was also working with the New Zealand Defence Force and the Singapore Armed Forces to finalise offers of support to join the ADF in coming days.
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More details will become available in coming days.
“Australia has received additional offers from other international partners and expects these to be progressively developed as need and circumstances evolve,” the spokesman said.
“The priority for Defence is to assist in ensuring the safety of life, assist with the evacuation of affected people from isolated communities, support recovery centres, assist with temporary accommodation at bases and move materiel and supplies.”
Defence has also opened bases throughout affected regions from Brisbane to Adelaide to provide temporary accommodation for displaced people…
https://www.newser.com/story/285140/in-rare-move-us-sends-firefighters-to-australia.html
In Rare Move, US Sends Firefighters to Australia
By Rob Quinn,
In 2018, around 140 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand helped fight wildfires in California and other western states. With wildfires now raging in Australia, the help is being repaid. Around 100 American firefighters have been sent to Australia over the last four weeks and at least 50 more will be dispatched on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reports. This is the first time the US government has sent firefighters to Australia since 2010. Canada, for the first time, has also sent dozens of firefighters Down Under. National Interagency Fire Center public affairs officer Kari Cobbs say the US firefighters who volunteered for the assignment will earn their normal salary while overseas. An agreement between the US and Australia to share fire resources "works really well because Australia has a different fire season than we do," Cobb says.
