Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
During the first decades of the 20th century, the Australian Government established the armed services as separate organisations, with each service having an independent chain of command. In 1976, the government made a strategic change and established the ADF to place the services under a single headquarters. Over time, the degree of integration has increased, and tri-service headquarters, logistics, and training institutions have supplanted many single-service establishments. The ADF has been deployed around the world in combat, peacekeeping and disaster-relief missions.
Formation
!The retirement of the aircraft carrier [HMAS Melbourne) without replacement in 1982 marked a shift away from the policy of "forward defence".](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/HMASMelbourne%28R21%29andUSSMidway%28CV-41%29underway%2C16May1981%286380752%29.jpg/250px-HMASMelbourne%28R21%29andUSSMidway%28CV-41%29underway%2C16May1981%286380752%29.jpg)
Formation
By 1870, each of the then Australian colonies maintained their own military forces. On 1 January 1901, the colonies federated into a new nation and on 1 March 1901, these colonial forces were amalgamated to establish the Australian Army and Commonwealth Naval Forces. In 1911, the government established the Royal Australian Navy, which absorbed the Commonwealth Naval Force. The Army established the Australian Flying Corps in 1912 which was separated to form the Royal Australian Air Force in 1921. The services were not linked by a single chain of command, as they each reported to their own separate Minister and had separate administrative arrangements. The three services saw action around the world during World War I and World War II, and took part in conflicts in Asia during the Cold War.
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