'Don't be yanked into a Tandem Thrust' badge
Maker
Badge-A-Minit
Datec 2001
Object number00037560
NameBadge
MediumPaper, ink, plastic, metal
DimensionsOverall: 60 x 60 x 3 x 120 mm, 0.01 kg
ClassificationsClothing and personal items
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition
DescriptionA badge produced by the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition reading 'Don’t be Yanked into a Tandem Thrust'.
The badge refers to the military training exercise undertaken jointly by Australian and United States personnel in Queensland in 2001. The month long exercise, known as Tandem Thrust, involved military, naval and air force personnel and focused on 'the planning and conduct of combined operations'.
HistoryIn June 2001, Australia and the United States held a military training exercise in the Shoalwater Bay area in Queensland, Australia. The series is known as Tandem Thrust and in 2001 involved more than 12,000 Australian troops and 15,000 American personnel.
In addition to a military and air force presence, the RAN also provided 32 ships. Of the event, Major General Milan stressed that the exercise provided an excellent opportunity for the ADF to increase its own professional war fighting skills in a combined and joint environment, as well as further relations with Australia's major ally.
"Recent history has taught us that Armed Forces may be called upon to embark on combined operations with very short warning. The Tandem Thrust series of exercises ensure that the ADF is ready to move at short notice and integrate quickly into larger operations if it is ever required to do so."
The increased presence of American troops in Australia during 2001, as issues in the Persian Gulf were still playing out, caused many protest groups to use the Tandem Thrust occasion to draw further attention to their causes. The AABCC in addition to opposing further allegiance to the United States, also objected to the environmental and social implications of military exercises taking place in the Shoalwater Bay area.
SignificanceDespite the long association between Allied forces, the presence of United States military bases and forces in Australia caused some protest during the 1980's and into the era of the war in the Middle East. Local protest groups, such as the AABCC, held rallies and provided promotional material to raise awareness amongst the public to their causes.
1964
