Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Australian Defence Force’s involvement in Operation Slipper, the nation’s first military deployment in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The operation has seen significant sacrifice, with 47 Australian personnel killed and 263 wounded over more than a decade of combat.

Dirk Noordewier, a veteran who served 13 years across Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the Army’s 5th Aviation Regiment, recalled the moment the conflict began. Watching the second World Trade Center plane strike on television, he declared to his Chinook helicopter crew, “We’re on the job.” Mr. Noordewier piloted special operations helicopters during a number of challenging missions, including Operation Nile in July 2006.

Operation Nile was the ADF’s inaugural air assault mission. On the night of July 9-10, combined forces from Australia, Afghanistan, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States targeted a compound housing senior Taliban leadership. The mission required landing troops directly within a walled compound to shorten their exposure in open terrain. Though initially planned to face a small insurgent presence, the operation quickly escalated as hundreds of armed fighters engaged the assault force.

Following the troop insertion, a battle lasting over two hours ensued. An attempted helicopter extraction was complicated by a call declaring the pick-up zone too dangerous for aircraft landing, but a breakdown in communication meant the flight crew did not receive this warning. Mr. Noordewier noted that had the message been heard, the entire assault party might have been lost. As the Chinook descended through a dust storm under enemy fire, multiple rocket-propelled grenades narrowly missed the aircraft without the crew’s immediate awareness.

The sacrifices of Australian service members in Operation Slipper will be formally acknowledged at a National Commemorative Service held at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The event is attended by the Prime Minister alongside approximately 850 dignitaries and guests. Among those present is Ben Roberts-Smith, a highly decorated veteran whose bail conditions were adjusted to permit his attendance, despite ongoing allegations related to war crimes.