A Royal Australian Air Power P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane and its crew has been deployed to Japan beneath Operation Argos.
Working from Kadena Air Base, the P-8A and its crew will undertake coordinated surveillance missions to discourage and disrupt unlawful maritime exercise by monitoring and recording ship-to-ship transfers of sanctioned items at sea.
The plane is deployed to assist the enforcement of United Nations Safety Council sanctions on North Korea.
Since 2006, the UNSC has handed almost a dozen resolutions imposing sanctions towards North Korea for growing nuclear weapons and associated actions.
“By way of Operation Argos, the Australian Defence Power continues to play a significant position in sustaining peace and safety within the Indo-Pacific, working alongside our worldwide companions to implement UNSC sanctions,” in response to Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones.
“Australia stays dedicated to imposing United Nations Safety Council sanctions towards North Korea till it takes concrete steps in direction of denuclearisation.
“Our deployment reinforces Australia’s robust dedication to uphold worldwide regulation and assist the rules-based world order.
The sanctions impact commerce and actions referring to weapons and army gear, dual-use applied sciences, industrial equipment, uncommon earth metals and coal; and caps the import of oil and refined petroleum merchandise.
The Australian Defence Power has enforced these sanctions via Operation Argos since 2018, utilizing a mix of plane and ship deployments.
Sanction enforcement operations are additionally performed by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, and United States.
“That is the sixteenth time Australia has deployed maritime patrol plane to implement these sanctions, with our most up-to-date P-8A deployment occurring in April this 12 months,” in response to RAAF No 11 Squadron Detachment Commander, Squadron Chief Tristan Hull.
“The P-8A Poseidon is an efficient platform for sanctions enforcement, in a position to loiter for lengthy intervals and use a complicated suite of sensors to watch and document maritime exercise.
“The crew is properly educated and ready for the Operation Argos mission, and our deployment types a part of No 11 Squadron’s proud historical past of service within the Indo-Pacific area.”
