AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENCE
Battle casualties in Afghanistan
Definition of ‘battle casualties’
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) defines ‘battle casualties’
as personnel who are killed, wounded, missing or captured as a
consequence of action against the enemy.
Definition of ‘wounded’
Any ADF member who is serving in war-like
conditions and is hurt during contact with the enemy is said to
have been ‘wounded’.
Definition of ‘injured’
An ADF member hurt in an incident that has
not been the result of enemy action in warlike conditions is said
to have been ‘injured’.
Treatment and management of battle casualties
Australian force protection measures are designed to minimise
our casualties in a combat area. However, when they occur, Defence
takes very good care of its people. ADF
members who are wounded on operations and suffer minor physical
impairment are treated and, once fit, return to service.
Where the impairment is serious, members are transferred as
rapidly as possible and provided with appropriate treatment at the
nearest hospital. On occasions, additional treatment at a
specialist facility in Germany may be required.
For the more seriously wounded, once stabilised, the member is
returned to Australia for additional treatment and rehabilitation.
Within five to ten days of returning to Australia, the member is
placed in the ADF rehabilitation program to
manage all their health and rehabilitation requirements.
The ADF rehabilitation program aims
to:
•Reduce the impact of injury or illness through early clinical
intervention;
•Reduce any psychological effects of the injury;
•Return the member to suitable work at the earliest possible time;
and,
•Provide a professionally managed rehabilitation plan tailored to
individual needs.
For more information on rehabilitation, see:
•Department of Defence: www.defence.gov.au/health/DRC/i-drc.htm
•Department of Veterans’ Affairs: www.dva.gov.au/rehabilitation/Pages/index.aspx
ADF members who are killed in action are
repatriated to Australia for burial in accordance with next of kin
wishes.
ADF personnel deployed to Afghanistan
wounded in action
Since Operation SLIPPER commenced, 242
ADF members have been wounded in action in
Afghanistan. The breakdown for wounded by year from 2002 onwards
is:
Year Number
2002-04 4
2005 2
2006 10
2007 19
2008 26
2009 37
2010 65 (64 soldiers and 1 sailor)
2011 50
2012 29 (28 soldiers and 1 sailor)
Total 242 (240 soldiers and 2 sailors) as at 16 October 2012
The types of injuries sustained can be broadly categorised
as:
•Amputations,
•Fractures,
•Gun shot wounds,
•Hearing loss,
•Lacerations/contusions,
•Concussion/traumatic brain injury,
•Penetrating fragments, and
•Multiple severe injuries.
Defence continually reviews and consolidates available
information and processes to ensure that all ADF personnel wounded on operations are accurately
recorded. As a result these figures could be subject to adjustment
in the future.
2012 Wounded in Action incidents in Afghanistan
Twenty nine Australian Defence Force personnel have suffered
wounds as a result of battle: eighteen were involved in improvised
explosive device attacks, eight were wounded during contact with
the enemy, two soldiers were wounded in small arms fire incidents
and one was wounded during the conduct of operations.
For the types of injuries sustained six personnel have sustained
gun shot wounds, one suffered amputations, four suffered fractures,
six suffered fragmentation wounds, one sustained
lacerations/contusions, and five suffered other injuries. Six
personnel have suffered mild traumatic brain injury.
ADF personnel deployed to Afghanistan
killed in action
The ADF has suffered 39 operational deaths
in Afghanistan. Further details about each is available on the
battle casualties pages. Soldiers killed in action are:
•Sergeant Andrew Russell, SASR, died of
wounds sustained when his patrol vehicle struck an anti-tank mine
on 16 February 2002.
•Trooper David Pearce, 2/14 LHR QMI, was
killed when his ASLAV was struck by an
Improvised Explosive Device on 8 October 2007.
•Sergeant Matthew Locke, SASR, was killed by
Taliban insurgent small-arms fire on 25 October 2007.
•Private Luke Worsley, 4RAR (Cdo), was killed by Taliban insurgent
small-arms fire on 23 November 2007.
•Lance Corporal Jason Marks, 4RAR (Cdo), was killed by Taliban
insurgent small-arms fire on 28 April 2008.
•Signaller Sean McCarthy, SASR, was killed
when the vehicle he was travelling in was struck by an Improvised
Explosive Device on 8 July 2008.
•Lieutenant Michael Fussell, 4RAR (Cdo), was killed by an
Improvised Explosive Device during a dismounted patrol on 27
November 2008.
•Private Gregory Sher, 1st Commando Regiment, was killed in a
rocket attack on 4 January 2009.
•Corporal Mathew Hopkins, 7th Battalion, The Royal Australian
Regiment, was killed during an engagement with the Taliban on 16
March 2009.
•Sergeant Brett Till, Incident Response Regiment, was killed by an
Improvised Explosive Device during a route clearance task on the 19
March 2009.
•Private Benjamin Ranaudo, 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian
Regiment was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device
on 18 July 2009.
•Sapper Jacob Moerland, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment was killed as
a result of an Improvised Explosive Device strike on 7 June
2010.
•Sapper Darren Smith, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment died of wounds
sustained during an Improvised Explosive Device strike on 7 June
2010.
•Private Timothy Aplin, 2nd Commando Regiment died as a result of a
helicopter crash on 21 June 2010.
•Private Scott Palmer, 2nd Commando Regiment died as a result of a
helicopter crash on 21 June 2010.
•Private Benjamin Chuck, 2nd Commando Regiment died of wounds
sustained in a helicopter crash on 21 June 2010.
•Private Nathan Bewes, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment
was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device on 9 July
2010.
•Trooper Jason Brown, SASR, died as a result
of gunshot wounds sustained in an engagement with insurgents on 13
August 2010.
•Private Tomas Dale, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment
was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device strike on
20 August 2010.
•Private Grant Kirby, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment
was killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device strike on
20 August 2010.
•Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney, 6th Battalion, The Royal
Australian Regiment, was killed during an engagement with
insurgents on 24 August 2010.
•Corporal Richard Atkinson, 1st Combat Engineer Regiment, was
killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device strike on 2
February 2011.
•Sapper Jamie Larcombe, 1st Combat Engineer Regiment, was killed
during an engagement with insurgents on 19 February 2011.
•Sergeant Brett Wood, MG, DSM, 2nd Commando
Regiment, was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device during a
dismounted patrol on 23 May 2011.
•Lance Corporal Andrew Jones, 9th Force Support Battalion, died of
wounds as a result of a small-arms fire incident on 30 May
2011.
•Lieutenant Marcus Case, 6th Aviation Regiment, died of wounds
sustained in a helicopter crash on 30 May 2011.
•Sapper Rowan Robinson, Incident Response Regiment, died as a
result of gunshot wounds sustained in an engagement with insurgents
on 06 June 2011.
•Sergeant Todd Langley, 2nd Commando Regiment, was killed during an
engagement with insurgents on 4 July 2011
•Private Matthew Lambert, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian
Regiment, died of wounds as a result of an Improvised Explosive
Device strike on 22 August 2011.
•Captain Bryce Duffy, 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, was
killed as a result of a small-arms incident on 29 October
2011.
•Corporal Ashley Birt, 6th Engineer Support Regiment, was killed as
a result of a small-arms incident on 29 October 2011.
•Lance Corporal Luke Gavin, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian
Regiment died of wounds as a result of a small-arms incident on 29
October 2011.
•Sergeant Blaine Flower Diddams from the Special Air Service
Regiment was killed during a small arms engagement with insurgents
on 02 July 2012.
•Sapper James Martin, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment was killed as a
result of a small-arms incident on 29 August 2012.
•Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment
(QMI), was killed as a result of a small-arms incident on 29 August
2012.
•Private Robert Poate, 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment
was killed as a result of a small-arms incident on 29 August
2012.
•Private Nathanael Galagher, 2nd Commando Regiment was killed in a
helicopter crash on 30 August 2012.
•Lance Corporal Mervyn McDonald, 2nd Commando Regiment was killed
in a helicopter crash on 30 August 2012.
•Corporal Scott Smith, Special Operations Engineer Regiment, was
killed as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device on 21 October
2012.
Public information during incidents
•It is not appropriate for Defence to provide more specific
details on injuries due to medical-in-confidence and privacy
reasons. The Minister for Defence will provide broad categories of
injuries sustained by our troops in his regular Ministerial
Statements to Parliament.
•Defence aims to provide public information on every operational
incident involving battle casualties (wounded and killed in
action). Operational tempo, ongoing operations and special
operations are three factors which may lead to occasional
inconsistency in reporting. However, media information about
casualty figures is updated as appropriate when operational
circumstances permit.
Defence guidance on the release of public information during
incidents includes:
•The ADF will not release the names of
casualties until Next of Kin (NOK) procedures have been
completed.
•The ADF will not comment on the
circumstances or causes of an incident until any investigation has
been completed and if it is likely to be subjected to disciplinary
proceedings.
•In order to align with the civilian practice for reporting patient
medical condition without compromising the medical-in-confidence
nature of the wounds and injuries, Defence has adopted a
nomenclature for public information relating to battle casualties:
◦Life Threatening Injury and wounds that will likely lead to death
if not immediately treated (e.g. fragmentation and gunshot wounds
involving vital organs, head). Also applicable to an illness
requiring admission to an intensive care facility.
◦Serious Injury and wounds requiring immediate medical care and
hospitalisation but not considered life threatening (e.g.
fragmentation and gunshot wounds to torso). Also applicable to an
illness requiring hospitalisation.
◦Slight/Minor Injury and wounds requiring medical care and
hospitalisation (e.g. fragmentation and gunshot wounds to the
extremities). Also applicable to an illness requiring basic medical
care/monitoring and restriction of duties.
◦Superficial Injury and wounds not requiring hospitalisation.
Public release of names
•Names of ADF members (not afforded
protected identity status) remaining in an operational area
following an announced wounding or injury will not be
released.
•Names of ADF members (not afforded protected
identity status) returning to Australia for treatment will remain
protected until authorised for release by the individual member
concerned. Names of ADF deceased will be
released in consultation with the member’s family.
•Only Special Forces soldiers, who have protected identity status,
may have their names withheld when they are admitted into
non-military hospitals.
•There is no policy to hide the identity of other Australian
soldiers undergoing medical treatment and rehabilitation in private
or public hospitals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the timings for Aero Medical Evacuation (AME)?
•The ADF will always seek to evacuate
wounded members to medical facilities as rapidly as possible. Our
people are our priority.
•The ADF is satisfied that the AME support arrangements provided for our personnel in
Afghanistan are appropriate.
What are the mandated timings for treatment?
•Treatment is based on the severity of wounds or injuries and
can be complicated by the tactical situation, particularly if
troops are still engaged with the enemy.
•For life-threatening wounds or injuries the following timings are
mandated by International Security Assistance Force and endorsed by
Australia: ◦All ADF personnel receive
advanced first aid training and can provide immediate care within
the first ten minutes of wounding.
◦Evacuation assets aim to reach seriously wounded soldiers within
one hour of wounding, and provide en-route care based on the
clinical needs of the patient. This one hour guidance is not always
possible when the tactical situation delays evacuation.
◦All attempts are made to evacuate casualties to a medical facility
able to provide surgery within two hours of wounding.
◦For non life-threatening wounds the timings are extended although
in many cases the evacuation process is such that the same timings
result.
What is a NOTICAS?
Notification of casualty (NOTICAS) is the name for the formal
reporting of casualties within the ADF. This
reporting informs the chain of command and provides information
that is passed to families of deployed personnel. NOTICAS reports are raised for every wounding and the
reporting is undertaken as quickly as possible. Where possible,
contact with the next of kin takes precedence over all other
considerations.
How does the ADF treat a casualty?
•The casualty treatment process is layered to provide the best
possible care for ADF members.
•Initially, casualties are provided first aid or administer
self-aid with combat medical supplies carried within the tactical
force.
•All ADF members are trained in basic first
aid.
•During initial first aid, an assessment is made as to the severity
of the wounds. If required soldiers will call for additional
medical support or an evacuation of the wounded or injured
person.
•Tactical units may also include combat first aid trained personnel
who have received advanced training in the initial treatment of
wounds likely to be encountered on a battlefield.
•Special Forces patrols often include a patrol first aider or
advanced combat first aider. These soldiers are trained in advanced
first aid procedures and are similar to paramedics in the civilian
world.
•If required wounded or injured personnel will be evacuated to a
medical facility for further treatment.
•Australians serving in Uruzgan rely on a team of highly skilled
Coalition and Australian trauma and medical staff working in a well
equipped facility in Tarin Kot.
•This evacuation is conducted by the most suitable means, usually a
helicopter.
•The Tarin Kot facility performs initial trauma management similar
to the emergency department of a civilian hospital. If required,
the facility can perform surgery to treat wounded soldiers.
If required patients can then be evacuated back to more advanced
facilities elsewhere in Afghanistan or in Germany once they are
stable enough to travel.
http://www.defence.gov.au/op/afghanistan/info/p…