Operation Relex is the name given to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) border protection operation in the country's northern approaches conducted between 2001 and 2006. The operation was instigated following the Tampa affair in September 2001 and the Australian government's resultant Pacific Solution. The focus of Operation Relex was illegal immigration, with assets from all three services of the ADF deployed to prevent the arrival of Suspected Illegal Entry Vessels (SIEVs) in the Australian migration zone.
The primary period of activity of Operation Relex was between October and December 2001 when ten SIEVs were intercepted by HMA Ships Warramunga, Arunta, and Leeuwin, assisted by several Fremantle-class patrol boats.
Operation Relex was folded into the broader border protection activity named Operation Resolute which commenced in July 2006. In 2013, the Abbott government implemented Operation Sovereign Borders.
The Australian Government issued a medal for service on Border Protection on 22 May 2012.[1]
To qualify, ADF members must have been deployed or force assigned for duty as a member of a declared operation:
3 September to 13 March 2002
| Rotation | Date from | Date to | Ship(s) | Unit/Sub Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSE 1 | OCT MID | DEC MID | TEMPA/HMAS MANOORA | 5/7 RAR |
| TSE 1 | MID NOVEMBER | EARLY DEC | HMAS ARUNTA | 5/7 RAR |
| TSE 3 | 1 Sep | 1 Dec | HMAS Lewin | 1st Armoured Regiment (Tank) and 5/7RAR |
| TSE 4 | 1 Sep | 1 Nov | HMAS Tobruk | 1st Armoured Regiment (Tank) |
| TSE 5 | 1 Nov | 20 Jan 2 | HMA Ships Arunta and Warramunga | 101 MDM BTY, 8/12 Medium Regiment |
| TSE 6 | 1 Jan 2 | 18 Feb 2 | HMAS Melville | 103 MDM BTY, 8/12 MDM REGT |
| TSE 7 | ||||
| TSE 8 | ||||
| TSE 9 | ||||
| TSE 10 | ||||
| TSE 11 | HMAS ANZAC | 1st Armoured Regiment | ||
| TSE 12 | 27 March 2002 | 2 May 2002 | HMAS Leeuwin & HMAS Melville | 1 CSSB + 5/7 RAR Detachment |
14 March 2002 to 16 July 2006
| Rotation | Date from | Date to | Ship(s) | Unit/Sub Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSE 13 | HMAS Darwin | HQ BTY, 8/12 Medium Regiment | ||
| TSE 14 | 15 Apr 2 | 1 Jul 02 | HMAS Adelaide | 101 MDM BTY, 8/12 Medium Regiment |
| TSE 15 | ||||
| TSE 16 | HMAS Melville & HMAS Leeuwin | 1st Combat Engineer Regiment | ||
| TSE 17 | ||||
| TSE 18 | ||||
| TSE 19 | ||||
| TSE 20 | ||||
| TSE 21 | ||||
| TSE 22 | ||||
| TSE 23 | 26 Oct 02 | 2 Feb 03 | HMAS Leeuwin, Warramunga & Tobruk | 1st Armoured/ 2 Cav Regiment |
| TSE 24 | 16 Sep 2 | 1 Jan 3 | HMAS Melville | 1 BDE |
| TSE 25 | 2 Jul | 2 Sep | HMAS Tobruk, Adelaide & Warramunga | 2CER, 1 Fd Regt, 2/14 LHR |
| TSE 26 | 2 Dec | 3 Mar | HMAS Warramunga[citation needed] | 1 JSU, 16 ADR, 4th MP Company |
| TSE 27 | ||||
| TSE 28 | ||||
| TSE 29 | ||||
| TSE 30 | ||||
| TSE 31 | 4 Field Regiment | |||
| TSE 32 | Feb 2004 | May 2004 | HMAS Anzac, HMAS Warramunga, HMAS Adelaide | 1st Field Regiment (now 1st Regiment) |
| TSE 35 | Oct 2004 | 4 Feb | HMAS Ballarat, Parramatta | 2 DIV units/ 8 BDE |
Major Fleet Units
| Relex | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unit | Entered Operation | Exited Operation |
| HMAS Adelaide | 19 Sep 1 | 12 Oct 1 |
| HMAS Anzac | 19 Jan 2 | 7 Apr 2 |
| HMAS Arunta | 2 Sep 1 | 20 Sep 1 |
| 10 Oct 1 | 19 Dec 1 | |
| HMAS Newcastle | 30 Aug 1 | 28 Sep 1 |
| HMAS Warramunga | 30 Aug 1 | 23 Sep 1 |
| 27 Sep 1 | 14 Nov 1 | |
| 19 Dec 1 | 20 Jan 2 | |
| HMAS Manoora | 2 Sep 1 | 6 Oct 1 |
| HMAS Tobruk | 10 Sep 1 | 14 Dec 1 |
| HMAS Westralia | 30 Aug 1 | 24 Sep 1 |
| 27 Sep 1 | 29 Sep 1 | |
| 11 Oct 1 | 17 Oct 1 | |
| 30 Oct 1 | 3 Nov 1 | |
| 15 Nov 1 | 26 Nov 1 | |
| 18 Jan 2 | 20 Jan 2 | |
| HMAS Leeuwin | 14 Nov 1 | 2 Jan 2 |
| 16 Feb 2 | 14 Apr 2 | |
| HMAS Melville | 30 Dec 1 | 18 Feb 2 |
Patrol Boats
| Relex | Cranberry | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | Entered Operation | Exited Operation | Entered Operation | Exited Operation |
| HMAS Bendigo | 30 Sep 1 | 2 Oct 1 | 21 Sep 1 | 3- 1 Sep |
| 16 Oct | 18 Oct 1 | 2 Oct 1 | 16 Oct 1 | |
| 23 Oct 1 | 1 Nov 1 | 18 Oct 01 | 23 Oct 1 | |
| 1 Feb 02 | 1 Nov 01 | 18 Oct 01 | 19 Nov 1 | |
| 9 Feb 02 | 12 Feb 2 | 11 Jan 02 | 21 Jan 2 | |
| 15 Feb 2 | 21 Feb 2 | 25 Jan 02 | 1 Feb 2 | |
| 25 Feb 02 | 27 Feb 02 | 3 Feb 02 | 6 Feb 2 | |
| 2 Mar 02 | 4 Mar 02 | 9 Feb 02 | 9 Feb 2 | |
| 12 Feb 2 | 15 Feb 2 | |||
| 27 Feb 02 | 15 Feb 2 | |||
| 4 Mar 02 | 8 Mar 2 | |||
| 1 Apr 02 | 9 Apr 2 | |||
| HMAS Bunbury | 30 Sep 1 | 1 Oct 01 | 25 Sep 01 | 30 Sep 1 |
| 20 Oct 01 | 26 Oct 01 | 1 Oct 01 | 20 Oct 1 | |
| 30 Oct 01 | 3 Nov 01 | 26 Oct 01 | 30 Oct 1 | |
| 9 Nov 01 | 15 Nov 01 | 3 Nov 01 | 9 Nov 1 | |
| 11 Feb 02 | 17 Feb 02 | 15 Nov 01 | 19 Nov 1 | |
| 20 Feb 02 | 25 Feb 02 | 2 Feb 02 | 11 Feb 2 | |
| 27 Feb 02 | 28 Feb 02 | 17 Feb 02 | 27 Feb 2 | |
| 28 Feb 02 | 6 Mar 2 | |||
| 8 Mar 02 | 11 Mar 2 | |||
| 15 Mar 02 | 18 Mar 2 | |||
| HMAS Cessnock | 5 Nov 1 | 7 Nov 01 | 10 Aug 01 | 23 Aug 1 |
| 12 Nov 01 | 16 Nov 01 | 14 Sep 01 | 24 Sep 1 | |
| 1 Dec 01 | 4 Dec 01 | 2 Nov 01 | 5 Nov 1 | |
| 8 Dec 01 | 13 Dec 01 | 7 Nov 01 | 12 Nov 1 | |
| 18 Dec 01 | 21 Dec 01 | 16 Nov 01 | 1 Dec 1 | |
| 4 Mar 02 | 6 Mar | 4 Dec 1 | 8 Dec 1 | |
| 7 Mar 02 | 8 Mar 02 | 13 Dec 01 | 16 Dec 1 | |
| 1 Mar 02 | 6 Mar 02 | 21 Dec 01 | 7 Jan 2 | |
| 9 Mar 02 | 12 Mar 02 | 18 Feb 02 | 25 Feb 2 | |
| 14 Mar 02 | 14 Mar 02 | 6 Mar 02 | 8 Mar 2 | |
| 9 Mar 02 | 23 Mar 2 | |||
| 27 Mar 02 | 29 Mar 2 | |||
| 6 Apr 02 | 8 Apr 2 | |||
| HMAS Dubbo | 15 Sep 01 | 17 Sep 01 | 7 Sep 01 | 15 Sep 1 |
| 13 Oct 01 | 16 Oct 01 | 17 Sep 01 | 13 Oct 1 | |
| 2 Nov 01 | 8 Nov 01 | 16 Oct 01 | 2 Nov 1 | |
| 8 Nov 01 | 10 Nov 01 | 8 Nov 01 | 8 Nov 1 | |
| 10 Nov 01 | 12 Nov 1 | |||
| 23 Mar 02 | 25 Mar 2 | |||
| 28 Mar 02 | 1 Apr 2 | |||
| 6 Apr 02 | 10 Apr 2 | |||
| 11 Apr 02 | 10 Apr 2 | |||
| 16 Apr 02 | 17 Apr 2 | |||
| HMAS Ipswich | 22 Dec 01 | 28 Dec 01 | 17 Aug 01 | 20 Aug 1 |
| 2 Jan 02 | 5 Jan 02 | 11 Oct 01 | 15 Oct 1 | |
| 11 Jan 02 | 15 Jan 02 | 7 Dec 01 | 22 Dec 1 | |
| 23 Jan 02 | 26 Jan 02 | 28 Dec 01 | 2 Jan 2 | |
| 5 Jan 02 | 12 Jan 2 | |||
| 15 Jan 02 | 23 Jan 2 | |||
| 15 Jan 02 | 23 Jan 2 | |||
| 26 Jan 02 | 4 Feb 2 | |||
| HMAS Launceston | 6 Nov 01 | 11 Nov 01 | 16 Aug 01 | 17 Sep 1 |
| 12 Dec 01 | 16 Dec 01 | 3 Nov 01 | 6 Nov 1 | |
| 17 Dec 01 | 18 Dec 1 | 11 Nov 1 | 17 Nov 1 | |
| 19 Feb 01 | 23 Feb 2 | 19 Nov 1 | 23 Nov 1 | |
| 27 Feb 02 | 2 Mar 02 | 15 Feb 02 | 19 Feb 2 | |
| 7 Mar 02 | 10 Mar 02 | 23 Feb 02 | 27 Feb 2 | |
| 2 Mar 02 | 7 Mar 2 | |||
| 10 Mar 02 | 16 Mar 2 | |||
| 24 Mar 2 | 25 Mar 2 | |||
| HMAS Townsville | 12 Oct 01 | 18 Oct 01 | 29 Jul 01 | 3 Aug 1 |
| 23 Oct 01 | 28 Oct 01 | 21 Sep 01 | 12 Oct 1 | |
| 21 Jan 02 | 26 Jan 02 | 18 Oct 02 | 23 Oct 2 | |
| 30 Jan 02 | 4 Feb 02 | 26 Jan 02 | 30 Jan 2 | |
| 4 Jan 02 | 21 Jan 2 | |||
| 26 Jan 02 | 30 Jan 2 | |||
| 4 Feb 02 | 9 Feb 2 | |||
| 12 Feb 02 | 23 Feb 2 | |||
| HMAS Townsville | 24 Nov 1 | 28 Nov 1 | 8 Nov 1 | 24 Nov 1 |
| 4 Dec 1 | 6 Dec 1 | 28 Nov 1 | 4 Dec 1 | |
| 15 Feb 2 | 21 Feb 2 | 6 Dec 1 | 10 Dec 1 | |
| 25 Feb 2 | 28 Feb 2 | 14 Feb 2 | 15 Feb 2 | |
| 11 Mar 2 | (16 Mar 2) | 21 Feb 2 | 25 Feb 2 | |
| 28 Feb 2 | 4 Mar 2 | |||
| 8 Mar 2 | 1 Mar 2 | |||
| 16 Mar 2 | 18 Mar 2 | |||
| 30 Mar 2 | 5 Apr 1 | |||
| 11 Apr 2 | 15 Apr 2 | |||
| HMAS Whyalla | 9 Oct 1 | 14 Oct 1 | 14 Sep 1 | 18 Sep 1 |
| 18 Oct 1 | 24 Oct 1 | 21 Sep 1 | 7 Oct 1 | |
| 26 Dec 1 | 30 Dec 1 | 14 Oct 1 | 18 Oct 1 | |
| 4 Jan 2 | 9 Jan 2 | 24 Oct 1 | 12 Nov 1 | |
| 13 Jan 2 | 18 Jan 2 | 30 Dec 1 | 4 Jan 2 | |
| 5 Jan 2 | 13 Jan 2 | |||
| 18 Jan 2 | 4 Feb 2 | |||
| 29 Mar 2 | 10 Apr 2 | |||
| 11 Apr 2 | 16 Apr 2 | |||
| 16 Apr 2 | 16 Apr 2 | |||
| 17 Apr 2 | NDA | |||
| HMAS Wollongong | 27 Oct 01 | 3 Nov 01 | 27 Oct 01 | 27 Oct 1 |
| 6 Nov 01 | 13 Nov 01 | 3 Oct 01 | 6 Nov 1 | |
| 28 Nov 01 | 1 Dec 01 | 13 Dec 1 | 28 Nov 1 | |
| 28 Jan 02 | 30 Jan 02 | 1 Dec 1 | 9 Dec 1 | |
| 3 Feb 02 | 7 Feb 2 | 14 Dec 1 | 17 Dec 1 | |
| 13 Feb 02 | 16 Feb 02 | 30 Dec 01 | 9 Feb 2 | |
| 30 Jan 02 | 3 Feb 2 | |||
| 7 Feb 2 | 13 Feb 2 | |||
| 16 Feb 2 | 18 Feb 2 | |||
| 13 Apr 2 | 15 Apr 2 | |||