Australia marks 25 years since the start of military service in Afghanistan
A joint government statement remembered more than 35,000 Australian Defence Force members who deployed in support of Afghanistan, their families, and 47 deaths recorded on the War Memorial Roll of Honour.
Event / data period: 2026-10-11
Published: · Updated:
The Australian Government marked 25 years since the start of Operation Slipper, its first military contribution to the war in Afghanistan, in a joint statement released on October 11. The statement said the mission began after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and later included reconstruction, training, mentoring and humanitarian work alongside counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations.
The government said more than 35,000 Australian Defence Force members deployed on operations supporting Afghanistan over the following two decades. It also said 47 ADF members were listed on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour as having died during or as a result of service in Afghanistan, while recognising veterans who returned with visible and invisible wounds and the families and communities who supported them.
Data
Australian service in Afghanistan
Service figures reported in the Australian Government’s 25th-anniversary statement.
- ADF members deployed in support of Afghanistan
- ≥35,000 count
- 2026-10-11 · Observed
- ADF members listed as dying during or as a result of Afghanistan service
- 47 count
- 2026-10-11 · Observed
Methodology
Figures are taken from the Australian Government’s joint October 11 statement. It reports more than 35,000 ADF members deployed in support of Afghanistan over the two decades following the start of Operation Slipper; it gives no exact total. The figure 47 refers to ADF members recorded on the War Memorial Roll of Honour who died during or as a result of service in Afghanistan.
Updated:
Commemoration date
The government statement marks the 25th anniversary of Operation Slipper’s start.
- · Occurred
25th anniversary of Operation Slipper
The Australian Government marked the beginning of its military contribution in Afghanistan in a joint statement.
Methodology
The event date is the date the joint statement was released and the anniversary marked; it is not the deployment period.
Updated:
Subjects and places
Subject proposals
- SocietySuggested
- Preserved editorial category/topic; broad candidate onlywww.minister.defence.gov.au ↗
Geographic references
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- Australia · Place role: Coverage · Place type: Country or area · Location precision: RegionalEvidence
- Explicit preserved editorial country/region; no city or national centroid inferredwww.minister.defence.gov.au ↗