Tribune’s note

The Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Mr Keogh, announced a national commemoration service at the Australian War Memorial on Sunday 11 October 2026 to mark the 25th anniversary of the first Australian boots landing in Afghanistan [TA-260713-dva-69839f74142a]. The service is open to ADF personnel, veterans, their families and the general public, with free registration and a live broadcast on ABC iview.

The announcement centred on the scale of Australian involvement over two decades: more than 35,000 personnel served in Afghanistan or the Middle East Area of Operations, with 47 ADF members recorded as killed and 263 wounded [TA-260713-dva-69839f74142a]. The release pairs the commemorative announcement with a list of veteran support services — including Open Arms, Safe Zone Support, the Defence All-Hours Support line and the Defence Member and Family Helpline — signalling that the department is treating the anniversary period as one that may heighten distress for veterans and families.

Primary records (1)

The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.

MediaHonouring those who served in Afghanistan 25 years onMatt KeoghMonday 13 July 2026