Tests of short-notice deployment: Rwanda 1993 and PNG (Bougainville) 1994

In the year after a battalion group had deployed to Somalia for five months, 3rd Brigade was required to deploy two very different types of military forces to Rwanda and Papua New Guinea's eastern province of Bougainville in 1994. A joint Medical Support Force left in August and the Australian-led South Pacific Peacekeeping Force left in October under command of Brigadier Peter Abigail. Many lessons were learned about pre-deployment preparation of joint and combined forces.