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Operation Morris Dance was an Australian military operation conducted in May 1987 in response to the first of the 1987 Fijian coups d'état. On the morning of 14 May 1987 the Military of Fiji took control of the country in a bloodless coup d'état. In response to the coup, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) began preparations to evacuate Australian citizens from Fiji. Five Australian warships (HMA Ships , , , , and ) were deployed to patrol south-west of Fiji. 'B' Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment was added to this force on 23 May, with the soldiers being flown from Townsville to Norfolk Island and transferred by helicopter to ''Stalwart'', ''Tobruk'', and ''Success''. The Australian task force remained off Fiji until 29 May, when the situation in the country had stabilised. ==Background== In the years after the Vietnam War, Australia's defence policy shifted away from emphasising 'forward defence': countering potential threats as far from Australia as possible, typically through joint operations with allied forces.〔Dennis et. al. (2008), pp. 213-4〕 This was replaced by the 'Defence of Australia Policy', which involved reorienting the military's capabilities to improve its ability for independent operations in Australia's immediate region. The guidance provided by the government was unclear, however, and retarded the development of an integrated ADF with the force structure needed to meet the Defence of Australia requirements.〔Tewes et al (2004)〕 The ADF made few deployments in the years after 1972 due to the stable international situation and the focus on the defence of Australia. While the deployments which took place provided useful experience for the units involved, they did not test the ADF's ability to conduct joint operations.〔Horner (2001), pp. 225–226〕 During the mid-1980s, the Australian Government sought to clarify Australia's defence policy. The 'Dibb Report', which had been commissioned by Minister for Defence Kim Beazley to provide information on priorities for defence planning and the ADF's requirements, was released in 1986. This report recommended that the ADF be focused on the defence of Australia but also have a modest ability to deploy forces within Australia's region in support of diplomatic interests and other countries military efforts. This recommendation was accepted by the Government and was incorporated into the Defence white paper released in 1987.〔Breen (2008), p. 23〕 The Army's main force suited to overseas deployments was the Operational Deployment Force (ODF), which was centred on the 3rd Brigade, based at Townsville. The ODF was required to be able to deploy an infantry company group (designated the Advance Company Group or ACG) within seven days, and the entire 3rd Brigade within 28 days.〔Palazzo (2001), p. 331〕 Responsibility for providing the rapid reaction force was rotated between the brigade's infantry battalions.〔Horner (2001), p. 56〕 The ADF's main transport assets were the Royal Australian Air Force's 24 C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and the Navy's amphibious heavy lift ship HMAS ''Tobruk''.〔Horner (2001), p. 58〕 On 14 May 1982, ten soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, the RFMF's third in command, overthrew the Fijian Government. The coup was supported by most of the RFMF and the traditional Fijian chiefly hierarchy.〔Grubb (1988), pp. 1–2〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Operation Morris Dance」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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