More than 300 current and former ADF personnel and Defence civilians who served on Operation CATALYST will tomorrow participate in a parade marking the end of the operation at the Australian War Memorial.
The Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner and I will attend the parade, along with Her Excellency the Governor-General.
Operation CATALYST was the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to the US-led Multinational Force effort to develop a secure and stable environment in Iraq and to assist national recovery programs.
Around 20,000 ADF personnel served on Operation CATALYST, which commenced on 16 July 2003 and concluded on 31 July 2009.
Over that time, the conduct of our servicemen and women upheld the great traditions of the ADF.
Every one of the men and women who served can be proud of what they contributed in Iraq.
Servicemen and women from all three Services were deployed in a range of combat, combat support, security and training roles to enable the people of Iraq to take responsibility for their own security.
The Australian Federation Guard will lead the parade from Anzac Parade onto the Australian War Memorial Parade Ground.
The parade commences at 2pm.