Twenty-five years ago, Australia began a military commitment that would span two decades and touch the lives of thousands of Australians and their families.
On 11 October 2001, Operation Slipper was established, marking the beginning of Australia’s military involvement in Afghanistan.
Over the following 20 years, more than 35,000 Australian Defence Force personnel served in Afghanistan or in support of Afghanistan-related operations across the wider Middle East Area of Operations.
They served in different places and in very different roles. Some deployed to Afghanistan. Others supported the mission from elsewhere in the region. Their work included combat operations, mentoring and training Afghan forces, reconstruction, humanitarian assistance and other forms of operational support.
For some, there was more than one deployment. For families, there were long periods of separation and the uncertainty that came with having someone they loved in a war zone.
The human cost of Afghanistan
Forty-one Australian Defence Force personnel died during their service in Afghanistan, while a further 263 Australians were wounded.
Those numbers tell us something about the scale of Australia’s involvement. But each number represents a person – a friend, a son or daughter, a partner, a parent, a mate.
One of those Australians was Lieutenant Michael Fussell.
Michael was 25 when he was killed by an improvised explosive device in Uruzgan Province on 27 November 2008 while serving with 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Commando).
His death would have consequences far beyond the immediate loss felt by his family and mates.
In 2012, Michael’s friends John Bale, Dr Danielle Clout and Cavin Wilson established Soldier On following his death. They wanted to do something practical for Defence personnel who had been physically or psychologically affected by their service, and for their families.
What began from a deeply personal loss has grown into an organisation supporting current and former ADF personnel and their families through health and wellbeing, employment, learning and education, and participation.
Soldier On CEO Paul Singer says the 25th anniversary is both a national moment of remembrance and a deeply personal part of the organisation’s history.
‘For Soldier On, Afghanistan is not an abstract part of our military history. Our organisation was founded because of the loss of Lieutenant Michael Fussell, a young Australian who was killed there. That loss changed the lives of his family and his mates, and it also led to the creation of an organisation dedicated to supporting people who serve and the families who stand beside them,’ Paul says.
‘Twenty-five years on, we remember everyone who served, those who did not return home and the families who carried the weight of those deployments. We also recognise that service does not simply end when someone comes home. For many veterans and families, the effects of service can continue long after the uniform is put away.’
The war did not end when the deployments did
Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan changed considerably over the years that followed the establishment of Operation Slipper. Australian personnel contributed to successive international missions, including training and mentoring Afghan security forces.
In 2021, Australian personnel were also involved in the evacuation from Kabul as the Taliban returned to power.
The final Australian involvement in the Afghanistan conflict ended in 2021.
The passage of time does not make those experiences the same for everyone. For some veterans, Afghanistan remains a defining part of their military service. For others, it is one part of a much longer career. Families experienced the conflict differently again.
What they share is that the events of those years happened to real people – and that their effects did not necessarily stop when a deployment ended.
25 years since Operation Slipper
On Sunday 11 October 2026, Australia will mark 25 years since the establishment of Operation Slipper with a national commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
The service will begin at 10.30am, following a pre-service program from 10am, and will be broadcast nationally by the ABC. It will remember those who served and the families who supported them.
For Soldier On, the commemoration will also bring the organisation’s own history into focus.
Remembering – and continuing to support
Michael Fussell’s story is part of the history of Australia’s service in Afghanistan.
His name is also part of the story of Soldier On.
Twenty-five years after Australia first deployed to Afghanistan, that story continues – in the lives of veterans, in the experiences of their families and in the work of those who remain committed to supporting them.
Over the coming days, Soldier On will share personal stories from people connected to Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan. Their experiences are different. Their reflections are their own.
Together, they offer a more personal picture of what it meant to serve, to wait for someone to come home, and to find a way forward afterwards.
