In September 2009, the Australian Defence Force launched Operation Padang Assist in response to the massive earthquake that devastated the north-western Indonesian archipelago, this feature interview outlines the relief and support effort given to the Indonesian people by the ADF.

Reflecting on the mission, Brigadier Mark Brewer, the senior Australian Army official who led the ADF contingent, told Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe about the ADF’s mission objectives and the scale of the disaster relief challenge, the specific challenges in jointly operating in an overseas disaster relief setting, the ADF’s overall achievements and contribution to the operation and the impact of the mission on Australia-Indonesia relations.