Maritime Border Command

{{Short description|Australia's principal civil maritime security agency}}

{{Infobox law enforcement agency

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| chief1name = Rear Admiral Brett Sonter

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| website = {{url|www.abf.gov.au/about-us/what-we-do/border-protection/maritime}}

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The Maritime Border Command (MBC) is Australia's principal civil maritime security agency, a de facto coast guard, operating in the maritime domain to ensure compliance with Australia's maritime legislation by foreign and domestic non-state actors.{{cite web |title=Maritime Border Command – Australian Border Force |url=https://www.border.gov.au/australian-border-force-abf/protecting/maritime/command |website=Department of Immigration and Border Protection |access-date=7 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220095129/https://www.border.gov.au/australian-border-force-abf/protecting/maritime/command |archive-date=20 December 2016 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|title=Department of Immigration and Border Protection – Annual Report 2015–16|url=https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/annual-reports/annual-report-full-2015-16.pdf|website=Department of Immigration and Border Protection|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220095456/https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/annual-reports/annual-report-full-2015-16.pdf|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead}} It is responsible for border protection in the exclusive economic zone of Australia and its 59,700 kilometres of coastline{{cite web |url=http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/border-lengths |title=Border Lengths - States and Territories |work=Geoscience Australia |publisher=Australian Government |date= 31 July 2014|access-date=5 August 2017 }} and issues such as illegal fishing and exploitation of natural resources, maritime terrorism and piracy, biosecurity threats, and marine pollution.

It is a multi-agency command within the Department of Home Affairs comprising both Australian Border Force (ABF) and Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, led by a rear admiral in the Royal Australian Navy. In 2024, Brett Sonter became the Commander of MBC.[http://www.navy.gov.au/biography/rear-admiral-lee-goddard Rear Admiral Lee Goddard ]

The command was established in 2005 and was originally named the Joint Offshore Protection Command. In October 2006 it was renamed to Border Protection Command and was again retitled to its current name in July 2015 to coincide with the establishment of ABF.{{cite web|title=Maritime Border Command's History – Australian Border Force|url=https://www.border.gov.au/australian-border-force-abf/protecting/maritime/command/history|website=Department of Immigration and Border Protection|access-date=7 December 2016}}

Structure

The MBC is a joint unit of the Australian Defence Force (the Royal Australian Navy Patrol Force and the Royal Australian Air Force Surveillance and Response Group) and the Australian Border Force (Marine Unit and Coastwatch aircraft). Its headquarters are in Canberra and is part of the Operations Group of the ABF. The ABF is part of the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Since September 2013, the MBC has supported the Operation Sovereign Borders Joint Agency Taskforce.

The ADF elements of MBC are commanded from Northern Command in Darwin, Northern Territory.

The Australian Federal Police supports the MBC and particularly the ABF with criminal investigations, law enforcement and national security matters.

Role

The MBC delivers a coordinated national approach to offshore protection by operating as a single maritime surveillance, response and interception agency.

It detects and deters a wide range of illegal activities using a combination of ABF and ADF aircraft and vessels. ABF response assets include Coastwatch aircraft and Marine Unit patrol vessels. Its activities take place under a variety of legislation covering areas such as customs, fisheries, quarantine, immigration, environment and law enforcement.

The MBC is responsible for coordinating and controlling operations to protect Australia's national interests against the following maritime security threats:

illegal exploitation of natural resources
illegal activity in protected areas
unauthorised maritime arrivals
prohibited imports/exports
maritime terrorism
piracy
compromise to bio-security
marine pollution.

Commanders

colspan=4 background=white \| Commander Joint Offshore Protection Command
class="wikitable sortable" ! Rank !! Name !! Term began !! Term ended
Rear Admiral	Russ Crane {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|CSM}}	March 2005	May 2006
Rear Admiral	James Goldrick {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|AM,\|CSC}}	May 2006	October 2006
colspan=4 background=white \| Commander Border Protection Command
Rear Admiral	James Goldrick {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|AM,\|CSC}}	October 2006	May 2008
Rear Admiral	Allan du Toit {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|AM}}	May 2008	February 2010
Rear Admiral	Tim Barrett {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|AM,\|CSC}}	February 2010	December 2011
Rear Admiral	David Johnston {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|AM}}	December 2011	December 2013
Rear Admiral	Michael Noonan {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|AM}}	December 2013	14 January 2016
colspan=4 background=white \| Commander Maritime Border Command
Rear Admiral	Peter Laver {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|AM}}	14 January 2016	January 2019
Rear Admiral	Lee Goddard {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|CSC}}	28 January 2019	December 2020
Rear Admiral	Mark Hill {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|sep=,\|AM\|CSC}}	December 2020	4 February 2022
Rear Admiral	Justin Jones {{post-nominals\|country=AUS\|CSC}}	4 February 2022	10 January 2024
Rear Admiral	Brett Sonter	10 January 2024

References

External links

[http://www.bpc.gov.au Border Protection Command]
Rear Admiral Russ Crane [http://www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine/editions/20050501/groups/cjo.htm Increasing our offshore maritime security]

Category:Commonwealth Government agencies of Australia

Category:Federal law enforcement agencies of Australia

Category:Commands of the Australian Defence Force

Category:Borders of Australia