Operation RENDER SAFE

Operation RENDER SAFE is an Australian Defence Force (ADF)-led mission which aims to clear Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) from Pacific Island countries including the Soloman Islands, Tuvalu, Nauru and Papua New Guinea. The CAF has participated since 2013.

This operation aims to:

• reduce the hazards of ERW to local communities;
• prevent disreputable groups from recovering military explosives for malicious purposes; and
• improve the skills of local police and defence forces in disposing of ERW.

How many people are deployed?

Op RENDER SAFE is an episodic mission which occurs on an annual basis. When requested, the CAF deploys a contingent of 10-20 personnel, consisting of Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians (Clearance Divers, Combat Engineers, or Air Weapons System Technicians) staff officers and medical personnel.

What are they doing?

Typical deployments last between 4 to 8 weeks, with a Force Integration Training period generally occurring in Australia prior to deployment to the Pacific Island country which has requested assistance. During ERW reduction operations, CAF EOD technicians work with international partners (AUS, NZ, USA, UK, FRA, JPN) to locate, clear and destroy unexploded conventional ordnance found on land and in local waterways.

History and context of the operation

The Pacific region saw extensive fighting between Imperial Japanese forces and those of the United States, Australia and their Allies during the Second World War. Significant military campaigns took place in the Soloman Islands and Papua New Guinea, while other territories were heavily fortified as ammunition and supply bases. At the end of the war, a substantial quantity of ordnance was left behind, or dumped at sea. For example, there are an estimated 100,000 items of unexploded ordnance remaining in the Soloman Islands, explosives which remain lethal to members of the local community.

Past deployments

• November 2013: 10 CAF personnel deployed to Guadalcanal, Soloman Islands. International partners successfully cleared 12,164 pieces of ordnance, with the CAF contingent responsible for the disposal of more than 2,800 items.

• October 2014: 13 CAF personnel deployed to Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. CAF contingent responsible for clearing 18 explosive-remnants sites out of 110 that were cleared overall.

• September 2016: 19 CAF personnel deployed to Guadalcanal, Soloman Islands. International partners cleared 2,584 explosives weighing more than 18 tonnes. Of those, Canadians cleared 747 explosives weighing more than three tonnes.

• May 2024: 2 CAF deployed to Nauru in support of Op RENDER SAFE 24-01. Together with international partners, 17 unexploded ordnance, including a 500 lb bomb, are cleared from the local area.

• August 2024: 15 CAF personnel deployed to Munda, Soloman Islands, in support of Op RENDER SAFE 24-02. A total of 3,192 unexploded ordnance are cleared from local communities and destroyed by controlled demolition, contributing to a record breaking year of ERW reduction in the Soloman Islands.

• June 2025: 2 CAF personnel deployed to East New Britain, Papau New Guinea, in support of Op RENDER SAFE 25-01. International partners conducted explosive ordnance reconnaissance and cataloged known munition caches, in order to inform a subsequent disposal activity in the near future.