Our People in NSW
Michael Barker - Woonoona soldier protects Baghdad Diplomats
Former Edmund Rice College student Michael Barker is now serving with the Australian Army’s Security Detachment protecting Australian diplomats in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The keen rugby league supporter, Private Barker, 23, is now deployed to Baghdad as a member of the Australian Security Detachment which provides personal protection to the Australian Embassy in Iraq.
A veteran of East Timor, Private Barker is a combat first aider and linguist and provides language (Arabic) support to the detachment. He is a qualified infantryman and is normally posted to the 2nd Battalion of The Royal Australian Regiment based in Townsville.
Private Barker is the son of Greg and Susan Barker of Woonona.
As a member of the Australian Security Detachment in Baghdad, Private Barker will complete an eight month deployment in the Iraqi capital.
The Security Detachment is deployed as part of Operation KRUGER - the Australian Defence Force’s ongoing contribution to the provision of security and support for the Australian embassy and its staff in Iraq.
Working in support of the Australian Embassy and its staff in Iraq, the ADF provides a tailored security detail in order to facilitate protected mobility to the Head of the diplomatic mission and his staff.
The Australian Security Detachment, known as SECDET, is comprised of about 100 personnel drawn from infantry, cavalry, military police and combat service support units. SECDET currently consists mainly of personnel from the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (Townsville) and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Darwin).