A major general who was involved in the withdrawal of Australian forces from Afghanistan has been appointed to head Operation Sovereign Borders.
Andrew Bottrell, whose appointment was announced by the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, took part in Operation Slipper in Afghanistan from December 2012 to November 2013, and has received numerous commendations for his duty.
The federal government’s asylum seeker policies have fallen broadly under Operation Sovereign Borders.
A core key part of the operation has been the controversial practice of turning back asylum seeker vessels to Indonesia, and placing asylum seekers in orange lifeboats for their return journey.
The federal government has turned back at least 12 asylum seeker vessels. But information about the asylum seeker operations remain largely secret, with the government adopting a policy of not commenting on “on-water matters”.
The announcement on Monday follows the appointment of the previous OSB commander, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, as the chief of army.
Dutton said: ““LTGEN Campbell has been instrumental in achieving the government’s goal of stopping the boats, taking back control of Australia’s borders and defeating people smugglers who manipulate vulnerable men, women and children.
“His outstanding leadership has ensured that all agencies of government are now joined up and working effectively to tackle the evil trade of people smuggling.
“MAJGEN Bottrell is more than capable of building on the achievements of his predecessor and I look forward to working with him.”
