Surge and Flex: Serco MELABS Delivers for Defence at Short Notice

As a long-standing Australian Defence Force (ADF) industry partner, Serco is proud to have been recognised by Wing Commander Phil Randerson, Commander – Air Task Unit of the Australian Defence Force, in a Letter of Appreciation to the MELABS team for outstanding flexibility and rapid delivery of capability uplift.

MELABS – our Middle East Logistics and Base Support Services team – brings together top Serco talent from across Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Since 2011, Serco MELABS has been supporting the ADF in the Middle East. Enabling Defence personnel to remain constantly operations-ready, Serco delivers an extensive range of base operations and support services, from high-quality catering and asset hire and maintenance, to fire and rescue services, cleaning and comprehensive accommodation services.

In particular, Wing Commander Randerson thanked Serco’s teams for assisting the Air Task Unit during recent operations. Supporting the Australian Government’s consular response to the Middle East conflict, these operations were a dynamic ADF project that involved missions where responses to operational requests and amendments were required with minimal notice. The MELABS team delivered with speed and precision, from reconfiguring and expanding ADF accommodation to host large numbers of surge personnel quickly, to delivering vehicles across multiple classes with short notice.

“I wish to extend my thanks to the Serco ground handling and catering teams for their support to the Air Task Unit (ATU),” Wing Commander Randerson said, describing Serco’s flexibility and commitment to supporting our Defence personnel in the Middle East with whatever is required to get the job done.

“Short notice requests…were always met with a warm demeanour and a can-do attitude, with the team consistently being punctual and diligent in enabling mission success.”

Sharing that his entire team felt “sincere and immense gratitude” for the support and flexibility Serco provides, Wing Commander Randerson expressed that both the ground handling and catering teams, “should feel justifiably proud of their contribution to supporting ADF missions and know that their professionalism, flexibility and hard work contributed to the successful completion of several missions conducted recently.”

The following Serco staff were all given special mentions for their support and being a delight to work with: Hospitality Manager Thiagarajan AsaiThambi (Thambi), Support Services Assistant Lead Valentino Ferrao, and Fuel & Waste Team Leader Sagarkumar Patel.

Serco’s leadership team and MELABS are proud of this exceptional recognition of the hard work, passion and skill that our people bring to their roles every day. As a strategic partner to Defence, we are built on bringing together the right people, the right technology and the right partners to create innovative solutions and make a positive impact, addressing some of the most urgent and complex challenges facing our world today. The innovative solution that is the tailored cross-border MELABS team we brought together for the ADF in the Middle East is an example of this commitment, and we warmly thank Wing Commander Randerson, the ATU and the Australian Defence Force for their support and appreciation.

These recent operations are not the first time that the MELABS team have worked hard to rapidly respond to changing priorities and needs – and they are unlikely to be the last. For more examples of how our team go above and beyond contract requirements, working to support Defence personnel and keep people safe and cared for in critical situations where demand surges exponentially at a moment’s notice, explore our News Hub.