The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has a long history of deploying domestically in various roles and is often called upon to assist in natural disasters like bushfires, floods, and cyclones. This chapter examines the ADF’s extensive domestic deployments during the COVID-19 pandemic and which built on its history of disaster response. Operation COVID-19 Assist was unprecedented in scope and immediately followed significant bushfire relief efforts. Under the Defence Assistance to the Civil Community (DACC) framework, the ADF, engaged in a wide array of non-traditional tasks, including supporting international and domestic border control, assisting with contact tracing, manufacturing essential supplies, providing crucial medical personnel, facilitating mass COVID-19 testing, coordinating and delivering the national vaccination rollout, and supporting city-wide lockdowns. The Australian Signals Directorate also played a unique role in cybersecurity and cyber fraud disruption. The pandemic exposed the tension between the ADF’s core warfighting function and its expanding domestic role. Concerns arose regarding military overstretch, the cancellation of crucial warfighting exercises, and potential negative impacts on recruitment and retention. The chapter highlights a civil-military dynamic where the federal government relied on the ADF to compensate for shortfalls in civilian capability and capacity, prompting debate on the cost-effectiveness and long-term implications of using a "boutique" combat force for broad domestic emergency response.