Australian soldiers will remain in Iraq and Afghanistan for a long time, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said during a secret visit to the Middle East.
Mr Turnbull's unannounced visit to troops was made in the lead-up to Anzac Day on Tuesday.
"There is no doubt that in both theatres, there is going to need to be a long-term commitment," he told reporters in the United Arab Emirates.
"So it is going to be a long-term commitment and we will consider, with our allies in these conflict areas, ... requests for further support and as it evolves, we'll be looking at that."
More than 1700 Australian Defence Force personnel are deployed in the Middle East, with about 750 in Iraq and Syria and 270 in Afghanistan.
Back in Australia, tens of thousands of people turned out at solemn services to honour the sacrifice made by both serving and former soldiers.
While rain dampened ceremonies in Melbourne and Canberra, and crowds at Gallipoli were a fraction of those in recent years, the Anzac spirit was alive and well among the generations who took part in dawn services and marches
At one of the biggest gatherings in Canberra, nearly 40,000 people braved a crisp morning to hear a former soldier tell of losing his legs in Afghanistan.
Sapper Curtis McGrath fell victim to an IED in August 2012 while serving in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan.
"We honour those who have died and suffered through the old and the new wars," said the former army combat engineer.
Many diggers moved from parades to pubs for games of two-up into the afternoon, before the day of commemoration wrapped up with low-key sunset services.
Overseas, only about 600 people attended the dawn service at Gallipoli, a far cry from the 10,000 who attended the 100th anniversary of the Anzac landings two years ago.
"25 April is etched into our calendar as a most sacred national day, not by a government edict or decree, but through the deep understanding of generations of Australians that this horrendous sacrifice was made in our name and for our nation, our freedoms, our democratic values and our way of life, " Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the crowd.
Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten paid their respects to the diggers who fought in Papua New Guinea.
In France, about 2000 people attended the annual dawn service at Villers-Brettoneux while the Duke of York took part in commemorations in London.
