Marine Rotational Force-Darwin participated in Exercise SOUTHERN JACKAROO 22, a tri-lateral infantry integration train that includes Marines and Sailors with MRF-D, Australian Defense Force members, and Japanese Ground Self Defense Force personnel from May 10 – May 31.
SOUTHERN JACKAROO 22 passed off at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, and included 400 Australian Soldiers, and practically 100 Japanese Soldiers, together with a Marine Corps rifle firm from third Battalion, seventh Marine Regiment. The three allied forces mixed to share ways, methods, and procedures whereas additionally enhancing interoperability capabilities. The train demonstrated how three of the Pacific’s premier companions can mix and type a unified and deadly fight group to guarantee security and safety in the Indo-Pacific.
“Considering the current world situation, the trilateral exercise is very significant, and it is very useful for improving the capability of units and all soldiers,” JGSDF coaching commander Lieutenant Colonel Ryozo Asano stated.
Led by the ADF’s seventh Brigade, SOUTHERN JACKAROO 22 applied a crawl, stroll, run idea of fight integration and interoperability. The partnered riflemen cycled by way of coaching lanes consisting of small arms shut fight, patrolling, and mechanized maneuver, together with different coaching occasions to improve the strengths of the three forces.
“Exercise SOUTHERN JACKAROO is a great example of how our regional partners integrate with Australian force elements to conduct realistic combat team training for combat operations,” Commander of the 7th Brigade, Brigadier Michael Say said. “Our combined capability to coordinate ground force assets demonstrates adaptability and interoperability that can be applied to disaster relief or warfighting operations.” Brigadier General Michael Say, Commander of the seventh Brigade
The three-week train included quite a lot of live-fire and mixed arms coaching. One preliminary coaching lane supplied Australian, Japanese, and U.S. squaddies the alternative to clear buildings collectively in an city atmosphere. Another coaching lane allowed the three forces to make the most of Australian M113 personnel carriers to shut with and destroy simulated enemy targets shortly and beneath efficient suppression.
“Our Marines and Sailors had a great experience at SOUTHERN JACKAROO training alongside our ADF and JGSDF teammates,” emphasised U.S. rifle firm commander Captain Jack Morgan, the senior USMC train chief. “The tactics, techniques, and procedures we shared and practiced here demonstrate that this team is a force capable of working together across the spectrum of military operations.”
Sharing fight expertise and mixed arms experience was solely a part of the total train mission. Critical to SOUTHERN JACKAROO 22 was the introduction of latest interoperability tools and procedures designed facilitate collaboration between the tri-lateral group, over lengthy distances. These procedures will show important when the three companions come collectively in future operations and workouts.
“One of the most challenging aspects of the Indo-Pacific theater is long range communications,” MRF-D communications officer Major Michael Trombitas noted. “We appreciate the opportunity we’ve had to further advance our communications capabilities alongside our partners.”
On the Lookout
Photo by Cpl. Cedar Barnes
Another distinctive side of this 12 months’s train was the addition of a long-range casualty evacuation from Shoalwater Bay to Darwin. MRF-D utilized an en-route care group aboard an MV-22 Osprey to transport and deal with a simulated casualty following a force-on-force occasion. The Osprey maneuvered from the Queensland coaching space again to RAAF Base Darwin, using aerial refuel and the important care group from MRF-D’s Role II facility. The CASEVAC demonstration required coordination from each aspect of the MAGTF and highlighted the agility of the power.
SOUTHERN JACKAROO is only one of many workouts the Marine Corps integrates with the Japan Self-Defense Force. IRON FIST, NOBLE FUSION, and different mixed and joint workouts additional improve the relationship between the Marine Corps and the JSDF, a union important to sustaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“Having spent some of my career in Okinawa, I will always cherish the relationship between the Marine Corps and the Japan Self-Defense Force,” said MRF-D fire support officer, Captain Mark Duran, who served as the lead U.S. planner for the exercise. “Working, learning, and training alongside both our Japanese and Australian allies was an honor.”
MRF-D takes nice delight in mixed coaching and integration, significantly with the allied forces of Australia and Japan. The U.S. National Security Advisor echoed the sentiment whereas talking about the President’s current journey to Japan, stating, “We believe that the U.S.-Japan alliance is at an all-time high.”
MRF-D acknowledges the nice significance of the Australian-Japanese-U.S. partnership, and seems to be ahead to constructing it even stronger in the future.
For questions relating to this story, please contact the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin media inquiry e-mail handle at [email protected]. Imagery from this rotation and earlier may be discovered at dvidshub.internet/unit/MRF-D.