The Australian Army, with Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force and the United States (US) Marines, launched the inaugural ceremony of a 10-day trilateral armed exercise ‘Southern Jackaroo 2021’, which began on June 15 at Robertson Barracks, Australia. As many as 400 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, 60 Japanese soldiers, and 300 US Marines are part of these exercises. The annual affair aims to reinforce ties between Australia, Japan and the US and expand cooperation in different military sectors, like artillery, aviation, combat engineer training and infantry.
In a statement, the Commander of the 1st Brigade, Ash Collingburn, said, “The 10-day combined-arms exercise, held at Mount Bundey Training Area in the NT, would reinforce cooperation between the three countries and ensure the nations are ready to maintain peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.” Collingburn stated that the ADF achieves “interoperability benefits” with the US Marines due to the fact that they follow similar practices and use the same artillery weapons. While talking about Japan, he expressed gratitude for the country’s anti-tanks system, which can provide combat teams with “heavy firepower capacity.”
Australian army chief Lieutenant General Rick Burr said, “During the exercise, the three forces will conduct complex activities coordinating artillery, Unmanned Aircraft Systems and rotary wing assets.” Burr also commented on the complexity of these exercises, which he said would enhance the support for each other during combined operations. The combined armed exercises include three main activities: tabletop exercises; war games; and live-fire field training exercises. “Warfare is a human pursuit, so to have individuals who know each other and trust each other is a great advantage to our capabilities and the security of the region,” said Andrew Hocking, the Commander Brigadier of the Australian Army’s 7th Brigade.
Australia’s Department of Defence stated that the Japanese forces, on their first day of training, engaged in “live-fire practice of their anti-tank missiles,” which later would be integrated into the combat team.
Last year, Australia and Japan had signed an agreement for enhanced military cooperation and increased bilateral training between the two countries’ armed forces. To this end, they signed the ‘Reciprocal Access Agreement’ focused on strengthening military ties and promoting strategic partnership across the Indo-Pacific.
More recently, on 9 June, during the Australia-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Consultations between the Department of Defence and Foreign Affairs of both sides, Australia and Japan committed to increasing “bilateral exercises and operations between the Japan Self-Defence Forces (JDF) and the Australian Defence Forces (ADF), including through air-to-air refuelling.” In the same meeting, both sides acknowledged their alliance with the US. They also agreed to promote “trilateral cooperation to support a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, including through deeper and broader defence cooperation, such as conducting complex and frequent joint training.”
Last week, Defence Minister of Australia, Peter Dutton, announced an increase in the number of US Marines on Australia’s shores to boost security. While welcoming the move, Dutton said, “I think that is in our security interest, and I think it’s in the interests of the United States as well.”
As reported by Stars and Stripes, the annual trilateral exercises will be followed by Talisman Sabre, the world’s largest biennial Australia-US military exercises. These exercises will involve a troop of 17,000 soldiers, mainly from ADF and the US military; they will likely start towards the end of this month and will last until mid-August.
Australian Forces Begin 10-Day Arms Exercises With Japan and US
The annual affair aims to reinforce ties between Australia, Japan and the US and expand cooperation in different military sectors, like artillery, aviation, combat engineer training and infantry.
June 18, 2021
SOURCE: ABC