This year’s annual warfighting exercise by Australian’s Army1st Brigade, Predators Run, combined elements of four countries.
Conducted in the Army’s tropical training ground southeast of Humpty-Doo in the countries Northern Territory has the Brigade coordinating multiple battle groups consisting of soldiers from the Australian Army, Philippine Army, Malaysian Army and US Marine Corps (Marine Rotational Force – Darwin). The collection and employment of such a regional multinational force under a common command could be considered an example of what could be anticipated in military responses to potential future demands in the South Pacific area.
The Exercise, which concluded 5 September with a live-fire manoeuvre event, not only saw the joint operations of separate national army units, but also the integration of soldiers of different nations directly into small units. These included Malaysian gunners performing duties within Australian artillery batteries.
Malaysian Armed Forces Major Fahmi A. Razak, battery commander, shared in Australian MoD coverage, that “We’ve come here to learn and integrate with Australian Artillery”.
Soldiers of both Armies learned to overcome differences in language, procedures, and equipment – challenges that would be also faced when operating in actual combat together. The shared experiences provided mutual benefits with each learning from the other.
Gaining a one-on-one familiarity with soldiers which one may be called upon to operate with in combat was an additional benefit. Having confidence in the reliability and proficiency of the unit beside or supporting you is a critical component of achieving an effective combat organization – especially challenging for a joint multinational force.
Exercises like Predator Run offer a foundation toward achieving these goals.
by Stephen W. Miller
