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Australian Light Armoured Vehicles prepare
to depart before the major offensive of Exercise Hamel 2012 begins here,
June 24. Prior to the main operations, Marines of Company G., Battalion
Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary
Unit, integrated with Australian Army units to engage the Army’s 1st
Brigade for the multi-week scenario. The exercise certifies the
Australian unit for deployment. Exercise Hamel is a multi-national
training evolution between Australia and New Zealand, with this year
being the first with U.S. Marine participation. The 31st MEU is the only
continuously forward-deployed MEU and is the nation’s force in
readiness in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Australia is about to come to a shocking revelation for them, but one I've been predicting for months.
The skills necessary for them to acquire in order to properly utilize the Canberra Class LHD, the Bay Class LPD's and other equipment like the LCM-1E will require them to form a Marine Corps. Maybe not in name but in function. The 3rd Brigade is looking like that force but this certification exercise (when did that become 'envogue' for units....certifying to become Special Ops Capable but certifying to deploy...really....say that shit out loud and see if it doesn't smack of bullshit) shows that the Australian Army but more precisely the Navy doesn't quite have its head in the game.
Maybe it has to do with getting all this new gear into service but I'm really surprised that the Admirals haven't pushed for the formation of even a token force.
Well, it doesn’t say so in the press release, but maybe the 3rd Brigade was on the HMAS Choules, and so didn’t make it there.
ReplyDeleteHMAS Choules suffered a defect on route to Exercise Hamel >> http://goo.gl/BRSbQ
Sol,
ReplyDeleteEx. Hamel is a 1 Brigade exercise, it's not a whole of Army or even whole of ADF exercise. Elements of 3 Brigade and 6 Brigade are there exercising as well, but primarily the exercise is intended to test 1 Brigade's level of operational capability and to prepare and certify 1 Brigade units to take on the "ready" elements of our Army in the next rotation through this role.
We rotate our 3 main Brigades through this role as part of the force generation cycle they waffle on about. It is 1 Brigade's turn for the role, which means they will provide units and sub-units for any contingency operations that spring up in the next 12 months or so.
Our 3rd Brigade is not designated as "Naval Infantry". It is one of our Army's 3 main land force units.
2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) has been designated as the Battalion tasked with introducing a greater amphibious capability into the Australian Army true enough, but it's not a "Naval infantry" unit any more than it's a "Marine" unit or an "Air Force" unit.
It's a light infantry battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment of infantry. It will however be the battalion that provides (in the initial years) the Ready Amphibious Company (or whatever Corporate speak designation they end up giving it) when the LHD's come online, but they will not be the only unit doing so.
Indeed if HMAS Choules hadn't strangely blown a transformer (first one that's ever happened on the Class apparently) you would have seen 1 Brigade units conducting amphibious operations during this exercise from HMAS Choules, LCH's and LCM-8's before you saw 2RAR do it (from all 3)...
As always,
Regards,
AD
What's the deal with that red gun barrel with the weird thing on the end? Is that a training device? Or just a weird ass gun barrel?
ReplyDeleteIt's a blank firing attachment for the 50 cal HMG's. It's nice and red to show that live rounds aren't being fired...
ReplyDeleteRegards,
AD