Exercise Hamel, the Australian Army’s annual foundation war fighting exercise concluded yesterday, with Darwin’s 1st Brigade and their assigned force elements certified to deploy on future contingency operations.
The three week certification exercise concluded with a live fire training activity, which forms the final component of the Brigade’s certification requirement.
Director of Practice and Commandant of the Combined Arms Training Centre in Victoria, Colonel Sean Ryan, said a Brigade level live fire activity only occurs during this annual exercise.
“This is a pretty spectacular activity which tests the firepower of a manoeuvre brigade,” Colonel Ryan said.
“For the 1st Brigade this includes tanks, armoured vehicles, engineering support, dismounted infantry and artillery fire.”
Exercise Director, Brigadier Shane Caughey said he was pleased with the training outcomes.
“The live fire activity added complexity to the battlefield and required the training audience to react and adapt their plans to the changing tactical situation,” Brigadier Caughey said.
“We have seen some excellent training conducted in some very trying conditions.
“Modern warfare is not simple and the Army must train and prepare for operations in a complex environment.
1st Brigade Commander, Brigadier Gus McLachlan praised the Brigade for their results during the training exercise.
“The 1st Brigade has spent several months training and preparing for Exercise Hamel and I am proud of what my soldiers have achieved in a complex and demanding scenario,” Brigadier McLachlan said.
“This means the 1st Brigade will be ready to take over the responsibilities as the online Brigade later this year. We will return to Darwin and continue to maintain our foundation skills that have been tested during Exercise Hamel,” he said.
Exercise Hamel is focused on the mastery of foundation skills, to enable a combined response against any threat. It is a pivotal activity in ensuring the Australian Army provides the Australian Government with a ready, relevant and agile land force.