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| HMAS Canberra off the coast of Fiji during HA/DR operations |
By Wyatt Olson
POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, Hawaii — More than two dozen nations are involved in this year’s Rim of the Pacific naval exercise, but the biennial training is putting a special spotlight on the evolving partnership between the U.S. and Australia.
From major amphibious operations to small-arms drills, troops from both countries are honing coordination and sharing skills.
Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Scott Bishop is serving as deputy commander of RIMPAC’s combined task force, while Commodore Malcolm Wise of the RAN is commanding the maritime component.
This is the first time Australia has brought an amphibious force to RIMPAC, spearheaded by the HMAS Canberra, the country’s newest generation of LHD, or landing helicopter dock, ships.
Barely two years at sea, the Canberra can deliver about 1,000 troops to shore by sea and aircraft.
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| US Marine Osprey takes off from HMAS Canberra |
A second Canberra-class LHD, the HMAS Adelaide, has been commissioned and is in the process of becoming fully operational.
The catalyst for Australia’s push for cutting-edge amphibious ships was “the strategic shock” of its peacekeeping intervention in East Timor that began in 1999, according to a 2015 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The operation highlighted the potential requirements for amphibious operations and also the “stark lack of such capability at the time” by the Australian armed forces, the report said.
Australia also brought to RIMPAC a full landing force that is reinforced with a company of soldiers from New Zealand and a platoon from Tonga. The Australians are expected to lead a battalion in the exercise’s grand amphibious assault on July 30.
Read the full story at Stars and Stripes