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| HMAS Canberra (© Australian DoD) |
By AUDREY MCAVOY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Australian soldiers are expected to lead a battalion of troops in the storming of a Hawaii beach during the world's largest maritime exercises this month, displaying the amphibious military skills they've been building up in recent years.
It's the first time Australia's navy has brought an amphibious assault ship to the 26-nation Rim of the Pacific drills. The HMAS Canberra, which was commissioned less than two years ago, is capable of delivering more than 1,000 troops ashore with the help of helicopters and water craft.
The Australian army, meanwhile, will lead a battalion — including some U.S. Marines — ashore during a landing exercise scheduled near the end of the drills.
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| Australian Army AsLAV loading onto an LCM (© Australian DoD) |
Lt. Col. Michael Bassingthwaighte, commander of Royal Australian Regiment's 2nd Battalion, noted U.S. Marines have being doing amphibious operations for years.
"The depth of knowledge and experience organizationally is fantastic to draw on, particularly as we're trying to increase our level of capability in that area," Bassingthwaighte said on the sidelines of the exercises.
Read the full story at ABCnews